Basketball Quotes by John Wooden

Conditioning is essential to success in basketball.

— John Wooden

Be quick without hurrying.

— John Wooden

The team is the star, never an individual player.

— John Wooden

Do passing drills that come from your offense.

— John Wooden

I am not a strategic coach; I am a practice coach.

— John Wooden

It's not how big you are, it's how big you play

— John Wooden

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

— John Wooden

Be quick, but don't hurry.

— John Wooden

Promise to wear a cheerful appearance at all times and give every person you meet a smile.

— John Wooden

Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who'll argue with you.

— John Wooden

The true athlete should have character, not be a character

— John Wooden

A Coach must never forget that he is a leader and not merely a person with authority.

— John Wooden

Generally speaking, individual performances don't win basketball games

— John Wooden

Good players can take coaching; great players can take coaching and learn.

— John Wooden

A player who makes a team great is better than a great player.

— John Wooden

Reverse the ball one time for a good shot, two times for a great shot, three times for a layup.

— John Wooden

I also wanted my basketball players to know that I really cared about them. Forget basketball; as a person, I cared, I…

— John Wooden

You must have respect, which is a part of love, for those under your supervision. Then they will do what you ask…

— John Wooden

I do not want players who do not have a keen desire to win and do not play hard and aggressively to…

— John Wooden

Although I wanted my players to work to win, I tried to convince them they had always won when they had done…

— John Wooden

Promise yourself to make all your friends know there is something in them that is special and that you value.

— John Wooden

If you let social activities take precedence over your academic activities, then you will soon lose your basketball activities.

— John Wooden

Promise to think only the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best from yourself and others.

— John Wooden

Knowledge is not enough to get desired results. You must have the more elusive ability to teach and to motivate. This defines…

— John Wooden

In 1948, I began coaching basketball at UCLA. Each hour of practice we worked very hard. Each day we worked very hard.…

— John Wooden

I discovered early on that the player who learned the fundamentals of basketball is going to have a much better chance of…

— John Wooden

No matter how you total success in the coaching profession it all comes down to a single factor - talent. There may…

— John Wooden

The goal in life is the same as in basketball: make the effort to do the best you are capable of doing--in…

— John Wooden

I believe it’s impossible to claim you have taught, when there are students who have not learned. With that commitment, from my…

— John Wooden

Motivating through fear may work in the short term to get people to do something, but over the long run I believe…

— John Wooden

I always tried to make clear that basketball is not the ultimate. It is of small importance in comparison to the total…

— John Wooden

“if you do the following three things, you will be successful in major college basketball. If you don’t do them, it will…

— John Wooden

Confidence comes from being prepared.

— John Wooden

The team with the most talent usually wins.

— John Wooden

Make friendship a fine art.

— John Wooden

When the legs go, the heart soon follows

— John Wooden

Teamwork is not a preference, it is a requirement.

— John Wooden

It's not what you teach, it's what you emphasize.

— John Wooden

Build shelter against a rainy day.

— John Wooden

Drink deeply from good books.

— John Wooden