John Wooden Quotes

When you blame others you are trying to excuse yourself. When you make excuses you can’t properly evaluate yourself. Without proper self-evaluation, failure is inevitable.

Sports don't build character; they reveal it.

You must be interested in finding the best way, not in having your own way.

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

During the toughest challenges in my life I’ve come to most appreciate all Coach Wooden means to me. The things he would say — “Don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t steal, don’t whine, don’t complain, don’t make excuses; worry about the things you can control, and not the things you can’t” — were endless. Yet there is an appropriate one for every situation. The real

Sincerity may not help us make friends, but it will help us keep them.

No written word nor spoken plea Can teach our youth what they should be. Nor all the books on all the shelves. It’s what the teachers are themselves.

Even at 94, I want to be the best I can be, and hard work is the only way to make this happen.

So often we fail to acknowledge what we have because we’re so concerned about what we want.

A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life.

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

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

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail . . . Never mistake activity for achievement . .

Set your standards high; namely, do the absolute best of which you are capable. Focus on running the race rather than winning it. Do those things necessary to bring forth your personal best and don’t lose sleep worrying about the competition. Let the competition lose sleep worrying about you. Teach your organization to do the same.

If I were ever prosecuted for my religion, I truly hope there would be enough evidence to convict me.