Coach Long's Favorite Quotes
10. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, becuase your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. - John Wooden
9. I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard if incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence. - Frederick Douglass
8. I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts. - John Locke
7. 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
6. We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. - Winston Churchill
5. People talk about discipline, but to me, there's discipline and there's self-discipline. Discipline is listening to people tell you what to do, where to be, and how to do something. Self-discipline is knowing that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life; you are the only one who can take yourself to the desired heights. - Mike Shanahan, Denver Broncos
4. I have one life and one chance to make it count for something...I'm free to choose what that something is, and the something I've chosen is my faith. Now, my faith goes beyond theology and religion and requires considerable work and effort. My faith demands - this is not optional - my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try and make a difference.
- Jimmy Carter
3. What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great person is one who in the midst of the crowd keeps with the perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
2. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies. Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible. Hope is the waking mans dream.
1. "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, the man who strives valiantly. Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt
26th President
More cool quotes
Champions do not become champions when they win an event, but in the hours, weeks, and months, and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely a demonstration of their championship character. - Michael Jordan
In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility. - Eleanor Roosevelt
Great players and great teams want to be driven. They want to be pushed to the edge. They don't want to be cheated. Ordinary players and average teams want it to be easy. - Pat Riley
There is no limit to what can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit. - John Wooden
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit. - Aristotle
The man who goes the farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from the shore. - Dale Carnegie
The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - it is won behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights. - Muhammad Ali
When one door closes, anther opens. But we often look so regretfully upon the closed door that we don't see the one that has opened for us." - Alexander Graham Bell
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. - Vince Lombardi
Success is a peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming. - John Wooden
On the contrast between talent and hard work as to which is the more important element of success, there's no comparison. A mediocre talent with lots of hard work will go much farther than a stellar talent who just coasts. - Dave Joyner
If you can't do great things, so small things in a great way. Don't wait for great opportunities. Sieze common, everyday ones and make them great.
Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
Nothing negative will ever come from being positive and nothing positive ever comes from being negative.
Doing just enough to get by is not enough to get ahead.
If you decide to be a champion and commit yourself to it .... then the work is not a problem.
The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win.
A winner is someone who sets his goals, commits himself to those goals, and then pursues his goals with all the ability given him.
If you are honest with yourself and can look into a mirror and believe that you have given 100%, you should feel proud. If you cannot, then there is work to be done. - John Havlicek (Boston Celtics)
The greatest discovery of the human mind is that a person can alter his altitude by altering his attitude.
Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. - Thomas Jefferson
People acting together as a group can accomplish things which no individual acting alone could ever hope to bring about. - Franklin D. Roosevelt
The man who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.
The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say that you cannot do.
Character is that which reveals moral purpose, exposing the class of things a man chooses or avoids.- Aristotle
Success is a peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing that you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming. - John Wooden
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear; not absence of fear. - Mark Twain
The possibility that we may fail in the struggle should not deter us from supporting a cause we believe to be just. - Abraham Lincoln
I am only one; still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do. - Helen Keller
You are what you think. None can escape the fact that we become, to a large degree, what we think. Think little, believe little, and the results will be little. Think big, believe big, act big, and the results will be big.
Faith is believing what we do not see. The reward of this faith is to see what we believe. - St. Augustine
In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. - Thomas Jefferson
Happiness exists when things we believe in are consistent with the things we do.
The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.
To get the true measure of a man, note how much more he does than is required of him.
If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride and never quit, you will be a winner. The price of victory is high, but so are the rewards. - Paul 'Bear' Bryant
If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare composed poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, "Here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well. - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Every action we take, everything we do, is either a victory or defeat in the struggle to become what we want to be. - Anne Byrhhe
A 'No' uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble. - Mahatma Gandhi
I personally measure success in terms of the contributions an individual makes to her or his fellow human beings. - Margaret Mead
You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things - to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals. - Sir Edmund Hillary
Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction. - John F. Kennedy
I studied the lives of great men and famous women; and I found that the men and women who got to the top were those who did the jobs they had in hand, with everything they had of energy and enthusiasm and hard work. - Harry S. Truman
Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree. - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination. - Nelson Mandela
Without a struggle, there can be no progress. - Frederick Douglass
Nothing in this world is impossible to a willing heart. - Abraham Lincoln
We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort. - Jesse Owens
Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill. - Muhammad Ali
The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows; it is what a man or woman is able to do that counts. - Booker T. Washington
Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." - Henry David Thoreau
"To get profit without risk, experience without danger, and reward without work is as impossible as it is to live without being born." - Harry Truman
"To see what is right and not do it is lack of courage." - Confucius
"There is no substitute for hard work. There will be disappointments, but 'the harder you work, the luckier you will get.' Never be satisfied with less than your very best effort. If you strive for the top and miss, you'll still 'beat the pack'. - Gerald Ford
"Being ignorant is not so much a shame as being unwilling to learn to do things the right way." - Benjamin Franklin
"People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents." - Andrew Carnegie
"Being courageous requires no exceptional qualifications, no magic formula, no special combination of time, place and circumstance. It is an opportunity that sooner or later is presented to us all." - John F. Kennedy
35th President
"A good coach will make his players see what they can become rather than what they are." - Ara Parseghian
"A star can win any game; a team can win every game." - Jack Ramsay
The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing. - Albert Einstein
Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts. - Aristotle
I am only one,
But I still am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do the something I can do.
- Edward Everett Hale
Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. - Hellen Keller
By the choices and acts of our lives, we create the person that we are and the faces that we wear. By the choices and acts of our own lives we give to the world wherein our lives are lived, hoping that our neighbors will find our contributions to be of worth, and hoping that the world will be a little more gracious for our time in it. - Kenneth Patton
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. - Dale Carnegie
Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow them. - Louisa May Alcott
You can't get much done in life if you work only on the days when you feel good. - Jerry West
There is no thrill in easy sailing when the skies are clear and blue. There is no joy in merely doing things anyone can do. But there is some satisfaction that is mighty sweet to take. When you reach a destination that you thought you couldn't make.
Happiness exists when things we believe in are consistent with the things we do.
The possibility that we may fail in the struggle should not deter us from supporting a cause we believe to be just. - Abraham Lincoln
The team player knows that it doesn't matter who gets the credit as long as the job gets done. If the job gets done, the credit will come.
People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their talents. - Andrew Carnegie
The speed of the pack is determined by the rate of the leader.
Don't be content with being average because average is as close to the bottom as it is to the top.
DON'T QUIT
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit --
Rest is you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a person turns about
When they might have won had they stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow --
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out --
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit, --
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.
"Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead."
WHAT IS CLASS?
Class never runs scared. It is sure footed and confident in the knowledge that you can meet life head-on and handle whatever comes along.
Class never makes excuses. It takes its lumps and learns from past mistakes.
Class is considerate of others. It knows that good manners are nothing more than a series of petty sacrifices.
Class never tries to build itself up by tearing others down.
Class is already up and need not strive to look better by making others look worse.
Class can "walk with the kings of virtue, and talk with the crowds and keep the common touch." Everyone is comfortable with the person who has class - because he is comfortable with himself.
If you have class, you don't need much of anything else. If you don't have it, no matter what else you have - it doesn't make much difference.
The Power of Attitude
Our lives are not determined by what happens to us, but how we react to what happens; not by what life brings us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst...a spark that creates extraordinary results.
The Essence of Initiative
The future doesn't just happen, it is created...Our destiny is not in the stars, but in ourselves. We may need to follow in the wake of those who have gone before, but what we do and where we go is ultimately up to us. The attitude of initiative is an on-going state of exploration that is never finished...a journey that never ends.
The Essence of Character
Your true character is revealed by the clarity of your convictions, the choices you make, and the promises you keep. Hold strongly to your principles and refuse to follow the currents of convenience. What you say and do defines who you are, and who you are...you are forever.
The Essence of Leadership
A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the quality of his actions and the integrity of his intent. In the end, leaders are much like eagles...they don't flock, you find them one at a time.
The Essence of Achievement
"The credit belongs to those people who are actually in the arena...who know the great enthusiasms, the great devotions to a worthy cause; who at best, know the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, fail while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt
The Courage of Integrity
The highest courage is to dare to be yourself in the face of adversity. Choosing right over wrong, ethics over convenience, and truth over popularity...these are the choices that measure your life. Travel the path of integrity without looking back, for there is never a wrong time to do the right thing.
A true story on Integrity
As a high school coach, I did all I could to help my boys win their games. I rooted as hard for victory as they did.
A dramatic incident, however, following a game in which I officiated as a referee, changed my perspective on victories and defeats. I was refereeing a league championship basketball game in New Rochelle, New York, between New Rochelle and Yonkers High.
New Rochelle was coached by Dan O'Brien, Yonkers by Les Beck. The gym was crowded to capacity, and the volume of noise made it impossible to hear. The game was well played and closely contested. Yonkers was leading by one point as I glanced at the clock and discovered there was but 30 seconds left to play.
Yonkers, in possession of the ball, passed off-shot-missed. New Rochelle recovered - pushed the ball up the court and shot. The ball rolled tantalizingly around the rim and off. The fans shrieked. New Rochelle, the home team, recovered the ball and tapped it in for what looked like a victory. The tumult was deafening. I glanced at the clock and saw that the game was over. I checked with the other official, but he could not help me.
Still seeking help in this bedlam, I approached the timekeeper, a young man of 17 or so. He said, "Mr. Corvino, the buzzer went off as the ball rolled off the rim, before the final tap in was made."
I was in the unbelievable position of having to tell Coach O'Brien the sad news. "Dan," I said, "time ran out before the final basket was tapped in. Yonkers won the game."
His face clouded over. The young timekeeper came up. He said, "I'm sorry, DAD. The time ran out before the final basket."
Suddenly, like the sun coming out from behind a cloud, Coach O'Brien's face lit up. He said, "That's okay, Joe. You did what you had to do. I'm proud of you."
Turning to me, he said, "Al, I want you to meet my son, Joe."
The two of them walked off the court together, the coach's arm around the son's shoulder.
The Sky's the Limit
Everyone has potential...It is an infinite resource that cannot be exhausted, but can be lost in the clouds of fear and complacency. It may take courage to embrace the possibilities of your own potential, but once you've flown past the summit of your fears, nothing will seem impossible.
The Foundation of Excellence
Our achievements are shaped by the terrain of our lives and the strength of the foundations we set. In building the life we've imagined, we must be true to our beliefs, dare to be ethical, and strive to be honorable. For integrity is the highest ground to which we can aspire.
The Power of Belief
"Believe in yourself. You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face...You must do that which you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt
Commitment
The desire to succeed, the determination to reach your goals, and the discipline to perform even when you don't feel like performing, is the essence of commitment. The ability to perform the most meaningless task "well", to pay close attention to every little detail, and to do it honestly and with integrity is the sign of commitment. To make whatever sacrafices necessary to attain your goals. To commit yourself totally without reservation. Only when you make that "commitment" can you truly be successful.
Class
You must be proud of who you are. Pride in oneself is developed through the consistent effort of doing things first class. Class is who you are, the way you project yourself. Class can not be bought or sold. It is the way you act, the way you dress, the way you speak, the way you live. Class is doing things correctly. Class is that attitude and commitment to being the best that you can be in thought, word, and deed.
The Desiderata
Max Ehrmann
Copyright 1927
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nuture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Top 10 Signs Your Basketball Team is Not Going to Win a Championship
(Taken from "The Late Show's 'Top 10' List")
10. Power forward was featured on Ricki Lake's "Too Fat to Love?" episode.
9. Whenever someone does a lay-up, he burns his arm on his cigarette.
8. Players always show up at away games exhausted from all the hitchhiking.
7. The Las Vegas odds against your team involve the sign for infinity.
6. Your center won't stand during the national anthem because he's too drunk.
5. The only thing Dick Vitale can say about them is, "These guys got a good grade point average, baby!"
4. Players refuse to guard other team because they're all "sticky" and "sweaty".
3. Jesse Jackson is protesting against the team for being "too white".
2. They pointedly inform interviewers that the correct term is "little people", not "midgets".
1. Starting Center: "Mini Me" from Austin Powers.
Top 10 Ways to Make Basketball More Exciting
(Taken from "The Late Show's 'Top 10' List")
10. Technical foul equals loss of possession and pants.
9. Ball dangerously overinflated with hydrogen.
8. If a fan throws something from the stands and it goes in the basket, it counts for his team.
7. Players ride around the court on angry llamas.
6. Three words: Giant fylin' rats
5. Shot worth 10 points if you bounce it off an opponent's head.
4. Players must constantly shout name of shoe company they have an endorsement deal with.
3. Michael Jordan still gets to use a baseball bat.
2. Make a foul shot and kiss a cheerleader; miss a foul shot and kiss chearleader's dad
1. Make a three point shot, win a car.
