A Game Plan for Life Quotes

“How many of us have conflicts with someone else- and how many of us pray for that person? We have individuals with whom we are competitive, or whom we dislike or have a quarrel with; but very few of us have true enemies in the martial sense. And yet if Lincoln could pray fervently- and contemporary reports indicate he did- for the people who were opposing him, how much more can we do for someone we just find a little irritating?”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“It’s always about focusing not on the mistakes but on the lessons learned from them.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“A coach’s primary function should be not to make better players, but to make better people.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“Coach Wooden didn’t treat everybody the same; he treated people the way they deserved to be treated.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“It is important for us to see that our mentors are human and therefore fallible; it makes our own shortcomings more tenable.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“A mentor must always guide, never push. It was my job to listen to them, offer my perspective, and encourage them to pursue the ideals they believed to be true.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“During the toughest challenges in my life I’ve come to most appreciate all Coach Wooden means to me. The things he would say—“Don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t steal, don’t whine, don’t complain, don’t make excuses; worry about the things you can control, and not the things you can’t”—were endless. Yet there is an appropriate one for every situation. The real”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“Coach Wooden never mentioned winning. It was always, “Fellas, we’ve got to play to our best. Let’s do that.” That’s a lot different from saying, “Fellas, we’ve got to win.” A lot different.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“Lincoln himself once said, “The worst things you can do for those you love are the things they could and should do for themselves.” He fiercely believed in self-sufficiency, and in the maturity and character that struggles and hardships can bring.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“The worst things you can do for the ones you love are the things they could and should do for themselves”—and”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“He told me that he always insisted on two things above all else in his players: That they were always trying to improve and always willing to put the team above themselves. If they weren’t willing to do those things, he didn’t want them at UCLA.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“What it comes down to, I believe, is that mentoring often involves telling people what they need to hear, rather than what they want to hear. When you are able to be humbly honest with someone about a situation with which you have personal experience—even if you risk angering or hurting that person—you are offering the most valuable gift of all.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“Mistakes come from doing, but so does success.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“reminder that gentleness can fix in a moment what an hour of shouting fails to achieve.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“Never try to be better than anyone else, but never cease to be the best you can be. That’s achievement.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“when coaches or parents make consistency their foundation, everyone around them becomes more comfortable and everyone around them has a greater opportunity to grow.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“Have something to believe in; have a reason to believe in it, but stay open-minded.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“I remain convinced to this day that compassion like that—sincerely caring for your players and maintaining an active interest in their lives, concerns, and motivations—is one of the most important qualities a coach can have.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail . . . Never mistake activity for achievement . .”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday,”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“There is also the professional mentor, a person whose success in his or her career can be a source of practical wisdom and inspiration. This success might be mea sured in material gain or far-reaching influence, or in lives touched and relationships fostered. These mentors can offer a model for good business, ethical practices, and effective work habits, and they often provide the motivation we need to seize whatever opportunities come our way.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“principle, per-sis tence, and compassion—three”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“if you do the following three things, you will be successful in major college basketball. If you don’t do them, it will be most difficult.” He didn’t say it would be impossible—typical of John Wooden—but he said it would be difficult. I was scrambling for my pen when he said, “Those three things are fairly simple: Number one, make certain, Dale, you always have better players than anybody you play. Now, with that locked up, make sure you always get the better players to put the team above themselves. And number three—this is very important, Dale Brown,” he said, “don’t try to be some coaching genius, or give the guys too much information, or too much stuff; always practice simplicity with constant repetition.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“There is nothing stronger than gentleness,”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“If we are surrounded by flawless individuals, it can make our own mistakes seem magnified. And if a problem appears overlarge, it becomes more intimidating to attempt to overcome it.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“Those of us who have been blessed with worldly success have an even greater responsibility to make an impact with our time, talents, and resources;”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

“school. I never tried to talk a student into coming to UCLA. I tried to show him what was there and what to expect, and I never told him he was going to play; I told him he would have the opportunity to play, and if he was good enough, then he’d be able to. Rosy forecasts during the “courtship” of a player can only lead to disappointment and distrust if anything fails to meet that student’s expectations.”
― John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring