Inspirational Quotes by John Wooden (American Sportsperson)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Don’t mistake activity with achievement.
—John Wooden

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

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

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

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

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

Make each day a Masterpiece.
—John Wooden

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

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

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

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

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