Consulting the Archives...
Generating fresh insights specifically for this topic.
This may take a moment.
Generating fresh insights specifically for this topic.
This may take a moment.
John Wooden approached Grit from first principles, cutting through assumptions to reveal fundamental truths. This archive captures that thinking, giving you access to frameworks you can build on. Every quote is sourced and contextualized, allowing you to understand their reasoning. Use this when you need to think clearly about Grit without inheriting broken mental models.
"If you are not in condition, your skill will fail you when you need it most."
"Patience is the quiet force that keeps us moving forward when the world tells us to stop."
"The road to real achievement is usually bumpy and long."
"Competitive greatness is having a real love for the hard challenge."
"Persistence is the quality that allows you to continue when others quit. It is the backbone of all strength."
"Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there."
"The true test of a man's character is what he does when no one is watching."
"You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."
Book: Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court
"Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character."
"Character is not something you are born with and can't change, like your fingerprints. It's something you weren't born with and must take responsibility for forming."
"Stubbornness we look upon as a negative; tenacity we look upon as a positive."
"Physical fitness is the first essential for any athlete, but mental and moral fitness are what sustain it."
"Patience is the quality that allows us to stay the course when things get difficult."
Book: Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections on and off the Court
"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."
Seeing how John Wooden approaches Grit helps you apply the idea with more precision.
Pick one quote to guide a decision today, then return for deeper perspective.
Search More
Jump to another topic, author, or pillar without leaving the archive.
"Use this collection whenever you need John Wooden's lens on Grit."