John Wooden

It’s not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.
– John Wooden

The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.
– John Wooden

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

Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have
accomplished with your ability.
– John Wooden

Ability is a poor man’s wealth.
– John Wooden

Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.
– John Wooden

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what
you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.
– John Wooden

Never mistake activity for achievement.
– John Wooden

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

Happiness begins where selfishness ends.
– John Wooden

Discipline yourself and others won’t need to.
– John Wooden

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

Make every day your masterpiece.
– John Wooden

What you are as a person is far more important that what you are as a basketball player.
– John Wooden

Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
– John Wooden

The people who turn out best are those people who make the best out of the way things turn
out.
– John Wooden

Adversity is the state in which man mostly easily becomes acquainted with himself, being
especially free of admirers then.
– John Wooden

A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.
– John Wooden

Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable
of becoming.
– John Wooden

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

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

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

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

If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes
mistakes.
– John Wooden

It is amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit.
– John Wooden

Never try to be better than someone else. Learn from others, and try to be the best you can
be. Success is the by-product of that preparation.
– John Wooden

Although there is no progress without change, not all change is progress.
– John Wooden

I’d rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little
talent.
– John Wooden

You can’t let praise or criticism get to you. It’s a weakness to get caught up in either one.
– John Wooden

If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?
– John Wooden

Be prepared and be honest.
– John Wooden

The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones.
– John Wooden

Failure is not fatal but failure to change might be.
– John Wooden

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

Winning takes talent; to repeat takes character.
– John Wooden

The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.
– John Wooden

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

Never make excuses. Your friends don’t need them and your foes won’t believe them.
– John Wooden

It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.
– John Wooden