Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court

Is Winning the Only Thing?

Mr. Vince Lombardi is supposed to have said, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” Well, if he said that, I disagree. I believe making the total effort is everything. And that’s all I ever wanted and all I ever asked from myself or my players.

It’s all you should ever ask for or expect. Understand that you won’t actually ever become the best of which you are capable. That’s perfection. We can’t obtain perfection as I understand it. But we can work, and work hard, toward obtaining it. If you do that, you will never lose, in sports or in life.