Wooden by John Wooden
by Parker · 155 things on NewTwos
- Nothing is stronger than gentleness.
- Be the best you can in whatever endeavor you undertake.
- Don't worry about the score, your image, or your opponent.
- Be more interested in the process than the result.
- Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
- Never mistake activity for achievement.
- Discipline yourself and others won't need to.
- The person who knows how will always have a job. The person who knows why will be his boss.
- Practice great patience and the ability and eagerness to work very hard without complaint.
- Four things a man must learn to do if he would make his life more true: 1. Think without confusion clearly. 2. Love his fellow-man sincerely. 3. Act from honest motives purely. 4. Trust in God and Heaven securely.
- Seven things to do: 1. Be true to yourself. 2. Help others. 3. Make each day your masterpiece. 4. Drink deeply from good books, especially the bible. 5. Make friendship a fine art. 6. Build a shelter against a rainy day. 7. Pray for guidance and count and give thanks for your blessings every day.
- You must have the courage to be true to yourself.
- It is more blessed to give than to receive.
- You have to apply yourself each day to become a little better.
- Don't take friendship for granted.
- Friendship is giving and sharing of yourself.
- "How much more pleasant this world would be if we magnified our blessings the way we magnify our disappointments."
- I am not what I ought to be, not what I want to be, not what I am going to be, but I am thankful that I am better than I used to be.
- It's important to keep trying to do what you think is right no matter how hard it is or how often you fail. You never stop trying.
- Three of the things we want most - happiness, freedom, and peace of mind - are always attained when we give them to others.
- You will live in torment if you do not trust enough.
- "Never believe you're better than anybody else, but remember that you're just as good as everybody else."
- "The best thing a man can do for his children is to love their mother." - Abraham Lincoln
- You are more influential than you think.
- Character is how you react to things.
- Striving for perfection is not an impossibility.
- Always be learning, acquiring knowledge, and seeking wisdom with a sense that you are immortal and that you will need much knowledge and wisdom for the long journey ahead.
- I will not waste even a minute.
- Faults are fine.
- How hard you work at correcting your faults reveals your character.
- Courtesy, politeness, and consideration.
- "No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave."
- You often find what you're looking for.
- We mustn't forget the tremendous good we have within us as a people.
- People want to believe you are sincerely interested in them as persons, not just for what they can do for you. You can't fake it.
- Control your temper and don't use profanity.
- Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.
- All good and worthwhile things take time.
- 8 suggestions for succeeding:
- Fear no opponent.
- Respect every opponent.
- Remember, it's the perfection of the smallest details that make big things happen.
- Keep in mind that hustle makes up for many a mistake.
- Be more interested in character than reputation.
- Be quick, but don't hurry.
- Understand that the harder you work, the more luck you will have.
- Know that valid self-analysis is crucial for improvement.
- Remember that there is no substitute for hard work and careful planning.
- Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
- The very worst thing you can do is to beat yourself.
- The team that makes the most mistakes will probably win.
- I believe individuals who feel good about themselves are more productive.
- A team player is the best kind of player.
- 8 promises that can bring happiness: 1. Promise yourself that you will talk about health, happiness, and prosperity as often as possible. 2. Promise yourself to make all your friends know there is something in them that is special and that you value. 3. Promise to think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best in yourself and others. 4. Promise to be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. 5. Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. 6. Promise to forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements in the future. 7. Promise to give so much time to improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others. 8. Promise to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit trouble to press on you.
- Losing is only temporary and not all-encompassing. You must study it, learn from it, and try hard not to lose the same way again. Then you must have the self-control to forget about it.
- You are no different after fame. You are still you.
- Hard work is the difference. Very hard work.
- Make the most of what you've got.
- You must take what is available and make the very most of it.
- Come close to your level of competency, not somebody else's.
- Real competitors love a tough situation.
- Competitiveness must be focused exclusively on the process of what you are doing rather than the result of the effort.
- Some very hard work under very tough conditions in the preceding years produced this unexpected good fortune.
- Adversity often produces an unexpected opportunity. Look for it. Appreciate it and utilize it.
- There are no shortcuts.
- Don't measure yourself by what you've accomplished but rather by what you should have accomplished with your abilities.
- There cannot be progress without change.
- Ability can get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.
- It takes real character to keep working as hard or even harder once you're there.
- "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Not talent, not genius, not education. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." - Calvin Coolidge
- You, and only you, can decide whether you will stay on course.
- Always be progressing.
- Persistence is stronger than failure.
- You must never stand still.
- Balance is the most important word to keep in mind. Emotional, physical, mental. Keep things in perspective.
- My final score is how prepared you were to execute near your own particular level of competence.
- The result will take care of itself, and you should be willing to accept it.
- In great attempts, it is glorious even to fail.
- A philosopher is a person who meets all events, whether favorable or unfavorable, with calmness and composure. They also have a love of wisdom, studies the general principles of a field of knowledge or activity, and the process covering thought, conduct, character, morals, and behavior.
- Leadership is the ability to get individuals to work together for the common good and the best possible results while at the same time letting them know they did it themselves.
- The most essential thing for a leader to have is the respect of those under his or her supervision. It starts with giving them respect.
- A leader is fair. Give all people the treatment they earn and deserve.
- A leader's most powerful ally is his or her own example.
- Leaders listen.
- Reward individuals for things well done.
- Leaders have to discipline but remember its purpose is to help, to prevent, to correct, to improve, rather than to punish.
- The time to prepare isn't after you have been given the opportunity. It's long before that opportunity arises.
- Hard work pays dividends.
- The great satisfaction that comes from trying to do your best is the guaranteed dividend.
- Love the routine. Love the journey.
- Every single member of your team needs to feel wanted and appreciated.
- The players were charged with trying to improve a little each day, trying to get closer to becoming their best.
- When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur.
- The four laws of learning are explanation, demonstration, imitation, and repetition.
- Leaders are interested in finding the best way rather than having their own way.
- If you get caught up in things over which you have no control, it will adversely affect those things over which you have control.
- Don't let criticism or praise affect us. It will hurt us.
- Everyone on this team is equally important to the team. Nobody is bigger than the team. Nobody. Remember that.
- Talent is God-given: be humble. Fame is man-given: be thankful. Conceit is self-given: be careful.
- Keep your priorities straight.
- People learn more effectively from information given in bite-size amounts rather than everything all at once.
- Be careful who you follow.
- Know when to leave. You'll know.
- There is a choice you have to make, in everything you do. And you must keep in mind the choice you make makes you.
- "Always try to be the very best that you can be. Learn from others, yes. But don't just try to be better than they are. You have no control over that. Instead try, and try very hard, to be the best that you can be. That you have control over. Maybe you'll be better than someone else and maybe you won't. That part of it will take care of itself."
- Success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.
- Only one person can ultimately judge the level of your success--you.
- You are a winner and only you fully know if you won.
- We all have the same opportunity to make the most of what we have, whatever our situation.
- The ultimate challenge for you is to make the attempt to improve fully and be your best in the existing conditions.
- The Pyramid of Success
- Industriousness: You have to work and work hard. There is no substitute for work. Worthwhile things come only from work. People who always try to cut corners will never come close to realizing their full potential.
- Enthusiasm: You have to like what you're doing; your heart must be in it. I have a problem with people who complain about their jobs. Leadership requires enthusiasm.
- Friendship: Friendship comes from mutual esteem, respect, and devotion.
- Loyalty: Loyal to what you do and whom you work with. Keep your self-respect, knowing who and what you have allegiance to.
- Cooperation: Work together in all ways to accomplish the common goal. Always seek to find the best way rather than insisting on your own way.
- Self-control: Essential for the discipline and mastery of emotions, for the discipline of self and the discipline of those under your supervision. When you lose control of your emotions, when your self-discipline breaks down, your judgment and common sense suffer. Complaining, whining, and making excuses just keeps you out of the present.
- Alertness: There is something going on around us at all times from which we can acquire knowledge if we are alert. Abraham Lincoln never met a person from whom he didn't learn something, although most of the time it was something not to do.
- Initiative: You must not be afraid to fail. Have the courage to make decisions and take action. We all are going to fail at times. Respect your opponents but never fear them. You have nothing to fear if you have prepared to the best of your ability.
- Intentness: Resist temptation and stay the course. Concentrate on your objective with determination and resolve. The road to real achievement takes time, a long time, but you do not give up.
- Condition: You must be conditioned if you are going to do it to the best of your ability. Physical, mental, and moral conditioning.
- Skill: You have to know what you're doing and be able to do it quickly and properly.
- Team spirit: Think of others. Be willing and eager to sacrifice personal interest or glory for the welfare of all.
- Poise: Be yourself, not pretending to be something you're not. Function near your own level of competence. Understand the goal is to satisfy not everyone else's expectations but your own. Give your total effort to becoming the best you are capable of being.
- Confidence: You must believe in yourself if you expect others to believe in you.
- Competitive greatness: Being at your best when your best is needed. Enjoying the challenge when things become difficult.
- Patience: Patience is a virtue in preparing for any task of significance. It takes time to create excellence.
- Faith: We must have faith that things will work out as they should. They will work as they should as long as we do what we should do.
- True success is attained only through the satisfaction of knowing you did everything within the limits of your ability to become the very best that you are capable of being.
- Success is not perfection. It is giving 100 percent of your effort, body, and mind to the struggle.
- Earn the right to be proud and confident.
- The best way to improve the team is to improve ourselves.
- Don't let yesterday take up too much of today.
- Time spent getting even would be better spent trying to get ahead.
- Handle things. Work with people.
- Tell the truth. That way you don't have to remember the story.
- Don't let making a living prevent you from making a life.
- Never make excuses. Your friends don't need them and your foes won't believe them.
- Be more concerned with what you can do for others than what others can do for you. You'll be surprised at the results.
- The time to make friends is before you need them.
- Be strong, positive, and never speak ill of anyone.
- Two sets of threes: Never lie, never cheat, never steal. Don't whine, don't complain, don't make excuses.
- Six ways to bring out the best in people:
- Keep courtesy and consideration for others foremost in your mind at home and away.
- Try to have fun without trying to be funny.
- While you can't control what happens to you, you can control how you react. Make good manners an automatic reaction.
- Seek individual opportunities to offer a genuine compliment.
- Remember that sincerity, optimism, and enthusiasm are more welcome than sarcasm, pessimism, and laziness.
- Laugh with others never at them.
- "Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value." - Albert Einstein
- Did I make my best effort?
- Go into every game thinking you're going to win.
- Don't try to live up to others' expectations just do the best job you can.
- Understand there is a price to be paid for achieving anything of significance.
- The most important goal is making the most of your abilities.