Inspirational Quotes by John Wooden (American Sportsperson)

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

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

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: Success & Failure, Success, Satisfaction

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

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

Although I wanted my players to work to win, I tried to convince them they had always won when they had done their best.
—John Wooden
Topics: Winning, Winners

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

Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.
—John Wooden
Topics: Success, Failure

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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: Faith, Prayer

Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.
—John Wooden
Topics: Potential, Reflection, Doing Your Best, Ability, Achieving, Vision, Measuring, Accomplishment

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

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

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 with achievement.
—John Wooden

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

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

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

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

Stubborness we deprecate,
Firmness we condone,
The former is our neighbors trait,
The latter is our own.
—John Wooden

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

Make each day a Masterpiece.
—John Wooden

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