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602 Motivational Quotes to Inspire Success On and Off the Court!
An Invaluable Resource for Coaches and Players of all Levels
Compiled by Alan Stein
I have been a self diagnosed “quote nerd” for as long as I can remember. Back in high school (in the early 90’s), I started with a spiral notebook and a pen and wrote down every quote I found inspiring. Quotes from movies, coaches, books, signs… you name it… if I saw it or heard it and found it uplifting, I wrote it down. Years later, I converted the growing collection into a computer database and added to it as often as I could.
As a professional basketball strength & conditioning coach, a big part of my job is to motivate my players to work hard consistently and to get them to do the things they don’t’ want to do because I know it will help them get to where they want to go. So there have been countless occasions where the inspiration from a specific quote has come in handy. I use quotes as tools to motivate my players as well as motivate myself.
While I am strength & conditioning coach by trade, my overall goal in life is simple; to inspire, to motivate, to influence and to help anyone who is passionate about basketball and training. I have found quotes are a valuable tool in doing just that. I am extremely thankful to have new platforms like Twitter, Facebook and my blog to impact players and coaches of all ages and levels… all over the world!
It is important to understand what follows is merely a collection of my favorite quotes. I am not the original author of any of these quotes, I merely compiled my favorites. I am sure you have heard (or read) many of them, but I am confident there are several that you haven’t. I have tried to pick quotes that transcend sports and are applicable to life as well. After all, life is the game we are all playing.
I have done my absolute best to give proper credit and recognize the original author of each of the quotes. However, you will notice many of the quotes do not have a known author... or at least I do not know, nor could I find, who originally said it. I sincerely apologize to any author who has not been given proper credit or if any quotes have been slightly altered or paraphrased.
While I didn’t officially tally them up, my guess would be the Most Quoted Award would go to the legendary John Wooden. You will also notice two other gentlemen whose names appear quite often; Steve Chandler (Club Fearless at ClubFearless.net) and Ralph Marston (The Daily Motivator at GreatDay.com). I am a fan of both of these men and genuinely appreciate their insightful, positive work.
I have chosen to list the quotes at random; they are in no particular order and are not categorized. Just a long running list of inspiration!
I hope you enjoy these quotes and use them to motivate yourself and those around you.
53. “Success always looks easy to those who weren't around when it was being earned.” Unknown
54. “Failure is a part of success. Step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. There is no reward for always playing it safe.”
Unknown
55. “There are three kinds of people in the world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who don’t know what’s happening.”
Unknown
56. “You can’t always change things in the world, but you can always change things in your world.” Steve Chandler
57. “Success happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Unknown
58. “Don’t confuse being busy with being productive. There is a difference.” Unknown
59. “You need to learn to love the path to the prize as much as the prize itself. Success is a journey, not a destination.”
John Calipari
60. “Strive to accomplish the very best you are capable of. Nothing less than your best effort will suffice.”
John Wooden
61. “The more thankful you are for what you have, the more you will have to be thankful for.” Unknown
62. “Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation.” Unknown
63. “People do not differ in their desire to win; they differ in the price they are willing to pay to win.” H.A. Dorman
64. “Temporary discomfort leads to permanent improvement.” Unknown
65. “You only feel pressure when you are not prepared.” Unknown
66. “Don’t waste time worrying about things you can’t control. Instead, put your energy and focus on the things you can affect.”
Steve Chandler
67. “You only have two choices when you get out of bed; the choice to work hard or the choice to not work hard.”
Jim Valvano
68. “What goes around always comes back around, both good and bad.” Unknown
86. “Do what others don’t do to have the things others don’t have.” Unknown
87. “If you don’t have the time to do it right; when will you have the time to do it over?”
John Wooden
88. “Success is determined by your daily choices and habits.” Rick Pitino
89. “Every morning imagine you are only one big break away from all of your dreams coming true. Approach everything as if it has the potential to be that big break.”
Unknown
90. “Success comes from good decisions. Good decisions come from experience. Experience comes from bad decisions.”
Ellington Darden
91. “Good coaches know it’s not what you say; it’s what they hear that matters.” Unknown
92. “The secret to improving communication is to listen more and talk less. That’s why you have two ears and one mouth.”
Unknown
93. “There are no mistakes – only lessons. Learn to view setbacks as opportunities for growth and improvement.”
Robin Sharma
94. “Most people don’t aim too high and miss; they aim to low and hit.” Unknown
95. “Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb; that’s where the fruit is.” Unknown
96. “Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to stay there.” John Wooden
97. “A lot of people talk; but most don’t say anything of real value.” Unknown
98. “It is just as important to be respected as it is to be good. Being respected will help get you through times when you aren’t so good.”
Unknown
99. “Learn how to balance your life, professionally and personally. No one has ever been on their death bed and wished they would have worked more.”
Unknown
100. “There are only two types of people; energy takers and energy givers. You need to be an energy giver and surround yourself with energy givers if you want to be successful.”
Unknown
101. “The only limits on your life are those you set on yourself.” Robin Sharma
102. “A bad habit is any habit that doesn’t serve you in a positive way.” Unknown
103. “You have to feel good about yourself to be successful.” Unknown
104. “The more adversity you face the more positive you have to be.” Unknown
105. “Anyone can be great for a day or a week. It is consistent, long term excellence that is most impressive.”
Unknown
106. “Be happy now. Don’t wait for something to make you happy in the future.” Ralph Marston
107. “When you make a mistake there are only three things you should do: admit it, learn from it, and don’t repeat it.”
Unknown
108. “Basketball is a we game; not a me game. Do you play for the scoreboard or the scorebook?” Kevin Eastman
109. “Fun is doing difficult things well.” Jay Bilas
110. “Don’t try to get through the workout, try to get from the workout.” Kevin Eastman
111. “Good players play hard for the first hour of practice. Great players play hard for the second hour as well.”
Unknown
112. “To be successful you have to know the secret of L.I.F.E. – Listen, Intensity, Focus, and Enthusiasm.”
Herman “Tree” Harried
113. “It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.” Unknown
114. “Spend one hour working on your craft for every hour you spend working in your craft.” Unknown
115. “Want to get ahead of your competition? Put in one hour of extra work each day. That is 5 extra per week, 20 extra per month, and 240 extra hours per year!”
John Calipari
116. “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Unknown
117. “It is amazing how much a team can accomplish if no one cares who gets the credit.” John Wooden
118. “If you want to be happy; act happy.” Unknown
136. “Never quit. My book, Chicken Soup for the Soul, was turned down by the first 33 publishers. It has since sold tens of millions of copies worldwide.”
Jack Canfield
137. “Every action you take has a certain and unavoidable consequence. Everything you do makes a difference in one way or another.”
Ralph Marston
138. “What would happen if the person you are ever met the person you could have been?” Unknown
139. “If you are not having a good day, make it a good day!” Unknown
140. “Once you begin to take action, you've made an investment. The more of your time and energy and focus you invest, the more you'll be motivated to see it through no matter what.”
Ralph Marston
141. “There are no big things, only an accumulation of little things done well.” John Wooden
142. “Every night before you go to sleep, ask yourself this question: I just traded 24 hours of my life for what I got today; am I happy with the trade?”
Unknown
143. “If you only work hard when you feel like it, nothing will ever get done.” Unknown
144. “Make the most out of today; it will be over tomorrow.” Unknown
145. “Act now; opportunities do not wait for conditions to be perfect.” Unknown
146. “Long term success is achieved by not trading it for short term pleasure.” Robin Sharma
147. “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” Unknown
148. “Everything will be OK in the end. If things aren’t OK; then it isn’t the end.” Unknown
149. “Don’t waste time climbing the ladder only to realize it was leaning against the wrong wall.” Unknown
150. “The value you experience in life is precisely equal to the value that you put into life.” Unknown
151. “The depth of your struggle will determine the height of your success.” Steve Chandler
152. “It takes 10,000 hours to truly master a skill.” Malcolm Gladwell
153. “Repetition is not a form of punishment.” Tates Locke
154. “Make all of your work count for something by seeing it through to the finish.” Ralph Marston
155. Connect your goal to a meaningful purpose. When you're clear about why, you'll surely be able to take care of how.
Steve Chandler
156. “Failure is an important part of development. If you never fail you aren’t challenging yourself.” Gary Mack
157. “It's great to dream but there is no substitute for action. Go beyond just thinking you can do something. Take action and know for sure.”
Ralph Marston
158. “Learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Your comfort zone is your enemy.” Gary Mack
159. “Adversity is usually a prerequisite to great things.” Unknown
160. “You can have anything in life if you are willing to ask 1,000 people for it. Are you willing to ask that many? Most people quit after 2 or 3 no’s.”
Byron Katie
161. “Be humble. No matter how good you are; there is always someone better.” Unknown
162. “Keep your commitments; even when you don’t want to. Nothing is more important than keeping
your word.” Ralph Marston
163. “Don’t let your God given talents be a crutch. You never know when they will be taken away from you.”
Unknown
164. “Respect every opponent; don’t take anyone lightly. On any given night, you can beat anyone. On any given night, anyone can beat you.”
Unknown
165. “Don’t judge yourself by what you’ve accomplished, but rather by what you could’ve accomplished given your ability.”
John Wooden
166. “Your situation is what it is. Yet your perspective on that situation is whatever you choose for it to be. You will see what you decide to see.”
Steve Chandler
167. “It’s not who you play; it’s how you play.” Unknown
168. “Every workout, every practice, and every game is a chance to improve. Take advantage.” Unknown
169. “Inch by inch, life is a cinch. Yard by yard, life is hard.” Morgan Wootten
170. “You must believe you are good enough and you have put in the work to deserve success. If you don’t believe in you; who will?”
Unknown
171. “A good coach will tell you what you need to hear; not what you want to hear.” Unknown
172. “Hard work doesn’t guarantee success; but without it you have no chance.”
Roy Williams 173. “If everything you do is working; you are not pushing yourself hard enough.”
Unknown
174. “Success is the self satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best you are capable of becoming.”
John Wooden
175. “Excellence in small, unimportant things leads to excellence in big, important things.” Unknown
176. “Take pride in overcoming difficulties. The greater the difficulty, the greater the pride.” Unknown
177. “Be thankful for challenges and enjoy working through them. They are where real value is created.”
Ralph Marston
178. “The more effort you invest in a task, the less likely you will be to abandon that investment and quit.”
Unknown
179. “If you keep doing what you’ve been doing; you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting. If you don’t like what you’ve been getting; stop doing what you’ve been doing.”
Unknown
180. “To whom much is given; much is expected.” Unknown
181. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” Unknown
182. “Little hinges swing big doors.”
Unknown
183. “Don't wait for the energy to get going. Get yourself moving and you'll create the energy necessary to keep you in motion.”
Steve Chandler
184. “In ways small and large, the world is filled with opportunities to make a difference. Take initiative.”
200. “Don’t ever walk by someone without opening your mouth; even a dog can wag its tail when it passes you on the street. It doesn’t cost a thing, nor require any effort, to say hello or good morning.”
Howard “H” White
201. “Why be negative about something when it is just as easy to be positive?” Unknown
202. “Don’t hold other people responsible for things you do and decisions you make. If you don’t like where you are in life; look in the mirror… don’t point a finger.”
Lou Holtz
203. “Make a meaningful contribution to everything and everyone you are involved with. If you aren’t making those around you better; you are making them worse.”
Ralph Marston
204. “Everyone gets 24 hours in a day. Successful people get more out of those 24 hours than everyone else does.”
Unknown
205. “Don’t ever do anything you wouldn’t want printed on the front page of the USA Today.” Unknown
206. “It’s important you believe you can win it all. But don’t assume you will win it all.” Coach K
207. “Be concerned with what is right rather than who is right.” John Wooden
208. “Making your bed is a sign of discipline and you must be disciplined to be successful.” Unknown
209. “Remember your roots when you taste success. Share your success with your family and friends; but always stay grounded.”
Unknown
210. “Jealousy is a waste of time. Spend less time hating and more time learning and emulating people who do what you do and do it well.”
Ralph Marston
211. “One hour of proper planning saves three hours of execution.” Steve Chandler
212. “Self belief is the absolute core of being successful in anything.” Jeffrey Gitomer
213. “A champion wins in his or her mind first and then plays the game; not the other way around.” Alex Rodriguez
214. “One key to success is learning how to focus on the task at hand and not let negative thoughts intrude.”
Gary Mack
215. “Successful people make a habit of doing things unsuccessful people don’t like to do.” Michael Phelps
216. “The block of granite is an obstacle in the pathway of the weak and a stepping stone in the pathway of the strong.”
Thomas Carlyle
217. “As the challenge elevates, the need for teamwork escalates.” Sir Edmund Hillary
218. “Great teams are not built by extraordinary players, but by ordinary players doing extraordinary things.”
Unknown
219. “There are only two types of leaders: those who believe in themselves and lift everyone up and those with a poor self image and pull everybody down.”
Lou Holtz
220. “Being respectful is more important than being right.” Unknown
221. “More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren’t so busy denying that they made them.”
Unknown
222. “Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action.” Benjamin Disraeli
223. “Don’t be self conscious, coach conscious, or fan conscious. Be task conscious. Be game conscious.”
Gary Mack
224. “You will become your habits in pressure situations.” Unknown
225. “The best way to grow and improve is to surround yourself with people who are more successful than you are.”
Unknown
226. “I can accept failure. I can’t accept not trying.” Michael Jordan
227. “Opportunities are never lost; but someone will take the ones you miss.”
Unknown
228. “Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain; but the fun in life is the challenge of the climb.” Unknown
229. “When in doubt, just take the next small step.” Unknown
230. “Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. The grass always appears greener on the other side of the fence.”
Unknown
231. “Discipline yourself and others won’t need to.” John Wooden
232. “When it comes to going after what you love in life; don’t ever take no for an answer.” Unknown
233. “What other people think of you is none of your business.” Unknown
234. “Self confidence comes from repetition and knowing you deserve success because you’ve worked harder than everyone else.”
Unknown
235. “Do the right thing; not simply the easiest thing.” Unknown
236. “Always exceed expectations and do more than is required.” George S. Patton
237. “The attitude of do what I say not as I do is a destroyer of respect, legitimacy, and integrity.” Unknown
238. “Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things.” Peter Drucker
239. “Don’t tell people how to do things; tell them what needs to be done and let them surprise you with their results.”
George S. Patton
240. “Delegating works provided the one doing the delegating works too.” Robert Half
241. “Always respect your competition. To disrespect your competition is to disrespect yourself.” Coach K
242. “A successful person makes more opportunities than they find.” Unknown
243. “The uphill climb is slow; but the downhill road as fast.” John Wooden
244. “Learn to do more than you are paid for so you will eventually be paid for more than you do.” Unknown
245. “Knowledge X practice = proficiency. Proficiency X motivation = productivity. Productivity X consistency = success.”
Unknown
246. “If you want to be successful, find what most people do and do the opposite.” Unknown
247. “Nothing can stop the person with the right mental attitude from achieving their goal. Nothing can help the person with the wrong mental attitude.”
Thomas Jefferson
248. “Today’s opportunities erase yesterday’s failures.” Gene Brown
249. “To finish first; you’ve got to run like you’re in second.” Unknown
250. “The person who tried and failed is superior to the person who never tried.” Unknown
251. “Losers visualize the penalties of failure. Winners visualize the rewards of success.” Brad Weingartner
252. “Energy and persistence will conquer most things.” Benjamin Franklin
253. “It is not the will to win that is important; it is the will to prepare to win.” Bobby Knight
254. “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather the lack of will.”
Vince Lombardi
255. “There will be two buses leaving for the game. The 2pm bus will be for those who need some extra practice. The empty bus will leave at 5pm.”
Dave Bristol
256. “Competition is a byproduct of productive work, not its goal. A person should be motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.”
Ayn Rand
257. “Real strength is not gained overnight; it is cultivated over time. This is true for both physical and emotional strength.”
David Shaw
258. “If you believe in yourself, have dedication, pride, and never quit, you’ll be a winner. The price of victory is high, but so are the rewards.”
Paul “Bear” Bryant
259. “Champions are made when nobody is watching.” Unknown
260. “Things achieved without effort are seldom worthwhile or long lasting.” John Wooden
261. “What is popular is not always right, and what is right is not always popular.”
Unknown
262. “Seven days without strength training makes one weak.” Unknown
263. “If fifty million people say foolish thing; it is still a foolish thing.” Anatole France
264. “If you want to guarantee you hit your target, simply shoot first, and call whatever you hit your target.”
283. “The two hardest things to handle in life are failure and success.” Unknown
284. “Nobody who ever gave their best regretted it.” George Halas
285. “Those who can… do. Those who can’t… criticize.” Unknown
286. “Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can do.” John Wooden
287. “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.” Abraham Lincoln
288. “The difference between mediocre and excellent is usually a very small amount of effort.” Unknown
289. “You will have more success in two months by being interested in other people than you can in two years trying to get other people interested in you.”
Jeffrey Gitomer
290. “The loudest boos always come from the fans in the cheap seats.” Unknown
291. “In most walks of life, communication skills are just as important as technical skills.” Coach K
292. “The people who have earned the right to boast don’t have to.” Unknown
293. “Most people are like a wheelbarrow; they go no further than they are pushed.” Unknown
294. “Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” Will Rogers
295. “What’s right is right even if everyone is against it, and what’s wrong is wrong even if everyone is for it.”
Unknown
296. “It takes years to make an overnight success.” Eddie Cantor
297. “Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.” Elbert Hubbard
298. “Just because it is common sense doesn’t mean it is common practice. Common sense is not so common.”
Unknown
299. “You may occasionally give out; but never give up.” Mary Crowley
300. “Some succeed because they’re destined to; most succeed because they are determined to.” Unknown
301. “Be concerned with your preparation, not theirs. Your execution, not theirs. Your desire, not theirs. Don’t worry about them. Let them worry about you.”
John Wooden
302. “It is often the last key on the ring that opens the door.” Unknown
303. “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” Unknown
304. “Have respect for, without fear of, every opponent you play. Have confidence without cockiness in regard to yourself and your team.”
John Wooden 305. “Winners do what losers don’t want to do.”
Unknown
306. “A winner works hard to achieve success. A loser works hard to find a shortcut.” Unknown
307. “Great opportunities come to those who make the most of the small ones.” Unknown
308. “Goals that are not written down are just wishes.” Unknown
309. “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Effie Jones
310. “Success is how high you bounce when you hit the bottom.” George S. Patton
311. “Experience is not what happens to a person. Experience is what a person does with what happens to them.”
Aldous Huxley
312. “Your future depends on what you do in the present. Today is important.” Unknown
313. “Seek to get it perfect, yet even when it won't be perfect go ahead and get it done to the best of your ability.”
Ralph Marston
314. “Quality work never goes out of style.” Levi Strauss
315. “It’s not the number of hours you put in; it’s what you put into those hours that matters.” Unknown
316. “What matters is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” Paul “Bear” Bryant
335. “Motivation is what gets you started. Heart is what keeps you going.” Unknown
336. “Adversity will cause some people to break, others to break records.” William Ward
337. “The way you think is the way you are. Choose thoughts that empower you, inspire you, and compel you to give your best effort in everything you do.”
Ralph Marston
338. “If you’re going to strike out, strike out swinging.” Babe Ruth
339. “Competing is like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you’re tired, you quit when the gorilla is tired.”
Robert Strauss
340. “Everyone wants to be successful. But very few are willing to make the effort and the sacrifices to become successful.”
Unknown
341. “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” Vidal Sassoon
342. “There are only two options regarding commitment. Either you’re in or you’re out. There’s no such thing as in between.”
Pat Riley
343. “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” John Wooden
344. “Think big, believe big, and act big, and the results will be big!” Unknown
345. “The world is full of willing people, some willing to work, others willing to let them.” Unknown
346. “Those who seek knowledge and instruction find the path of enlightenment before anyone else.” Robin Sharma
347. “Focus is important. If you try to chase two rabbits, both will escape.” Unknown
348. “Concentration is the ability to think about absolutely nothing when it is absolutely necessary.” Ray Knight
349. “A good coach can make his players see what they can be rather than what they are.” Ara Parasheghian
350. “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”
Vince Lombardi
351. Sports do not build character. They reveal it. Haywood Brown
383. “Event + Response = Outcome. If you don’t like the outcomes you’ve been getting, and you can’t change the event; then you better change your response!”
Jack Canfield
384. “Genius is the ability to reduce the complicated to something simple.” Unknown
385. “Effective leaders learn how to manage their stress and use it to enhance their performance.” Unknown
386. “To be successful you need to stay within your strength zone but constantly leave your comfort zone.”
Unknown
387. “When you are truly and fully committed to a specific outcome, you can make it happen. Taking action is what authenticates and locks in your commitment.”
Ralph Marston
388. “To be mentally tough you have to embrace obstacles. Expect nothing to be easy.” Michael Phelps
389. “Try your hardest, make the effort, and do your best.” John Wooden
390. “Learn as if you will live forever; live as though you will die tomorrow.” Steve Chandler
391. “What you think affects how you feel and how you perform. Training your brain is as important as training your body.”
Gary Mack
392. “Whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability. The higher you set the standard for yourself; the higher your self-image and confidence.”
Lou Holtz
393. “Big things are accomplished only through the perfection of minor details.” John Wooden
394. “Whatever you think is holding you back is not what is actually holding you back. What's holding you back is the thought that something is holding you back.”
Steve Chandler
395. “You can’t make up for a poor effort today by giving 110% tomorrow.” John Wooden
396. “It’s not just who you know; it’s also who knows you.” Jeffrey Gitomer
397. “The mind can only concentrate on one thing at a time. Instead of suppressing what you don’t want to happen focus on what you do want to happen.”
Gary Mack
398. “We become what we think about most.” Michael Phelps
485. “The 10 minute period before you go to sleep and the 10 minute period after you first wake are profoundly important to your subconscious mind. Use this time wisely.”
Robin Sharma
486. “For every minute you are angry you lose 60 seconds of happiness.” Unknown
487. “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” John Wooden
488. “If you are constantly looking back at your failures then you are limiting your future successes.” Unknown
489. “Confidence is demonstrated performance.” Unknown
490. “Being down is only permanent if you make it that way.” Unknown
491. “You have to expect success, earn success, and deserve success to have success.” Unknown
492. “Without pain there is no pleasure. Without valleys there are no mountaintops. Without struggle there is no achievement.”
John Calipari
493. “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” George Eliot
494. “The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort, but where they stand in times of adversity.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
495. “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
496. “If you quit you don’t give yourself the chance to find out what you might have been.” Jacques Lemaire
497. “The strong do what they will; the weak do what they must.” Thucydides
498. “Everything of value is hard to get. Most people miss their destiny because they weren’t willing to pay the price.”
William Barclay
499. “Defeat is a greater test of character than winning.” Richard Nixon
500. “Do you want to succeed? Stop focusing on getting what you want and start focusing on helping others get what they want.”
552. “If you want to improve your team you must improve yourself.” Unknown
553. “Leaders are like eagles; they don’t flock, you find them one at a time.” Unknown
554. “Those who enjoy responsibility usually get it; those who merely like exercising authority usually lose it.”
Malcolm Forbes
555. “When you ask a thoroughbred to work, it works. When you ask a donkey to work, it kicks. Be a racehorse, not a jackass.”
Unknown
556. “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision and to direct individual accomplishments toward team objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to achieve uncommon results.”
Unknown
557. “Persistence and patience is exemplified by the stonecutter who hammers away at a piece of rock. He may hit the rock 100 times without so much as a crack showing. Then, on the 101st hit, the rock will split in two. It was not that hit that did it, but an accumulation of all that came before it.”
Unknown
558. “Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. Moral? It doesn’t matter who you are, when the sun comes up, you better start running!”
Unknown
559. “Remember this your lifetime through, tomorrow there’ll be more to do. And failure waits for those who stay, on some success earned yesterday. Tomorrow you must try once more, yet even harder than before.”
Unknown 560. “If you can’t risk, you can’t grow. If you can’t grow, you can’t become your best. If you can’t
become your best, you can’t be happy. If you can’t be happy, what else matters?” Unknown
561. “Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions.
Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
Unknown
562. “Champions do not become champions on the court. They become recognized on the court. They become champions because of their daily routine and commitment to excellence. Players do not decide their future; they decide their habits and their habits decide their future.”
563. “I am the most desirable thing in life. Without me no can be healthy, happy, or useful. Without me, the hidden wealth and vast resources of this earth would have no value. Men and women who try to get along without me are characterless, selfish, undeveloped, useless, and unprofitable members of society. I am behind every fortune, every art and science, every real achievement, and every victory. People try to find substitutes for me hoping to secure a larger measure of happiness, peace, and satisfaction, but they are always left bitterly disappointed. Instead of gain, every substitute for me brings them loss. I am greater than wealth, power, fame, or any acquired possession because I am the true source to which those things are acquired. Who am I? I AM WORK.”
Unknown
564. “Vague goals produce vague results.” Jack Canfield
565. “Do more of what’s working and less of what isn’t.” Jack Canfield
566. “The overnight sensation understands better than anyone that success never happens overnight.”
Ian Thompson
567. “If you are always striving to achieve success defined by someone else, you’ll always be frustrated. Define your own success.”
Coach K
568. “Whatever you do now sets up what you do later. And there is always a later.” Coach K
569. “You can’t win every game, but you can learn from every game.” Coach K
570. “When things aren’t working, try something new and different. Be creative. Never give up. Never.” Coach K
571. “Regardless of how you feel inside, always try to look like a winner. Even if you are behind, a sustained look of control and confidence can give you a mental edge that results in victory.”
Arthur Ashe
572. “Winning isn’t always finishing first. Sometimes winning is just finishing.” Manuel Diotte
573. “If you don’t invest very much, then defeat doesn’t hurt very much and winning isn’t very exciting.”
Dick Vermeil
574. “Winning is the science of being totally prepared.” George Allen
575. “A winner is someone who recognizes their natural talents, works their tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish their goals.”
Larry Bird
576. “It’s never too late to get to where you want to be.” Unknown
577. “It’s better to be prepared for an opportunity that never presents itself, than to be unprepared for one that does.”
Unknown
578. "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success." Unknown
579. “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” Jon Kabat-Zinn
580. “If you have more than 3 priorities then you don’t have any.”
Jim Collins
581. “In the pursuit of knowledge, every day something is added. In the pursuit of happiness, every day something is dropped.”
Lao-tzu
582. “No matter what your past has been, you have a spotless future.” Unknown
583. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
George Bernard Shaw
584. “We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.”
Carlos Castaneda
585. “A good coach balances what their players need with what their players want.” Jim Kielbaso
586. “You must be persistent in your discipline and habits if you want to be successful.” Jack Canfield
587. “The longer you hang in there, the greater the chance something will happen in your favor. The longer you persist, the greater your chance of success. Don’t ever quit.”
Jack Canfield
588. “Whenever a problem arises, you need to brainstorm three ways to get around it, over it, or through it.”
Jack Canfield
589. “Waste your money and you’re only out of money, but waste your time and you’ve lost a part of your life.”
Michael Leboeuf
590. “Talent, brilliance, and energy mean nothing if you don’t have the ability to harness it and focus it on your specific goals.”
BONUS SECTION: 28 Books Every Coach and Player Should Read
(Listed in no particular order)
1. 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself by Steven Chandler 2. Mind Gym by Gary Mack 3. Little Black Book of Relationships by Jeffrey Gitomer 4. The Bald Truth by David Falk 5. Rebound Rules by Rick Pitino 6. Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy 7. The Success Principles by Jack Canfield 8. Money Players by Marc Isenberg 9. Me 2.0 by Dan Schawbel 10. Gold Standard by Coach K 11. Think Like a Champion by Donald Trump 12. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell 13. Know Yourself As A Coach by Denny Kuiper 14. Game On by Tom Farrey 15. Cross Over by Brian McCormick 16. Leadership: Game Plan for Success by John Wooden 17. The Miracle of St. Anthony by Adrian Wojnarowski 18. Bounce Back by John Calipari 19. Hard Work: A Life On and Off the Court by Roy Williams 20. Driven From Within by Michael Jordan 21. A Coach’s Life by Dean Smith 22. The Jump by Ian O’Connor 23. Out of Bounds by Jeff Benedict 24. Caught In The Net by Tates Lock 25. Leading with the Heart by Coach K 26. Success is a Choice by Rick Pitino 27. Just Do It by Donald Katz 28. The 50th Law by Robert Greene