John Wooden quotes

1910-2010, American basketball player and coach

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