Famous Quotes & Sayings

John Wooden

I also wanted my basketball players to know that I really cared about them. Forget basketball; as a person, I cared, I cared about their family.

John Wooden

Generally speaking, individual performances don't win basketball games

John Wooden

As a leader, you will receive a large amount of praise and criticism and you should not unduly affected by either.

John Wooden

I am not a strategic coach; I am a practice coach.

John Wooden

Conditioning is essential to success in basketball.

John Wooden

We may not be the best conditioned team in the country, but our players think they are.

John Wooden

Do passing drills that come from your offense.

John Wooden

The greatest ally you have to get things working well and the players performing as a team is the bench. Don't be afraid to use it, either for the star player or anyone else.

John Wooden

Intensity makes you stronger. Emotionalism makes you weaker.

John Wooden

When the legs go, the heart soon follows

John Wooden

My philosophy of defense is to keep the pressure on an opponent until you get to his emotions

John Wooden

I found the bench to be the greatest ally when I had to make individuals comply with what was best for the team

John Wooden

Push yourself to keep improving or you'll stay as close to the bottom as you are to the top

John Wooden

The best competition I have is against myself to become better

John Wooden

Ability may get you to the top, nut it takes chracter to keep you there - mental, moral, and physical.

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

Our titles would not have been possible without the unselfishness displayed by all our teams, the team wins, not the individuals

John Wooden

I discovered early on that the player who learned the fundamentals of basketball is going to have a much better chance of succeeding and rising through the levels of competition than the player who was content to do things his own way. A player should be interested in learning why things are done a certain way. The reasons behind the teaching often go a long way to helping develop the skill.

John Wooden

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

John Wooden

I always stress condition with my basketball players. I don’t mean physical condition only. You cannot attain and maintain physical condition unless you are morally and mentally conditioned.

John Wooden

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

John Wooden

Make friendship a fine art.

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.