John Wooden on Land

“Our land is everything to us… I will tell you one of the things we remember on our land. We remember that our grandfathers paid for it - with their lives.”

–John Wooden

John Wooden on Character

“What you are as a person is far more important that what you are as a basketball player.”

–John Wooden

John Wooden on Faith

“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.”

–John Wooden

John Wooden on Winning

“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

John Wooden on Role Models

“Young people need models, not critics.”

–John Wooden

John Wooden on Rights and Feelings

“Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.”

–John Wooden

John Wooden on Mistakes

“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.”

–John Wooden

John Wooden on Coaching

“A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.”

–John Wooden

John Wooden on Conditioning

“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

John Wooden on Character

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.”

–John Wooden

John Wooden on Faith

“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

John Wooden on Character

“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

John Wooden on Winning

“Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character.”

–John Wooden