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

Creating My Definition of Success

I thought about what my father had said, Mr. Shidler’s writing assignment on success, and a verse I happened to read at about this time:

At God’s footstool to confess,

A poor soul knelt and bowed his head.

“I failed.” he cried. The Master said,

“Thou didst thy best, that is success.”

Keeping all these in mind, I finally coined my definition in 1934.

Success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.

Furthermore, only one person can ultimately judge the level of your success—you. Think about that for a moment.

I believe that is what true success is. Anything stemming from that success is simply a by-product, ...