John Wooden, �My Personal Best. �Life Lessons from an All-American Journey.�
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A good teacher or coach must not only understand others, but himself or herself as well.
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There is a choice that you have to make, in everything you do. �So keep in the mind that in the end, the choice you make, makes you.
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Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
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It starts with hard work and enthusiasm. �There is no trick, no easy way to achieve competitive greatness and success in basketball or life.
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Don�t try to be better than somebody else, but never cease trying to be the best you can be.
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Try your hardest. �Make the effort. �Do your best.
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Two Sets of Three �
Never Lie. �Never Cheat. �Never Steal.
Don�t Whine. �Don�t Complain. �Don�t Make Excuses.
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There�s a reason student comes first in the word student-athlete. �Education comes before sports.
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No player is bigger or better than the team.
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Have the courage to quit. �Stand up for what you believe in, even if you are standing alone.
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Four things a man must learn to do
If he would make his life more true:
To think without confusion clearly,
To love his fellow man sincerely,
To act from honest motives purely,
To trust in God and Heaven securely.
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Dad�s Seven Point Creed
1. Be true to yourself.
2. Help others.
3. Make each day your masterpiece.
4. Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
5. Make friendship a fine art.
6. Build a shelter against a rainy day.
7. Pray for guidance, and count and give thanks for your blessings every day.
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I�m not what I ought to be,
Not what I want to be,
Not what I�m going to be,
But I am thankful that I�m better than I used to be.
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For when the one Great Scorer
Comes to write against your name,
He writes not that you won or lost,
But how you played the game.
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You lose, you feel bad � sometimes very, very bad. �But a much worse feeling is knowing you haven�t done everything you possibly could have done to prepare and compete.
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No written word or spoke plea can teach our youth what they should be. �Nor all the books on all the shelves. �It�s what the teachers are themselves.
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Before you can become a good leader you must be a good follower.
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Young people need good models, not critics.
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There is nothing stronger than gentleness. � Abraham Lincoln
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Patience is a most valuable asset for a leader.
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Be more interested in finding the best way, not just in having it your way.
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Stubbornness we deprecate,
Firmness we condone.
The former is my neighbor�s trait,
The latter is my own.
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�The Little Chap Who Follows Me�
A careful man I want to be.
A little fellow follows me;
I do not dare to go astray,
For fear he�ll go the self-same way.
I cannot once escape his eyes.
Whatever he sees me do, he tries.
Like me he say he�s going to be,
The little chap who follows me.
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The team that makes the most mistakes will probably win. � Piggy Lambert � Purdue
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Be quick, but don�t hurry.
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You�re just as good as anybody, but no better than anyone.
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Success is not something that others can give you.
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Don�t worry about being better than someone else, but never cease trying to be the best you can be.
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At God�s footstool to confess,
A poor soul knelt and bowed his head.
�I failed,� he cried. The Master said, ​
�Thou didst thy best, that is success.�
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Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.
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The journey is greater than the inn.
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Before casually discounting the potential of any individual or team, give them a chance to succeed � give them your sincere belief and full support.
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It�s what you learn, after you know it all, that counts.
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The star of the team is the team.
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Anger prevents proper thinking and makes you vulnerable.
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The purpose of criticism and discipline is not to punish, embarrass, or ridicule, but to correct and improve.
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Little things done well is probably the greatest secret to success.
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If you do enough small things right, big things can happen.
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Teaching is explanation, demonstration, imitation, correction and then repetition, repetition, repetition, and more repetition.
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I wanted players to have fun without being funny.
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Discipline yourself and others won�t have to.
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Respect every opponent, but fear none.
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The best way to improve your team is to improve yourself.
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Do not mistake activity for achievement.
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It is amazing how much we can accomplish when no one cares who gets the credit.
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Time spent getting even would be better spent getting ahead.
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The strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack.
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It takes ten hands to make a basket.
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Three principles
1. Conditioning
2. Fundamentals
3. Team Spirit
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One for all and all for one.
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Character is at the center of what I consider necessary for an individual to be a team player.
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Whatever talent an individual possesses, character helps that person use his or her ability to serve the team.
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Scoring is the by-product of something much more important: Effort!
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With every starter coming back,
Yes, Walt and Gail and Keith and Jack
And Fred and Freddie and some more
We could be champs in sixty-four.
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Better than a trophy, blue ribbon, or gold medal � A kiss from his wife
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A good parent, teacher, coach, or leader � and really they�re all the same � must understand human nature.
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I don�t care how tall you are; I care how tall you play.
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A player is a success only when he does his best in service to the team.
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Self-control and poise are fundamental to achieving success.
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While no coach can win without talented athletes, not all coaches can win � even with talent.
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Practice is where champions are created.
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You must earn the right to be proud and confident.
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It is never simply a case of win or lose, because I do not demand victory. �The significance of the score is secondary to the importance of finding out how good you can be.
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Motivation must come from the belief that ultimate success lies in giving your personal best.
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Goals achieved with little effort are seldom worthwhile or long lasting.
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The mark of a champion, I believe, is consistency of performance at your highest level under pressure.
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Talent is God-given � be humble
Fame is man-given � be thankful
Conceit is self-given � be careful
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Each day of the journey is precious. We must strive to make it a masterpiece.
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Never Lie. �Never Cheat. �Never Steal.
Don�t Whine. �Don�t Complain. �Don�t Make Excuses.

No one knows better than Alex and Donna Voutsinas that it�s a small world after all.

Thirty years ago, when they lived in separate countries long before they met and married, a family shot of little Donna at Walt Disney World captured Alex in a stroller in the background.