QUOTES

Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are, to extent, a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece -- by thought, choice, courage and determination."
John Luther


"Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there."
John Wooden

Book: "Coaching Winning Strategies for Every Level of Play" by Dave Chambers
(ISBN 1-55209-208-9).

Excerpts:

Most things important to know are difficult to learn.

Don't judge those who try and fail. Judge only those who fail to try.

Challenges can be stepping stones or stumbling blocks. It's just a matter of how you view them.

Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.

Every great achievement was once considered impossible.

The only limits are those of vision.

Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.

Success is a dream tuned into reality.

Some people dream of worthy accomplishments, while others stay awake and do them.

Success is a journey, not a destination.

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.

We are in Charge of our attitudes!

The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep running.

No one can predict to what heights you can soar. Even you will not know until you spread your wings.

In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.

Pride is a personal commitment. It is an attitude that separates excellence from mediocrity.

In the end, the only people who fail are those who do not try.

When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

Strive for excellence, not perfection.

What your mind can conceive and your heart can believe, your body can achieve.

Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

Failure isn't fatal and success isn't final.

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Success is determined by how determined you are to succeed.

When you lose say little. When you win say less.

Your attitude will determine your altitude.

Only those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly will acquire the skill to do difficult things easily.

Doing the best that you are capable of is victory, and doing less is defeat.

Remember when you are not practicing, somewhere
someone is, and when you meet him, he will win.

A winner never quits, a quitter never wins.

You cannot push someone up the ladder unless they are willing to climb themselves.

Attitude is an inner concept. It is the most important thing you can develop in your life.

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.

We see obstacles when we take our eyes off our goals.

Life does not require that we become the biggest or the best, only that we try.

No man fails who does his best.

Success doesn't come to you...you go to it.

If it is meant to be, it is up to me.

Whether you think you can or think you can't you are right.

I found that I could find the energy, that I could find the determination to keep on going. I learned that your mind can amaze your body, if you just keep telling yourself, I can do it, I can do it, I can do it.

The trouble with opportunity is that is always comes disguised as hard work.

Winners forget they are in a race. They just love to run.

The difference between good and great is taking care of the little things.

Good habits are hard to form but easy to live with.
Bad habits are easy to form but hard to live with.

A positive attitude is not a destination. It is a way of life.

Without a risk there can be no challenge, without challenge there can be no reward.

Success comes before work only in the dictionary.

The golden opportunity you are seeking is in yourself. It is not in your environment, not in luck or chance, or the help of others; it is in yourself alone.

If what you did yesterday seems important, then you haven't accomplished anything today.

He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.

Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anyone expects from you.

Attitudes are contagious, is ours worth catching?

The will to win is easy. The will to prepare to win is more difficult.

It is all too easy to become focused on yesterdays success rather than today's challenges.

Confidence comes from hours and days and weeks and years of constant work an dedication.

There is no substitute for work. It is the price of success.

Winning isn't everything, but making the all out effort to win is the most important thing.

Remember the five P's, proper preparation prevents poor performance.

Hard work beats talent: unless talent works.

Everyone has the will to win, but few have the will to prepare to win.

Don't mistake activity for achievement! practice the right way.

Over the years, I have become convinced that every detail is important and that success usually accompanies attention to little details. It is this, in my judgment, that makes for the difference between champion and near champion.

You must dedicate yourself to a far reaching goal and sacrifice to reach it.

You must enjoy what you do. Reach beyond your abilities; recognize that no talent, without hard work, can make you a winner.


Nobody can achieve perfection, but in the pursuit of perfection, one can obtain excellence.

The real value of sport is not the actual game played in the limelight applause, but the hours of dogged determination and self discipline, carried out alone, imposed and supervised by an exacting conscience.

The applause soon dies away, the prize is left behind, but the character you build up is yours forever.