John Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and head coach at the University of California, Los Angeles. Nicknamed the “Wizard of Westwood,” he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period as head coach at UCLA, including a record seven in a row. These John Wooden quotes on success, teamwork, leadership, character will motivate you in life.
Best John Wooden Quotes
- “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
- “A mistake is valuable if you do four things with it: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it” ~ John Wooden
- “Make each day a masterpiece. Don’t think your best days are out there somewhere. Why not today? Why can’t today be a great day? It can if you believe it will.” ~ John Wooden
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“Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who’ll argue with you.” ~ John Wooden
- “Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.” ~ John Wooden
- “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” ~ John Wooden
- “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
- “A strong leader accepts blame and gives the credit. A weak leader gives blame and accepts the credit.” ~ John Wooden
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“Champions never complain, they are too busy getting better” ~ John Wooden
- “If you do enough small things right, big things can happen” ~ John Wooden
- “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.” ~ John Wooden, John Wooden quotes on success
- “The eight laws of learning are explanation, demonstration, imitation, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition.” ~ John Wooden
- “I am not as good as I ought to be. I am not as good as I want to be. I am not as good as I’m going to be. But I am thankful that I am better than I used to be.” ~ 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
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“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” ~ John Wooden
- “Make sure that team members know they are working with you, not for you.” ~ John Wooden
- “You haven’t taught until they’ve learned.” ~ John Wooden
- “Don’t let making a living prevent you from making a life.” ~ John Wooden
- “A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group – that’s teamwork.” ~ John Wooden, John Wooden quotes on teamwork
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“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.” ~ John Wooden
- “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” ~ John Wooden
- “The more concerned we become over the things we can’t control, the less we will do with the things we can control” ~ John Wooden
- “The time to prepare isn’t after you have been given the opportunity. It’s long before that opportunity arises. Once the opportunity arrives, it’s too late to prepare.” ~ John Wooden
- “Promise yourself you will talk health, happiness, and prosperity as often as possible. Promise to think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best in yourself and others. Promise to forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements in the future.” ~ John Wooden
- “Just do the best you can. No one can do more than that.” ~ John Wooden
- “Promise to wear a cheerful appearance at all times and give every person you meet a smile.” ~ John Wooden
- “Be more concerned with what you can do for others than what others can do for you. You’ll be surprised at the results.” ~ John Wooden
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“It is amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit.” ~ John Wooden
- “Don’t permit fear of failure to prevent effort. We are all imperfect and will fail on occasions, but fear of failure is the greatest failure of all.” ~ John Wooden
- “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.” ~ John Wooden
- “If we magnified blessings as much as we magnify disappointments, we would all be much happier.” ~ John Wooden
- “Never mistake activity for achievement.” ~ John Wooden
- “We’re not all equal as far as intelligence is concerned. We’re not equal as far as size. We’re not all equal as far as appearance. We do not all have the same opportunities. We’re not born in the same environments, but we’re all absolutely equal in having the opportunity to make the most of what we have and not comparing or worrying about what others have.” ~ John Wooden
- “Winning takes talent; to repeat takes character.” ~ John Wooden
- “Young people need models, not critics.” ~ John Wooden
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“Never lie; never cheat; never steal. Don’t whine; don’t complain; don’t make excuses.”
- “The four laws of learning are: the first is demonstration of what you want. The second is the criticism of the demonstration. The third is the imitation of the correct model, and the fourth is repetition, over and over until it becomes habit where is you don’t think about it.” ~ John Wooden
- “There is a choice you have to make in everything you do. So keep in mind that in the end, the choice you make, makes you.” ~ John Wooden
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“Seek opportunities to show you care. The smallest gestures often make the biggest difference.” ~ John Wooden
- “There is no more powerful leadership tool than your own personal example.” ~ John Wooden, John Wooden quotes on leadership
- “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.” ~ John Wooden
- “If you spend too much time learning the ‘tricks’ of the trade, you may not learn the trade. There are no shortcuts. If you’re working on finding a short cut, the easy way, you’re not working hard enough on the fundamentals. You may get away with it for a spell, but there is no substitute for the basics. And the first basic is good, old fashioned hard work.” ~ John Wooden
- “Give me 100 percent. You can’t make up for a poor effort today by giving 110 percent tomorrow. You don’t have 110 percent. You only have 100 percent, and that’s what I want from you right now.” ~ John Wooden
- “Having the courage to make decisions and take action. Never be afraid to fail. You have nothing to fear if you have prepared to the best of your ability.” ~ John Wooden
