John Wooden Quotes: Wit & Wisdom From Wooden on His 99th Birthday

Legendary basketball coach John Wooden celebrates his 99th birthday on October 14. Born in 1910, in Indiana, Wooden became the greatest college basketball coach of all time, arguably the greatest coach in any North American sports.

Wooden helped lead the UCLA Bruins to a mind-boggling 10 NCAA titles in 12 years. During his time as coach at UCLA, John Wooden was renowned for his ability to motivate people through an inspirational message. Throughout his life, Wooden has given out pearls of wisdom, including his so-called Pyramid of Success. 

Here are some John Wooden quotes:

"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."

"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."

"Ability is a poor man's wealth."

"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
 
"Adversity is the state in which man mostly easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then."

"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be."

"If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."
 
"It's not so important who starts the game but who finishes it."

"Be prepared and be honest."

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."

"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."

"Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts."