Quotes by John Wooden

• It's not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.
• Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.
• A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.
• Ability is a poor man's wealth.
• Adversity is the state in which man most easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.
• 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.
• Be prepared and be honest.
• Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
• Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character.
• Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
• Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.
• Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.
• I'd rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent.
• If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?
• It isn't what you do, but how you do it.
• If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes.
• 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.
• It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.
• 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.
• Never mistake activity for achievement.
• Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.
• Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts.
• 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.
• Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.
• The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones.
• Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.
• What you are as a person is far more important that what you are as a basketball player.
• You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one.
• You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.
• It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.
• The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.
• The only true wealth is the wealth of a generous heart.
• Talent is God-given; be humble. Fame is man-given; be grateful. Conceit is self-given; be careful.
• Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts in the end.
• Talent is God given, be humble. Fame is man-given, be grateful. Conceit is self-given, be careful.
• Do not mistake activity for achievement.
• Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out.
• Talent is God-given, so be humble. Fame is man-given, so be grateful. Conceit is self-given, so be careful.
• Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.
• Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do
• Success is never final, and failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts.
• Make each day your masterpiece
• If you're not making mistakes, then you're not making progress.
• Be quick, but don't hurry.
• Do not let what you can't do interfere with what you can do.
• Make each day your masterpiece.
• Do not let making a living prevent you from making a life.
• Don't be afraid to give up the good and go for the great
• Things works out best for those who make the best of how things work out.
• Success is peace of mind, achieved only through self-satisfaction and knowing you've given your best.
• Character is the real foundation of all worthwhile success.
• Don't let making a living prevent you from making a life.
• Success is never final, failure is never fatal: It's courage that counts.
• Do not let what you can’t do stop you from what you CAN do
• Happiness begins where selfishness ends.
• People who don't bend, often break.
• Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it—so maybe don’t drop yoru ice cream while knowing this!
• success is just failure dried in the sun.
• Success is not just about what you accomplish in your life, but what you inspire others to do with theirs.
• Success is most often achieved by those who don't know that failures are inevitable.
• Life is what happens when you're busy making plans, so don't forget to embrace the detours—they often lead to the best adventures!
• Success is just failure that doesn’t know when to quit.
• Success is often measured by how high you bounce when you hit the bottom.
• Success doesn't come from what you do on game day, it comes from what you do every day to prepare.
• Success isn't permanent, and failure isn't fatal; courage is what counts.