Great Leadership Quotes By John Wooden
John Wooden was an American basketball coach who coached UCLA to 7 straight NCAA championships and 10 national championships in 12 years.
While best known as a basketball coach, I’ve appreciated John Wooden as an author. The consummate teacher, he authored several books featuring great insights about life and leadership. My favorite was Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations on and Off the Court.
Wooden developed his model for success called the “Success Pyramid.” It’s built upon his observations and convictions as a person and a coach. While Wooden’s lessons are applicable to building success on the basketball court, his work transcends the hardwood and gives us all a roadmap for success in life.
In this article, you’ll find several quotes by John Wooden that are curated especially for leaders.
Enjoy!
Quotes On Success
“Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” – Coach John Wooden
“Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.” – Coach 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.” – Coach John Wooden
“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.” – Coach John Wooden
“Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.” – Coach John Wooden
“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.” – Coach John Wooden
“The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.” – Coach John Wooden
Quotes On Perseverance
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – Coach John Wooden
“Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.” – Coach John Wooden
“Adversity is the state in which man most easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.” – Coach John Wooden
Quotes On Excellence
“Make each day your masterpiece.” – Coach John Wooden
“If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?” – Coach John Wooden
“The best competition I have is against myself to become better.” – Coach John Wooden
Quotes On Effort
“Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.” – Coach John Wooden
“Just try to be the best you can be; never cease trying to be the best you can be. That’s in your power”. – Coach John Wooden
“You can’t let praise or criticism get to you. It’s a weakness to get caught up in either one.” – Coach John Wooden
“Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who’ll argue with you.” – Coach John Wooden
“A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.”
– Coach John Wooden
I hope you enjoyed this brief bolus of wisdom from the “Wizzard of Westwood.” Which quotes do you find most interesting? Leave a comment.
If you’re looking for more great quotes about success, click here to see my book on Amazon. For about the price of a cup of coffee, you can have an invaluable collection of 1001 quotes for great leaders.
Make it a great day!
