John Wooden
How you run the race - your planning, preparation, practice, and performance - counts for everything. Winning or losing is a by-product, and aftereffect, of that effort.Collection: Running
To win once you must have talent, but to win again you must have character.Collection: Character
Knowledge is not enough to get desired results. You must have the more elusive ability to teach and to motivate. This defines a leader; if you can't teach and you can't motivate, you can't lead.Collection: Basketball
Seek opportunities to show you care. The smallest gestures often make the biggest difference.Collection: Inspirational
There are three things an athlete must do. You must be in physical condition ... You must execute properly and quickly the fundamentals ... and you must have eagerness to sacrifice personal interests or glory for the welfare of the team.Collection: Team
I would not tolerate profanity from anyone, anytime. I'd blow the whistle, pull you from the court and put you on the bench and talk to you before I would put you back in.Collection: Blow
Practice self-discipline and keep emotions under control. Good judgment and common sense are essential.Collection: Self
If we, as coaches, aren't teachers, we are nothingCollection: Sports
Mix idealism with realism and add hard work. This will often bring much more than you could ever hope for.Collection: Hard Work
Work without joy is drudgery. Drudgery does not produce champions, nor does it produce great organizations.Collection: Leadership
It is normal to enjoy praise and dislike criticism. True character is when you prevent either from affecting you in a negative matter.Collection: Sports
Nothing can give you greater joy than doing something for another.Collection: Giving
Many leaders don't listen, and it is one of the greatest methods we have of learning. You need to listen to those under your supervision and to those who are above you.Collection: Leader
A good banker isn't careless with pennies; a good leader isn't sloppy about details.Collection: Leader
Make today your master piece.Collection: Inspirational
Teamwork is not a preference, it is a requirement.Collection: Basketball
There is no great fun, satisfaction, or joy derived from doing something that's easy.Collection: Fun
The man who is afraid to risk failure seldom has to face success.Collection: Men
Never did I want to call the first time-out during a game. Never. I wanted UCLA to come out and run our opponents so hard that they would be forced to call the first time-out just to catch their breath. At that first time-out the opponents would know, and we would know that they knew, who was in better condition. This has a psychological impact.Collection: Running
How many of us have conflicts with someone else- and how many of us pray for that person? We have individuals with whom we are competitive, or whom we dislike or have a quarrel with; but very few of us have true enemies in the martial sense. And yet if Lincoln could pray fervently- and contemporary reports indicate he did- for the people who were opposing him, how much more can we do for someone we just find a little irritating?Collection: People
Rest when you need to, but never quit.Collection: Never Quit
The best way to improve your team is to improve yourself.Collection: Team
Cervantes said the journey's better than the end. Practices, to me, were the journey.Collection: Journey
What you do in practice is going to determine your level of success. I used to tell my players, 'You have to give 100 percent every day. Whatever you don't give, you can't make up for tomorrow. If you give only 75 percent today, you can't give 125 percent tomorrow to make up for it.'Collection: Motivational
If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have the time to do it over?Collection: Attitude
Don't let yesterday take up too much of today.Collection: Moving On
Good things take time, as they should. We shouldn’t expect good things to happen overnight. Actually, getting something too easily or too soon can cheapen the outcome.Collection: Perseverance
Things turn out best for those who make best of how things turn out.Collection: Graduation
Champions never complain, they are too busy getting better.Collection: Complaining
Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.Collection: Motivational Bodybuilding
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.Collection: Perseverance
It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.Collection: Graduation
All of life is peaks and valleys. Don’t let the peaks get too high and the valleys too low.Collection: About Life
There is no great fun, satisfaction, or joy derived from doing something that’s easy.Collection: Fun
First be the best and then be first.Collection: Firsts
Effective leaders are, first and foremost, good teachers. We’re in the education business.Collection: Firsts
For an athlete to function properly, he must be intent. There has to be a definite purpose and goal if you are to progress. If you are not intent about what you are doing, you aren’t able to resist the temptation to do something else that might be more fun at the moment.Collection: Fun
Real happiness comes from the things that can not be taken away from you.Collection: Real