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 WoodenSince the most important responsibility of a coach in regard to the actual playing of the game is to teach his players properly and effectively to execute the various fundamentals of the game, he is first of all a teacher.
John WoodenI think anyone's success depends on working hard, Industriousness and Enthusiasm, enjoying what you are doing. You can't work your best if you're not enjoying what you are doing. No way you can force yourself to.
John WoodenAs a leader, you will receive a large amount of praise and criticism and you should not unduly affected by either.
John WoodenRemember this your lifetime through: Tomorrow there will be more to do. And failure waits for all who stay With some success made yesterday. Tomorrow you must try once more, And even harder than before.
John WoodenThe life lessons taught by John Wooden have become legend. Here's a collection of some of the greatest 'Woodenisms.'
John WoodenLead, don't drive. And give credit. Don't blame. If an officer on your team suggested something and it worked well, give them credit. If it doesn't work well, you take the blame because you made the decision.
John WoodenHaving the courage to make decisions and take action. Never be afraid to fail. You have nothing to fear if you have prepared to the best of your ability.
John WoodenIf you spend too much time learning the 'tricks' of the trade, you may not learn the trade. There are no shortcuts. If you're working on finding a short cut, the easy way, you're not working hard enough on the fundamentals. You may get away with it for a spell, but there is no substitute for the basics. And the first basic is good, old fashioned hard work.
John WoodenEarlier in life, I put family in front of faith. I've fixed that. But I always tried to keep work fourth on the list. I was proud when [my wife] Nellie told an interviewer, 'I never could tell whether John had a good practice or a bad practice, because he never brought it home'
John WoodenPeople want to believe you are sincerely interested in them as a person, not just what they can do for you.
John WoodenDon't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability. Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are. Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.
John WoodenWe 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 WoodenMost people think of poise as calm, self-assured dignity; but I call it “just being you”.
John WoodenConfidence - Poise and confidence are not possible unless you have prepared correctly. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Poise and confidence are a natural result of proper preparation.
John WoodenI 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 WoodenSelfishness is the greatest challenge for a coach. Most players are more concerned with making themselves better than the team.
John WoodenNever 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 WoodenPromise to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit trouble to press on you.
John WoodenWhen we aren't alert, we miss opportunities to improve ourselves. We should always watch for circumstances or situations that can help or harm us and be eager to learn from these encounters.
John Wooden