By ESPN.com staff
Archive
The life lessons taught by John Wooden have become legend. Here's a collection of some of the greatest "Woodenisms."
"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."
"Never mistake activity for achievement."
"Adversity is the state in which man mostly easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then."
"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."
"Be prepared and be honest."
"Be quick, but don't hurry."
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."
"What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player."
"Winning takes talent; to repeat takes character."
"A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment."
"I'd rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent."
"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"
"If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."
"It isn't what you do, but how you do it."
"Ability is a poor man's wealth."
"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be."
"Consider the rights of others before your own feelings and the feelings of others before your own rights."
"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."
"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability."
"It's not so important who starts the game but who finishes it."
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."
"Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful."
"The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team."
"Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."
"Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts."

“Both winners and losers are skilled but losers have an innate quality that eats away at the fabric of your team.” Dawn Redd, head women’s volleyball coach at Beloit College Dawn Redd came up with “10 Traits Shared by Losers…. And Feared by Coaches.” The article in its entirety can be found at www.coachad.com , titled “Losing the Loser’s Mindset” written by Mike Poole

Winners
Are passionate about their sport and getting better at it.
Losers
Are the folks you look at and think, “If they just worked harder, they’d be so good.” Losers don’t work hard, because they’re fine with getting by.

Winners
Thrive on discipline (of the mind and body)
Losers
Are free wheelers, disorder most often surfaces during a punitive measure such as the subbing out or benching of a player

Winners
Only about the team
Losers
It’s all about them, if they do something great in a game, they’re excited and seek high fives. But if they make a mistake, they become withdrawn and reject efforts by their teammates to console them. These type of players make it difficult to maintain any sort of team chemistry.

Winners
Spend time studying film and learning how to become a better athlete. Winners will spend time looking over and reviewing their scouting report
Losers
prior to a game Instead of pursuing to become a better athlete, they will slide by on natural talent. While the rest of the team is scouring their scouting report prior to the game, losers sit and text message his/her friends. Losers do not respect the extra effort that’s needed to succeed

Winners
Realize they need their teammates to succeed
Losers
Are so focused on themselves that they may have forgotten they even have teammates

Winners
Take chances and work at things they’re not good at
Losers
Hold back, losers are afraid to take risks and become firmly entrenched in their comfort zone.

Winners
Rise to the occasion, they come up big when you need that momentum-changing, big play
Losers
Will camouflage themselves as winners….until crunch time. Losers wilt under pressure. Losers cherish “being the man” when everything is great, but when you absolutely need a momentum-changing, big play, they are nowhere to be found.

Winners
Tough and resilient
Losers
They are soft hearted and can’t take criticism. They let a mistake get into their heads. They ruminate over errors and are so stuck in the past that they’re of no use to your team in the present

Winners
Willingly take on a leadership role and fulfill the requirements
Losers
Will shirk the responsibilities. They want to be the team captain, but they use that freedom to slack off on summer workouts, give lackluster efforts in the weight room and act as a contrarian during practice

Winners
They can close their eyes and visualize their goals coming true in the future. They always think “What could be”
Losers
Can only see what’s in front of them. They only see “what is” instead of “what could be”