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

Failure Is Not Fatal, But Failure to Change Might Be

Failure to change is often just stubbornness that comes from an unwillingness to learn, an inability to realize that you’re not perfect. There cannot be progress without change—even though not all change is progress.

My rule regarding UCLA’s dress code for travel changed with the times. Initially I insisted on a coat and tie, dress slacks, and polished shoes for an overall clean-cut appearance.

Eventually I came to understand that the culture had changed. Ideas of what constituted appropriate dress had changed, and the coat and tie were viewed as only one possibility by many people I respected.

I realized the fundamental issue was not specifically a coat or a tie, dress slacks, or polished ...