Best 421 quotes of John Wooden on MyQuotes

If you stay intent and your ability warrants it, you will eventually reach the top of the mountain.

I grew up on a farm. We learned that there was a season to plant, a season to water, and season to harvest. The planting and watering could be laborious, but without those stages, there would never be a harvest.

I like to give opinions, not suggestions

I like to spend time in the past, with the things that have been important to me.

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.

I'm no wizard, and I don't like being thought of in that light at all. I think of a wizard as being some sort of magician or something, doing something on the sly or something, and I don't want to be thought of in that way.

In 1948, I began coaching basketball at UCLA. Each hour of practice we worked very hard. Each day we worked very hard. Each week we worked very hard. Each season we worked very hard. Four fourteen years we worked very hard and didn't win a national championship. However, a national championship was won in the fifteenth year. Another in the sixteenth. And eight more in the following ten years.

I never let our players get satisfied, I never let our Coaches get satisfied, I was never satisfied. We can always do it better.

I never yelled at my players much. That would have been artificial stimulation, which doesn't last very long. I think it's like love and passion. Passion won't last as long as love. When you are dependent on passion, you need more and more of it to make it work. It's the same with yelling.

In life, worthwhile accomplishments and acquisitions take time. Usually the better the reward, the more time it takes to acquire it.

In my opinion, being an effective leader requires being an effective listener. The most productive leaders are usually those who are consistently willing to listen and learn.

In spite of all that doctors know, and their studies never end, the best cure of all when spirits fall is a kind note from a friend.

Intensity makes you stronger. Emotionalism makes you weaker.

I really believe that happiness comes from things that cannot taken away from you.

I 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.

I 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.

I think that in any group activity - whether it be business, sports, or family - there has to be leadership or it wont be successful.

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

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

It is difficult for young players to learn - because of the great emphasis on records - but, ideally, the joy and frustration of sport should come from the performance itself, not the score. While he is playing, the worst thing a player can think about in terms of concentration - and therefore of success - is losing. The next worst is winning.

It is easier to reach our potential when we learn the value of including others in our quest.

It is important for us to see that our mentors are human and therefore fallible; it makes our own shortcomings more tenable.

It is most difficult, in my mind, to separate any success, whether it be in your profession, your family, or as in my case, in basketball, from religion.

It is normal to enjoy praise and dislike criticism. True character is when you prevent either from affecting you in a negative matter.

It isn't about what you do, but how you do it

It matters not the subject taught, nor all the books on all the shelves, What matters most, yes most of all, is what the teachers are themselves.

It's always about focusing not on the mistakes but on the lessons learned from them.

It's important to keep trying to do what you think is right no matter how hard it is or how often you fail. Never stop trying

It's not how big you are, it's how big you play.

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

It's not what you teach, it's what you emphasize.

It's too late for preparation when opportunity strikes.

It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.

It takes 10 hands to score a basket

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

I've been blessed in so many ways.

I've never stopped trying to do what's right. I'm not doing it to earn favor with God. I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do.

I wanted my players to always be searching, especially for truth. I wanted them to know what they believed and be able to defend it. Truth will always stand the test of scrutiny.

I was built up from my dad more than anyone else.

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.

I would not tolerate profanity from anyone, anytime. I'd blow the whistle, pull you from the court and put you on the bench and talk to you before I would put you back in.

I would spend almost as much time planning a practice as conducting it. Everything was planned out each day

Joy makes the longest journey too short.

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

Kindness makes for much better teamwork.

Knowledge is not enough to get desired results. You must have the more elusive ability to teach and to motivate. This defines a leader; if you can't teach and you can't motivate, you can't lead.

Lead, 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.

Leadership is the ability to get individuals to work together for the common good and the best possible results while at the same time letting them know they did it themselves.

Leaders must have patience for those under your supervision. Don't expect too much too soon. Maybe it was easy for you, but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy for somebody else. Be sure you have patience.

Let’s face it, we’re all imperfect and we’re going to fall short on occasion. But we must learn from failure and that will enable us to avoid repeating our mistakes. Through adversity, we learn, grow stronger, and become better people.