“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
PinIf you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.PinBe 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.PinDo not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.PinThings turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.PinIf you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?PinSuccess comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.PinWhatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who’ll argue with you.PinTalent 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
PinThe most important thing in the world is family and love.PinYou can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.PinThere 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.PinHappiness 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
PinIf we magnified blessings as much as we magnify disappointments, we would all be much happier.PinMy eyesight is not nearly as good. My hearing is probably going away. My memory is slipping too. But I’m still around.PinDon’t let making a living prevent you from making a life.PinWhat you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player.PinWell, 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
PinYou can’t let praise or criticism get to you. It’s a weakness to get caught up in either one.PinIf you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.PinI think you have to be what you are. Don’t try to be somebody else. You have to be yourself at all times.PinDon’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.PinConsider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.PinTell the truth. That way you don’t have to remember a story.PinSeek opportunities to show you care. The smallest gestures often make the biggest difference.PinAll of life is peaks and valleys. Don’t let the peaks get too high and the valleys too low.PinNever make excuses. Your friends don’t need them and your foes won’t believe them.PinThe best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.PinDon’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
PinJust try to be the best you can be; never cease trying to be the best you can be. That’s in your power.PinThe best competition I have is against myself to become better.PinPassion is momentary; love is enduring.PinI think that in any group activity – whether it be business, sports, or family – there has to be leadership or it won’t be successful.PinI am just a common man who is true to his beliefs.PinWinning takes talent, to repeat takes character.PinAbility may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.PinPlayers with fight never lose a game, they just run out of time.PinDefense is a definite part of the game, and a great part of defense is learning to play it without fouling.PinWe can have no progress without change, whether it be basketball or anything else.PinYou are not a failure until you start blaming others for your mistakes.PinThe main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.PinJust do the best you can. No one can do more than that.PinIt takes time to create excellence. If it could be done quickly, more people would do it.PinIf 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
PinThe worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones.PinAdversity is the state in which man most easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.PinIf you’re true to yourself, you’re going to be true to everyone else.PinIt is amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit.PinI’d rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent.PinAlthough there is no progress without change, not all change is progress.PinMaterial 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.PinIt isn’t what you do, but how you do it.PinYou can do more good by being good than any other way.PinIt’s not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.PinWhen 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.PinYou can lose when you outscore somebody in a game. And you can win when you’re outscored.PinI 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
PinIt’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.PinA coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.PinI think the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other single profession.PinIf I am through learning, I am through.PinNever 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
PinI had three rules for my players: No profanity. Don’t criticize a teammate. Never be late.PinDiscipline yourself, and others won’t need to.PinBeing a role model is the most powerful form of educating… too often fathers neglect it because they get so caught up in making a living they forget to make a life.PinI talked to the players and tried to make them aware of what was good and bad, but I didn’t try to run their lives.PinIf I were a young coach today, I would be extremely careful in selecting assistants.PinIf a player’s not doing the things he should, put him on the bench. He’ll come around.PinI don’t think I was a fine game coach. I’m trying to be honest. I think I was a good practice coach.
15 Short Inspirational John Wooden Quotes
PinMake each day your masterpiece.PinSuccess is never final, failure is never fatal. It is courage that counts.PinYoung people need models, not critics.PinIt’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.PinNothing will work unless you do.PinChampions never complain, they are too busy getting better.PinNever lie, never cheat, never steal.PinBe prepared and be honest.PinListen if you want to be heard.PinFailure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.PinToday is the only day. Yesterday is gone.PinAbility is a poor man’s wealth.PinNever mistake activity for achievement.PinI don’t believe in praying to win.PinEarn the right to be proud and confident.
(MUST READ) Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court
Overcoming depression and suicidal thoughts, Jeremiah Say found solace in quotes. After filling countless pages with resonating words, he moved his collection online to save trees and inspire others. Thus, GraciousQuotes.com was born. Jeremiah firmly believes in the power of quotes to swiftly spark inspiration during hard times. His blog is dedicated to uplifting others through these shared wisdoms. Discover more about Gracious Quotes or get in touch with Jeremiah.