John Wooden Quotes

Commend, Don’t Criticize

It’s always about focusing not on the mistakes but on the lessons learned from them.

Coach Wooden didn’t treat everybody the same; he treated people the way they deserved to be treated.

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

Team Spirit — an eagerness to sacrifice personal interests or glory for the welfare of all — is a tangible driving force that transforms individuals who are “doing their jobs correctly” into an organization whose members are totally committed to working at their highest levels for the good of the group. Members of such an organization are unselfish, considerate, and put the goals of the organization above their own, even at the expense of their own personal desires. When this happens — and the leader is the one who makes it happen — the result is almost magical.

how I conveyed information was often as important as the information itself.

Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece.

Solid respect without fear is what I was after. I wanted them to believe in themselves without being self-centered, intimidated or naive.

You must define success as making the complete effort to maximize your ability, skills, and potential in whatever circumstances — good or bad — may exist.

Make friendship a fine art.

Alertness, the ability to be constantly observing, absorbing, and learning from what’s going on around you, is a critical component for the individual in charge, the leader who strives for continuous improvement. You must constantly be awake, alive, and alert in evaluating yourself as well as the strengths and weaknesses of your organization and your competitors.

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

Some of those under your supervision will catch on quickly, others not. Understanding that patience is an integral part of good teaching and effective leadership allowed me to accept the varying speeds at which people learn and to accommodate, within reason, those differences. Patience became an asset for me rather than a liability. I came to understand that good things take time.

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

You never fail if you know in your heart that you did the best of which you are capable. I did my best. That is all I could do.