Wooden: a lifetime of observations and reflections on and off the court

pt. I. Families, values, virtues

My roots go deep in America

Nothing is stronger than gentleness

My mother's great example

The real coaches and teachers

Strong inside

Life's game plan starts early

Two sets of threes

Pride or punishment

The gift of a lifetime

Living up to dad's creed

Give it away to get it back

Six of life's puzzlers

Trusting others

Politeness and courtesy

What you are

Nellie and I agreed to be agreeable

Passion isn't love

Love and marriage

Marriage is not courtship

When marriage weakens

Team Wooden

Family first

Sports, books, and kids

Parents, children, and goals

Mentors

You are more influential than you think

Commend, don't criticize

Parenting and coaching

My favorite four-letter words : "kids" and "love"

Character

The fundamental goal

Perfection

Priorities

Learn forever, die tomorrow

Faults are fine

Timeless traits

Giving and receiving

Are you looking for the right things?

Apples

Bringing out the best in people

Indiana and basketball

Five more puzzlers

The family has changed

The greatest joy

Peer pressure

Accepting our responsibility

A lesson on emotion and language

A reminder : be true to yourself

Make fate your friend

Five more puzzlers

Young folks, old folks

Six ways to bring out the best in people

Losing Nellie : peace of mind

pt. II. Success, achievement, competition

Mr. Webster's definition of success

Joshua Wooden's definition of success

Preparation is the prize

A successful journey is the destination

Failures and mistakes

Blaming others

The desire to win

The infection of success

Underdogs

The opinion of others

Pressure

Hindsight

The realistic optimist

Details create success

Hopes and dreams

Paying the price

The worthy opponent

Follow your bliss?

Comparisons

A worthwhile goal

Tall versus "tall"

The main ingredient of stardom

Peace of mind

Circle what you are

The biggest change of all

Personal glory is secondary

Individual honors

Quick to judge

Overachievers

Eight suggestions for succeeding

Beating yourself

Winners make the most mistakes

Cashing in on fame

Characteristics of a team player

All-time best starting five

Why teams fail

Orange peels, pride, and productivity

Kareem's selflessness

Miracles

Nine promises that can bring happiness

Losing and winning

Sage advice

Fame

On talent

Unhappiness today

Make the most of what you've got

Is my Ford better than your Cadillac?

Recognizing a champion

Corporate competitors

Being too competitive

Is winning the only thing?

Ego and arrogance

Work creates luck

B.O. Barn's unexpected reward

Character versus "character"

Right from wrong

Tricks of the trade

Act quickly (but don't hurry)

Your own standard of success

Perceptions of success

Zero national championships

Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be

Big-money players and coaches

Adversity makes you stronger

Character creates longevity

Kareem learns from adversity

Persistence is stronger than failure

Always be progressing

The India rubber man

Balance in basketball (and life)

The importance of basketball

The Olympics : good and not so good

The final score

The glory is in getting there

pt. III. Coaching, teaching, leading

A sacred trust

Philosophers and prison guards

Who can lead?

"But, coach Wooden, times have changed!"

"Why did Wooden win?"

A leader's difficult task

Respect

A leader is fair

Walk the walk

Pride as a motivator

Dictator leaders

Leaders listen

Another golden rule

Leadership and punishment

Public embarrassment

The worst punishment of all

False expectations

Scouting

Psychological warfare

Leadership is more than facts

Wilt teaches me a lesson

Emotionalism

Hatred

When to be dejected

Jubilation

Spiking, dunking, taunting, flaunting

A coach's best friend

Sports as teacher

Being prepared

The guaranteed dividend

Tex Schramm's point

Owners and profits

Bringing out your best (whatever it is)

The gym is a classroom

Love of the routine

The crowd loves blood

Flash versus class

Role models : good and bad

Spirit versus temperament

The value in feeling valued

Swen Nater understood his role

110 percent isn't the goal

Slow and steady gets you ready

Tough toes bring hidden rewards

The laws of learning

Players : politics and religion

A leader can be led

Criticism and praise

Historic loss?

Basketball in the year 2000

Dealing with big-headedness

A coach's highest compliment

Keep priorities straight

Walton's whiskers

Why did players listen to my old-fashioned message?

A key to learning

Negotiating and giving speeches

On race

Learning from Kareem

Athletes as heroes

Be careful who you follow

Seven national championships in a row

The pressure to set records

Reacting to the championships

Knowing when to leave

pt. IV. Putting it all together : my pyramid of success

The genesis

Are you a failure if you do your best?

Did you really win if you gave a second-rate effort?

Recalling dad's words

Creating my definition of success

You are different ; I am different

The hard part is still ahead

Ten national championships

Finding the answers : the pyramid

Building the pyramid took years

Building a solid foundation for success

The first cornerstone : industriousness

The other cornerstone : enthusiasm

Between the cornerstones : the foundation

Building on the solid foundation : self-control, alertness, initiative, and intentness

Three more strong blocks : condition, skill, and team spirit

Nearing the peak : poise and confidence

Competitive greatness

The mortar : patience and faith

The apex : success

The pyramid and the players

Mr. Shidler's question

My favorite maxims.