Quotes by John Wooden
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Motivating through fear may work in the short term to get people to do something, but over the long run I believe personal pride is a much greater motivator. It produces far better results that last for a much longer time.

Confidence -- Poise and confidence are not possible unless you have prepared correctly. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Poise and confidence are a natural result of proper preparation.

Without organization and leadership toward a realistic goal, there is no chance of realizing more than a small percentage of your potential.

The individual who is mistake-free is also probably sitting around doing nothing. And that is a very big mistake.

It's not how big you are, it's how big you play.

It isn't about what you do, but how you do it.

Perfection is impossibility but striving for perfection is not. Do the best you can. That is what counts.

It's important to keep trying to do what you think is right no matter how hard it is or how often you fail. Never stop trying.

A player who makes a team great is better than a great player.

The best players don't win championships. The best team players win championships.

Why can't we have patience and expect good things to take time?

In life, worthwhile accomplishments and acquisitions take time. Usually the better the reward, the more time it takes to acquire it.

You must believe in what you're doing, that what you're doing is the proper thing, the right thing. And you must have faith that things will end up as they should, which doesn't mean as you want them to, but things will work out as they should.

As long as you try your best, you are never a failure. That is, unless you blame others.

Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece.

Be true to yourself. Be true to those you lead.

Drink deeply from good books.

The uphill climb is slow, but the downhill road is fast.

A strong leader accepts blame and gives the credit. A weak leader gives blame and accepts the credit.

Although I wanted my players to work to win, I tried to convince them they had always won when they had done their best.

Winning and losing aren't all they're cracked up to be, but the trip to the destination is.

Winning games, titles and championships isn't all it's cracked up to be, but getting there, the journey, is a lot more than it's cracked up to be.

Great leaders are always out front with a banner, instead of behind with a whip.

Opponents are working very hard to defeat us. Let's not do it for them by defeating ourselves from within.

Working with others makes us much more than we could ever become alone.

Whether you know it or not, whether you like it or not, the habits you are developing now will be with you for the rest of your life.

Remember this, the choices you make in life, make you.

There are no big things, only a logical accumulation of little things done at a very high standard of performance.

You can lose when you outscore somebody in a game, and you can win when you're outscored.

The two hardest things to handle in life are failure and success.

Being a role model is the most powerful form of educating...too often fathers neglect it because they get so caught up in making a living they forget to make a life.

Cooperation -- To get cooperation, you must give cooperation. Always seek to find the best way rather than insisting on your own way.

Our land is everything to us.... I will tell you one of the things we remember on our land. We remember that our grandfathers paid for it -- with their lives.

Being true to ourselves doesn't make us people of integrity. Charles Manson was true to himself, and as a result, he rightly is spending the rest of his life in prison. Ultimately, being true to our Creator gives us the purest form of integrity.

Discipline of others isn't punishment. You discipline to help, to improve, to correct, to prevent, not to punish, humiliate, or retaliate.

Be quick without hurrying.

Rest when you need to, but never quit.

I believe one of the requirements of good leadership is the ability to listen -- really listen -- to those in your organization. An effective leader is very good at listening, and it's difficult to listen when you are talking.

If you let social activities take precedence over your academic activities, then you will soon lose your basketball activities.

An effective leader develops the ability to correctly identify the pertinent detail or details -- incidentals in a market, industry or sport that might create an incremental advantage.

You cannot antagonize and be a positive influence, and you will antagonize when you discipline through emotion.

I really believe that happiness comes from things that cannot taken away from you.

If I were a young coach today, I would be extremely careful in selecting assistants.

I wanted my players to always be searching, especially for truth. I wanted them to know what they believed and be able to defend it. Truth will always stand the test of scrutiny.

The smallest good dead is better than the best intention.

It matters not the subject taught, nor all the books on all the shelves, What matters most, yes most of all, is what the teachers are themselves.

Never be thrown off stride in how you behave or what you believe in because of outside events.

Stubborness we deprecate,
Firmness we condone,
The former is our neighbors trait,
The latter is our own.

Decisions are more apt to be accepted when you've listened to suggestions first. I wanted them to see the reason behind what I asked of them, not to do things just because I said so.

Others may have more ability than you, they may be larger, faster, quicker, better jumpers ... but no one should be your superior in respect to team spirit, loyalty, enthusiasm, cooperation, determination, industriousness, fight effort, and character.

We don't have to be superstars or win championships…. All we have to do is learn to rise to every occasion, give our best effort, and make those around us better as we do it.

Leaders must have patience for those under your supervision. Don't expect too much too soon. Maybe it was easy for you, but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy for somebody else. Be sure you have patience.

People ask me if I'd permit fancy things, like dunks. Well, if they did dunk, it was with no fancy flair. No behind-the-back dribbles or passes unless necessary. If it was for show, you were on the bench.

As a leader, you must be filled with energy and eagerness, joy and love for what you do. If you lack enthusiasm for your job, you cannot perform to the best of your ability. Industriousness is unattainable without Enthusiasm.

You have to apply yourself each day to becoming a little better. By becoming a little better each and every day, over a period of time, you will become a lot better.

Team spirit means you are willing to sacrifice personal considerations for the welfare of all. That defines a team player.

Seek opportunities to show you care. The smallest gestures often make the biggest difference.

There is nothing stronger than gentleness.

You are no better than anyone else and no one is better than you.

Five years from now, you're the same person except for the people you've met and the books you've read.

The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.

You can't live a perfect day until you do something for someone who will never be able to repay you.

Happiness begins where selfishness ends.

Champions are brilliant at the basics.

Champions never complain, they are too busy getting better.

You can always do more than you think you can.

Listen if you want to be heard.

You are not a failure until you start blaming others for your mistakes.

Don't let yesterday take up too much of today.

Success is peace of mind in knowing you did your best.

Make every day your masterpiece.

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

The true test of a man's character is what he does when no one is watching.

In my opinion, being an effective leader requires being an effective listener. The most productive leaders are usually those who are consistently willing to listen and learn.

Your energy and enjoyment, drive and dedication will stimulate and greatly inspire others.

Next to love, balance is the most important thing.

Never make excuses. Your friends don't need them and your foes won't believe them.

We will begin by learning how to tie our shoes.

There is a choice you have to make in everything you do. So keep in mind that in the end, the choice you make, makes you.

Make your yes mean yes, and your no mean no.

A mentor must always guide, never push. It was my job to listen to them, offer my perspective, and encourage them to pursue the ideals they believed to be true.

Don't mistake activity with achievement.

Winning takes talent; to repeat takes character.

Discipline yourself and others won't need to.

Stay the course. When thwarted try again; harder; smarter. Persevere relentlessly.

Give me 100 percent. You can't make up for a poor effort today by giving 110 percent tomorrow. You don't have 110 percent. You only have 100 percent, and that's what I want from you right now.

Respect a man, and he will do all the more.

If you lose self-control everything will fall.

Do not let what you can not do interfere with what you can do.

Success travels in the company of very hard work. There is no trick, no easy way.

Don't permit fear of failure to prevent effort. We are all imperfect and will fail on occasions, but fear of failure is the greatest failure of all.

The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.