Inspirational Quotes by John Wooden (American Sportsperson)

Next to love, balance is the most important thing.
—John Wooden
Topics: Balance, Love

It’s not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.
—John Wooden
Topics: Persistence, Success, Perseverance

Young people need models, not critics…
—John Wooden
Topics: Youth

Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character.
—John Wooden
Topics: Talent

It’s wrong to turn people into idols. But it’s also wrong to lose hope, to believe that we can’t find good examples to inspire us.
—John Wooden

I always tried to make clear that basketball is not the ultimate. It is of small importance in comparison to the total life we live. There is only one kind of life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior. Until that is done, we are on an aimless course that runs in circles and goes nowhere.
—John Wooden
Topics: Passion

Don’t mistake activity with achievement.
—John Wooden

What you are as a person is far more important that what you are as a basketball player.
—John Wooden

Success is that peace of mind that comes from knowing you’ve done everything in your power to become the very best you’re capable of becoming.
—John Wooden
Topics: Success

For an athlete to function properly, he must be intent. There has to be a definite purpose and goal if you are to progress. If you are not intent about what you are doing, you aren’t able to resist the temptation to do something else that might be more fun at the moment.
—John Wooden
Topics: Purpose

It isn’t what you do, but how you do it.
—John Wooden
Topics: Success, Excellence

You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.
—John Wooden
Topics: Sacrifice, Graduation, Satisfaction, Kindness

You cannot attain and maintain physical condition unless you are morally and mentally conditioned. And it is impossible to be in moral condition unless you are spiritually conditioned. I always told my players that our team condition depended on two factors—how hard they worked on the floor during practice and how well they behaved between practices.
—John Wooden
Topics: Mind, The Mind

Don’t mistake activity for achievement.
—John Wooden
Topics: Achievement, Success & Failure, Mistakes, Success

Ability is a poor man’s wealth.
—John Wooden
Topics: Success, One liners, Ability

It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.
—John Wooden
Topics: Little Things, Things

Sports do not build character. They reveal it.
—John Wooden
Topics: Sports, One liners, Character

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

Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.
—John Wooden
Topics: Ability

An effective leader allows exceptions to the rule for exceptional results or when circumstance demands.
—John Wooden

Make each day a Masterpiece.
—John Wooden

Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.
—John Wooden
Topics: Humility, Talent, Thankfulness

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.
—John Wooden
Topics: Prayer, Faith

It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.
—John Wooden
Topics: Success, Learning

I’d rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent.
—John Wooden
Topics: Talent, Success

Don’t let what you can’t do stand in the way of what you can.
—John Wooden
Topics: Success

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

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.
—John Wooden
Topics: Success, Success & Failure

Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.
—John Wooden
Topics: Work, Planning, Failure

Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.
—John Wooden
Topics: Feelings

A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.
—John Wooden
Topics: Success

Be prepared and be honest.
—John Wooden
Topics: Honesty

If I am through learning, I am through.
—John Wooden
Topics: Learn, Learning

Give it away to get it back. There is a wonderful, almost mystical, law of nature that says three of the things we want most—happiness, freedom, and peace of mind—are always attained when we give them to others.
—John Wooden

If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.
—John Wooden
Topics: Mistakes

You can’t let praise or criticism get to you. It’s a weakness to get caught up in either one.
—John Wooden
Topics: Criticism, Praise

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.
—John Wooden
Topics: Success, Success & Failure

Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
—John Wooden
Topics: Success, General, Ability, Performance, Confidence, Focus, Exercise, Achieving, Helping

If you go as far as you can see, you will then see enough to go even farther.
—John Wooden
Topics: Vision

Success is peace of mind, a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming, and not just in a physical way: seek ye first the kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be yours as well.
—John Wooden
Topics: Satisfaction, Success & Failure, Success

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