In the end, it's about the teaching, and what I always loved about coaching was the practices. Not the games, not the tournaments, not the alumni stuff. But teaching the players during practice was what coaching was all about to me.
— John Wooden
I met Tiger Woods when he was younger. He's amazing - obviously technically, but his mental approach, too. He's really something.
If a player's not doing the things he should, put him on the bench. He'll come around.
Be more concerned with your character than your reputation.
You can lose when you outscore somebody in a game. And you can win when you're outscored.
I think you have to be what you are. Don't try to be somebody else. You have to be yourself at all times.
Friendship is two-sided. It isn't a friend just because someone's doing something nice for you. That's a nice person. There's friendship when you do for each other. It's like marriage - it's two-sided.
Don't let making a living prevent you from making a life.
I found golf was too time consuming, but I did enjoy it.
I like to spend time in the past, with the things that have been important to me.
If there's anything you could point out where I was a little different, it was the fact that I never mentioned winning.
I think the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other single profession.
No one can really honestly be the very best, no one.
If I were a young coach today, I would be extremely careful in selecting assistants.
There's as much crookedness as you want to find. There was something Abraham Lincoln said - he'd rather trust and be disappointed than distrust and be miserable all the time. Maybe I trusted too much.
I'm not afraid to die.
The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.
I worry that business leaders are more interested in material gain than they are in having the patience to build up a strong organization, and a strong organization starts with caring for their people.
Just try to be the best you can be; never cease trying to be the best you can be. That's in your power.
I had three rules for my players: No profanity. Don't criticize a teammate. Never be late.
Failure is never fatal. But failure to change can and might be.
Defense is a definite part of the game, and a great part of defense is learning to play it without fouling.
I seldom was ever off my seat on the bench during the game.
Well, your greatest joy definitely comes from doing something for another, especially when it was done with no thought of something in return.
You can do more good by being good than any other way.
Young people need models, not critics.
I've been blessed in so many ways.
I'm no wizard, and I don't like being thought of in that light at all. I think of a wizard as being some sort of magician or something, doing something on the sly or something, and I don't want to be thought of in that way.
Love is the most important thing in the world. Hate, we should remove from the dictionary.
I'm not going to say I was opposed to the Vietnam War. I'm going to say I'm opposed to war. But I'm also opposed to protests that deny other people their rights.
My eyesight is not nearly as good. My hearing is probably going away. My memory is slipping too. But I'm still around.
I don't believe in fate.
Earn the right to be proud and confident.
Be prepared and be honest.
Teaching players during practices was what coaching was all about to me.
Somebody asked me - you know, how come it took you so long to win a national championship? And I said, 'I'm a slow learner; but you notice when I learn something, I have it down pretty good.'
I don't think I was a fine game coach. I'm trying to be honest. I think I was a good practice coach.
Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books. Make friendship a fine art. Build a shelter against a rainy day.
We can have no progress without change, whether it be basketball or anything else.
I think permitting the game to become too physical takes away a little bit of the beauty.
I don't believe in praying to win.
When you hurry you're more apt to make mistakes. But you have to be quick. If you're not quick you can't get things done.
I was built up from my dad more than anyone else.
Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.
I'm glad I was a teacher.
The most important thing in the world is family and love.
I'd be satisfied just coaching in high school. I turned down a number of colleges when I was teaching in South Bend, Indiana, before I went into the service. I honestly believe that if I hadn't enlisted in the service, I would never have left high school teaching. I'm sure I would have never left.
I talked to the players and tried to make them aware of what was good and bad, but I didn't try to run their lives.
If I am through learning, I am through.
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.
