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

Building a Solid Foundation for Success

In 1934 I chose two blocks as the cornerstones of my Pyramid of Success without any clear knowledge of how many blocks it would eventually have or its eventual size. That would come only after hundreds of hours of reflection over a period of fourteen years.

I did know that at the top of the Pyramid, at the apex, was success as defined by many of the teachings Dad had given us back on the farm. To those I added my own ideas gained from experience.

So in 1934 I began by putting in place two huge and powerful blocks as the cornerstones of the Pyramid, two fundamental personal qualities that I wouldn’t change if I had to do it over again today in 1997, because without them you will not succeed. These are the ...