John Wooden Quotes

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John Wooden

Profession : Coach

Birth : October 14, 1910

Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character.

John Wooden

The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.

John Wooden

When you hurry you're more apt to make mistakes. But you have to be quick. If you're not quick you can't get things done.

John Wooden

If I am through learning, I am through.

John Wooden

I had three rules for my players: No profanity. Don't criticize a teammate. Never be late.

John Wooden

Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.

John Wooden

I'm not going to say I was opposed to the Vietnam War. I'm going to say I'm opposed to war. But I'm also opposed to protests that deny other people their rights.

John Wooden

There's as much crookedness as you want to find. There was something Abraham Lincoln said - he'd rather trust and be disappointed than distrust and be miserable all the time. Maybe I trusted too much.

John Wooden

In the end, it's about the teaching, and what I always loved about coaching was the practices. Not the games, not the tournaments, not the alumni stuff. But teaching the players during practice was what coaching was all about to me.

John Wooden

You can lose when you outscore somebody in a game. And you can win when you're outscored.

John Wooden

I am just a common man who is true to his beliefs.

John Wooden

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation.

John Wooden

The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones.

John Wooden

What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player.

John Wooden

Well, your greatest joy definitely comes from doing something for another, especially when it was done with no thought of something in return.

John Wooden

Failure is never fatal. But failure to change can and might be.

John Wooden

I worry that business leaders are more interested in material gain than they are in having the patience to build up a strong organization, and a strong organization starts with caring for their people.

John Wooden

My eyesight is not nearly as good. My hearing is probably going away. My memory is slipping too. But I'm still around.

John Wooden

I think you have to be what you are. Don't try to be somebody else. You have to be yourself at all times.

John Wooden

Earn the right to be proud and confident.

John Wooden