We love basketball and Coach John Wooden. Here are some great words of wisdom from the Wizard of Westwood, legendary UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden.
An entire list of Coach Wooden’s favorite maxims can be found at the end of an incredible book – Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations On and Off the Court, written by Coach John Wooden with Steve Jamison.
The list of maxims was so amazing and overwhelming, that I decided to sort the maxims into themes. We hope players, coaches, and parents can find some of them useful.
John Wooden’s Favorite Maxims
Part I: Rules for Every Day Living
- “Love is the greatest word in our language.”
- “Earn the right to be proud and confident.”
- “Nothing can give you greater joy than doing something for another.”
- “Happiness begins where selfishness ends.”
- “Big things are accomplished only through the perfection of minor details.”
- “Discipline yourself and others won’t need to.”
- “If I am through learning, I am through.” (As a teacher I love this one)
- “Be more concerned with what you can do for others than what others can do for you. You’ll be surprised at the results.”
- “If you do not have time to do it right, when will you find time to do it over?”
- “The smallest good deed is better than the best intention.”
- “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.”
- “It is what you learn after you know it all that counts.”
- “The time to make friends is before you need them.”
- “The more concerned we become over the things we can’t control, the less we will do with the things we can control.”
- “Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.”
- “As long as you try your best, you are never a failure. That is, unless you blame others.”
- “Material things are not gifts, but apologies for gifts. The only true gift is a portion of thyself. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)”
- “You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for another without thought of something in return.”
- “Forget favors given; remember those received.”
- “Make friendship a fine art.”
- “Tell the truth. That way you don’t have to remember a story.”
- “If we magnified our blessings as much as we magnified our disappointments, we would all be much happier.”
- “Do not permit what you cannot do to interfere with what you can do.”
- “Never make excuses. Your friends don’t need them and your foes won’t believe them.”
- “Never be disagreeable just because you disagree.”
- John Wooden has a great life philosophy that applies to so much more than athletics. Please stay tuned for later posts on John Wooden’s Maxims.