John Wooden Quotes

99 Sourced Quotes

Failure is not fatal but failure to change might be.

John Wooden
There are many things that are essential to arriving at true peace of mind, and one of the most important is faith, which cannot be acquired without prayer.

John Wooden
We should never let ambition cause us to sacrifice our integrity or diminish our efforts in other areas. However, we need to remember that we never reach a serious goal unless we have the intention of doing so.

John Wooden
Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.

John Wooden
In spite of all that doctors know, and their studies never end, the best cure of all when spirits fall is a kind note from a friend.

John Wooden
A life not lived for others is not a life, a game not played for others is not a game.

John Wooden
Once you become a good person, then you have a chance of becoming a good basketball player.

John Wooden
I grew up on a farm. We learned that there was a season to plant, a season to water, and season to harvest. The planting and watering could be laborious, but without those stages, there would never be a harvest.

John Wooden
Fairness is giving all people the treatment they earn and deserve. It doesn't mean treating everyone alike.

John Wooden
It is easier to reach our potential when we learn the value of including others in our quest.

John Wooden
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.

John Wooden
Make no mistake, I always want to win, but I never fight with an opponent. My fight is within me it is the struggle to be the best I can be at whatever I do.

John Wooden
We almost have to force or drive ourselves to work hard if we are to reach our potential. If we don't enjoy what we do, we won't be able to push as hard as we need to push for as long as we need to push to achieve our best. However, if we enjoy what we do and if we're enthusiastic about it, we'll do it better and come closer to becoming the best we can be.

John Wooden
Most people think of poise as calm, self-assured dignity; but I call it just being you.

John Wooden
There is no more powerful leadership tool than your own personal example.

John Wooden
First, do not betray yourself. Second, do not betray those you lead.

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

John Wooden
Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.

John Wooden
Tell the truth. That way you don't have to remember a story.

John Wooden
If we magnified blessings as much as we magnify disappointments, we would all be much happier.

John Wooden
As I grow older, I appreciate things that I didn't appreciate much when I was younger. I am thankful more than I used to be. I've been reasonably healthy, and I feel blessed. And each morning I can think, this is going to be a good day!

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

John Wooden
We can give without loving, but we can't love without giving. In fact, love is nothing unless we give it to someone.

John Wooden
It is most difficult, in my mind, to separate any success, whether it be in your profession, your family, or as in my case, in basketball, from religion.

John Wooden
You cannot attain and maintain physical condition unless you are morally and mentally conditioned. And it is impossible to be in moral condition unless you are spiritually conditioned. I always told my players that our team condition depended on two factors / how hard they worked on the floor during practice and how well they behaved between practices.

John Wooden
I always tried to make clear that basketball is not the ultimate. It is of small importance in comparison to the total life we live. There is only one kind of life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior. Until that is done, we are on an aimless course that runs in circles and goes nowhere.

John Wooden
Don't let making a living prevent you from making a life.

John Wooden
Cultivate the ability to make decisions and think alone. Do not be afraid of failure, but learn from it.

John Wooden
You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.

John Wooden
Success may result in winning, but winning does not necessarily mean you are a success.

John Wooden