91 Inspiring John Wooden Quotes (LEADERSHIP)

Top 9 Most Famous John Wooden Quotes (BEST)

“You can never make up for a lost day… Don’t think you can make up for it by working twice as hard tomorrow. If you have it within your power to work twice as hard, why aren’t you doing it now?”
John Wooden

If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes. — If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.

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. — 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.

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.

If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over? — If you don’t have **time** to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?

Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming. — **Success** comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.

Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who’ll argue with you.

Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful. — **Talent** is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.

11 Motivational John Wooden Quotes About Life

“Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make friendships a fine art, drink deeply from good books — especially the Bible, build a shelter against a rainy day, give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day.”
John Wooden

The most important thing in the world is family and love. — The most important thing in the world is **family** and **love**.

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

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. — 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**.

Happiness begins where selfishness ends. — **Happiness** begins where selfishness ends.

“Friendship is two-sided. It isn’t a friend just because someone’s doing something nice for you. That’s a nice person. There’s friendship when you do for each other. It’s like marriage – it’s two-sided.”
John Wooden

If we magnified blessings as much as we magnify disappointments, we would all be much happier. — If we magnified blessings as much as we magnify **disappointments**, we would all be much **happier**.

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

Don’t let making a living prevent you from making a life.

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

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

12 Wise John Wooden Quotes to Live By (WISDOM)

“When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur. When you improve conditioning a little each day, eventually you have a big improvement in conditioning. Not tomorrow, not the next day, but eventually a big gain is made. Don’t look for the big, quick improvement. Seek the small improvement one day at a time. That’s the only way it happens – and when it happens, it lasts.”
John Wooden

You can’t let praise or criticism get to you. It’s a weakness to get caught up in either one.

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

Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.

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

Tell the truth. That way you don’t have to remember a story. — Tell the **truth**. That way you don’t have to remember a story.

Seek opportunities to show you care. The smallest gestures often make the biggest difference.

All of life is peaks and valleys. Don’t let the peaks get too high and the valleys too low.

Never make excuses. Your friends don’t need them and your foes won’t believe them.

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

Don’t give up on your dreams, or your dreams will give up on you. — Don’t give up on your **dreams**, or your dreams will give up on you.

16 John Wooden Quotes on Success and Winning

“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

Just try to be the best you can be; never cease trying to be the best you can be. That’s in your power.

The best competition I have is against myself to become better.

Passion is momentary; love is enduring. — **Passion** is momentary; **love** is enduring.

I think that in any group activity – whether it be business, sports, or family – there has to be leadership or it won’t be successful. — I think that in any group activity – whether it be **business**, sports, or family – there has to be **leadership** or it won’t be successful.

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

Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character. — Winning takes **talent**, to repeat takes **character**.

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

Players with fight never lose a game, they just run out of time. — Players with fight never lose a game, they just run out of **time**.

Defense is a definite part of the game, and a great part of defense is learning to play it without fouling. — Defense is a definite part of the game, and a great part of defense is **learning** to play it without fouling.

We can have no progress without change, whether it be basketball or anything else. — We can have no progress without **change**, whether it be basketball or anything else.

You are not a failure until you start blaming others for your mistakes.

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

Just do the best you can. No one can do more than that.

It takes time to create excellence. If it could be done quickly, more people would do it. — It takes **time** to create excellence. If it could be done quickly, more people would do it.

If there’s anything you could point out where I was a little different, it was the fact that I never mentioned winning.

14 John Wooden Quotes that will Make You Think

“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

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

Adversity is the state in which man most easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then. — **Adversity** is the state in which man most easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.

If you’re true to yourself, you’re going to be true to everyone else.

It is amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit.

I’d rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent. — I’d rather have a lot of **talent** and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent.

Although there is no progress without change, not all change is progress. — Although there is no progress without **change**, not all change is progress.

Material possessions, winning scores, and great reputations are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord, because He knows what we really are and that is all that matters.

It isn’t what you do, but how you do it.

You can do more good by being good than any other way.

It’s not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.

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.

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

I think permitting the game to become too physical takes away a little bit of the beauty. — I think permitting the game to become too physical takes away a little bit of the **beauty**.

14 John Wooden Quotes on Coaching and Learning

“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

It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts. — It’s what you **learn** after you know it all that counts.

A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment. — A coach is someone who can give correction without causing **resentment**.

I think the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other single profession. — I think the teaching profession contributes more to the **future** of our society than any other single profession.

If I am through learning, I am through. — If I am through **learning**, I am through.

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. — 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**.

“Somebody asked me – you know, how come it took you so long to win a national championship? And I said, ‘I’m a slow learner; but you notice when I learn something, I have it down pretty good.’”
John Wooden