Famous Quotes & Sayings

John Wooden

You must have respect, which is a part of love, for those under your supervision. Then they will do what you ask and more.

John Wooden

No matter how you total success in the coaching profession it all comes down to a single factor - talent. There may be a hundred great coaches of whom you have never heard in basketball, football, or any sport who will probably never receive the acclaim they deserve simply because they have not been blessed with the talent. Although not every coach can win consistently with talent, no coach can win without it.

John Wooden

Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings everyday.

John Wooden

Teamwork is not a preference, it is a requirement.

John Wooden

Loyalty is a cohesive force that forges individuals into a team.

John Wooden

In 1948, I began coaching basketball at UCLA. Each hour of practice we worked very hard. Each day we worked very hard. Each week we worked very hard. Each season we worked very hard. Four fourteen years we worked very hard and didn't win a national championship. However, a national championship was won in the fifteenth year. Another in the sixteenth. And eight more in the following ten years.

John Wooden

Drink deeply from good books.

John Wooden

Build shelter against a rainy day.

John Wooden

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

John Wooden

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation.

John Wooden

Losing is only temporary and not encompassing. You must simply study it, learn from it, and try hard not to lose the same way again. Then you must have the self-control to forget about it.

John Wooden

It's not what you teach, it's what you emphasize.

John Wooden

I believe it’s impossible to claim you have taught, when there are students who have not learned. With that commitment, from my first year as an English teacher until my last as UCLA basketball teacher/coach, I was determined to make the effort to become the best teacher I could possibly be, not for my sake, but for all those who were placed under my supervision.

John Wooden

Good players can take coaching; great players can take coaching and learn.

John Wooden

I never let our players get satisfied, I never let our Coaches get satisfied, I was never satisfied. We can always do it better.

John Wooden

I continually stress to my players that all I expect from them at practice and in the games is their maximum effort.

John Wooden

I do not judge success based on championships; rather, I judge it on how close we came to realizing our potential

John Wooden

Be quick without hurrying.

John Wooden

I do not want players who do not have a keen desire to win and do not play hard and aggressively to accomplish that objective.

John Wooden

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

John Wooden

A Coach must never forget that he is a leader and not merely a person with authority.

John Wooden

It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.

John Wooden

Promise to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit trouble to press on you.

John Wooden

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

John Wooden

When people ask me now if I miss coaching UCLA basketball games, the national championships, the attention, the trophies, and everything that goes with them, I tell them this: I miss the practices.

John Wooden

I would spend almost as much time planning a practice as conducting it. Everything was planned out each day

John Wooden

The true athlete should have character, not be a character

John Wooden

The goal in life is the same as in basketball: make the effort to do the best you are capable of doing--in marriage, at your job, in the community, for your country. Make the effort to contribute in whatever way you can. You may do it materially or with time, ideas, or work. Making the effort to contribute is what counts. The effort is what counts in everything.

John Wooden

Promise yourself that you will talk health, happiness, and prosperity as often as possible.

John Wooden

Reverse the ball one time for a good shot, two times for a great shot, three times for a layup.

John Wooden

Promise yourself to make all your friends know there is something in them that is special and that you value.

John Wooden

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

John Wooden

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