7 Great Quotes About Life from Legendary Football Coaches
1) One of the most harmful myths spread by movies is that it’s the person who wants it more who finds a way to win when the chips are down. That’s actually very misleading. Heart might give you an edge versus an equally matched opponent, but preparation mows down heart 99 times out of 100. It’s not who wants it more in the moment; it’s wanting it bad enough to put in work day after day, week after week, and year after year until you make yourself into a formidable opponent. Don’t bet on heart; bet on the one who’s out there busting his behind to get better when there’s no cheering crowd to spur him on.
2) The poor guy wants to be rich. The married guy with the unhappy relationship wants to be single. The lonely single guy wants to be married. The fat guy wants to be thin. The sick guy wants to be well. The skinny-as-a-rail guy wants muscles. The bald guy wants hair. The mid-level manager who’s going nowhere wishes he owned his own business. The entrepreneur with the failing business wishes he had a corporate job. Long story short, you’re not the only special little flower out there with a problem. Moreover, people tend to care a lot more about their problems than your problems. So, if you’re looking for sympathy, understanding, or special treatment by telling people how bad you’ve got it, you’re probably going to be disappointed by the reaction you receive.
3) You get anxious when you’re unprepared, don’t know what you’re doing, don’t have enough time to get the job done, or are flying by the seat of your pants. On the other hand, even difficult and complicated tasks don’t make you nervous if you have experience, plan ahead, set aside the needed amount of time, and do your homework. Put another way, pressure is a message screamed from the recesses of your brain to your conscious mind. It’s telling you, “You are not ready!” Heeding that message early enough can be the difference between success and failure.
4) After the horrific Penn State child molestation scandal, many people will object to putting this quote from Paterno on the list. However, that’s actually why it needs to be here. He proved the worth of this quote with his own moral failure. Here’s an icon at Penn State, a man who was the winningest coach in Division 1 history and revered as one of the greatest football coaches of all time. Yet and still, because he turned a blind eye to one of his coaches who was abusing children, Penn State lost 111 wins and his statue at the university was removed. A man once regarded as a hero for decades died in disgrace. Despite all his success, Paterno could not make up for his lack of honor when it mattered. There’s a lesson there for all of us.
5) A few days ago, I learned that a friend of mine works in a comic book store. When I asked why she does that since I know she doesn’t need the money, she told me it relaxes her because she doesn’t really have to think very much. That’s the same reason I farm out everything from interview transcription to posting columns on my blog, but I don’t hire someone to cut my lawn: for some odd reason, I find it to be relaxing work. (And, no, I won’t come over to mow your yard next weekend!) The same philosophy should apply to your profession if you can swing it.
As the saying goes, “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Almost all of us have to work for our daily bread and since that’s the case, you might as well find as many ways as possible to turn that work into a pleasure instead of a chore.
6) Many people believe that geniuses are born, not made. For the most part, this is simply untrue, even when you’re talking about athletes like Tiger Woods or child prodigies like Ludwig Van Beethoven. Both Woods and Beethoven, for example, were relentlessly trained from the time they started to walk by fathers who were talented in their areas of expertise. Most geniuses are better than everyone else at what they do because they consistently and persistently outwork and out-practice everyone else in their field. It’s not so much that they have gifts other people don’t have; it’s that they manage to find a way to utilize their potential to its fullest. So the question becomes: What do you love to do so much that you’ll happily struggle to improve at it for years at a time regardless of the difficulties you face in the process?
7) I actually have this quote on the wall of my office so that every time I sit down to work, it’s right there in my peripheral vision. That’s because this quote cuts to the essence of what separates champions from also-rans. A lot of people want credit for doing something right. But doing something right every once in a while isn’t impressive. After all, you’re supposed to do things right! In fact, the best of the best don’t do the right thing sometimes or three times out of five; they do it all the time, day in and day out, until it’s so ingrained in their heads that they do it without even thinking about it.
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Updated with correct images.
More from John Hawkins on self-improvement:
As I have stated here before, I am unimpressed with the condemnation of Joe Paterno. And even more so after reading much of the Mr. Freeh’s report: http://thefreehreportonpsu.com/
Although there was less action from Paterno than many would want (including himself). There was alot more that happened that was not brought to his attention and was failed to be acted upon by many others, and Paterno acted upon everything that was brought to his attention (and itappears continued to press for resolution). It appears more and more that condemnation against Paterno is more rhetoric than proof.
Except that Paterno lied to the grand jury. How much more would he need to do before you would think it is appropriate to condemn him?
When do you think he lied to grand jury?
Paterno unfortunately didn’t live long enough to witness the trial and hear first hand the account of the lives he helped destroy. Another Catholic with an overdeveloped sense of denial…
Or live long enough to rebut the reports — or to testify or subject himself to questions which even the Freeh report says he was willing to do.
And boy is the Brass at Penn glad he died…
And I’m no Paterno fan…because when someones says the Right Hand Man YOU brought aboard the Organization was F*ucking a child in the shower, You dont just let it lie.
You talk to him, IN PERSON, like this:
“Jerry, if its false, I’ll back you 100%, but just so you know, if it turns out to be TRUE, I’ll kill you myself with my bare hands”
Paterno had no guts. But he was a SIMPLE form of moral coward.
But the Penn Brass who squirmed on and on about “the mans problem” and wanted to “offer him treatment if he acknowedged it” were accompliaces to the crime, for years.
Which is why they are SO GLAD Paterno became “the dead lightning rod that will never speak” amlost as soon as the case became known.
Its “Paterno” who people will remember, and not them.
And to some degree, that aint fair.
Penn has a different set of issues — albeit just as bad — as Penn State.
i agree
You are right. The Freeh report is conjecture and very little facts. Read this post on the Powerline blog.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2012/07/the-case-against-joe-paterno-weak-to-non-existent-on-the-current-record.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+powerlineblog%2Flivefeed+%28Power+Line%29
To Mr. Hawkins: How can you get two pictures out of 7 wrong? That is kind of basic, don’t you think
If Joe Paterno had one warning about the abuse and he did not bring Sandusky in to ask him about it and did not insist the school investigate, he is guilty of every abuse after he was informed. It is ironic that his statement mentions honor and his honor is besmirched. I have not read the report, but I saw a news story saying one young man told Paterno about a case in the showers where Sandusky was showering with a young boy. Turning ones back on children is unacceptable.
More great football quotes:
“Bend over kid” Jerry Sandusky.
“I didn’t see nuthin’” Joe Paterno.
As usual, the ignorami who read a few paragraphs on the issue, and do not know the facts, are jealously ready to condemn Coach Paterno unjustly. Now, poopsies, listen up:
McQueary told CP that he wasn’t sure what he saw in the shower. He could not testify in court to any illegal behavior He was so unsure that he failed to intervene. What was CP going to do with that sort of nonsense? Fire Sandusky without cause, and subject the university to some very bad publicity and a multimillion dollar lawsuit?He reported to his superiors and that was all he should have done. He did not lie to the Grand Jury, as libelled above. When he discussed the issue with Sandusky, the response was total denial. With no victim, and no competent witness to testify, what more was CP to do? We will all be less without Coach Paterno, a truly noble gentleman. Shame on all those who libel/slander him now that he is unable to defend himself. Such are stupid, ignorant, malicious and repulsive.
The picture up for “Lou Holtz” is not Lou Holtz. I played for Lou Holtz and he’s not that handsome.
It’s a guy named HARVEY MACKAY who once interviewed the great coach Holtz.
The picture of George Halas is not a picture of George Halas. Tell me I’m wrong.
That “picutre of Lou Holtz” is not Lou Holtz.
I’m somewhat biased toward my beloved Steelers coach, Mike Tomlin, who gives the most entertaining and verbose press conferences in the NFL, but my favorite from him is his oft-repated “The standard is the standard” Simple, elegant, uncompromising.
That’s not Lou Holtz, that’s Harvey MacKay. Your pictures are messed up.
You missed taking the fork in the road.
As others have pointed out, the pictures of Lou Holtz and George Halas are not correct.
I picked out the quotes, but I didn’t put together the images myself and I also didn’t go back and check all of them to make sure my people used the right ones. Halas, I just missed. The Holtz one kind of looks like Holtz without the glasses.
So, in the end, it was my mistake. Apologies.
I also didn’t go back and check all of them to make sure my people used the right ones.
I don’t know why exactly but I feel a spirit of irony surrounding that statement.
I believe the media was too quick to judge Paterno….the Freeh report leaves too many questions, knowing how Paterno lived his life, it is difficult to believe he would turn a blind eye to anyone’s suffering….with time an more testimony in the remaining cases I truly believe he will eventually be vindicated.
How could you not include:
Practise doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practise makes perfect. Vince Lombardi.
Or has that been falsely attributed to him?
No Ditka? Superfans are super disappointed.
Paterno was hung by a lunch mob, called the media and Board of Trustees. There is little to no fact in the Freeh report. Further, the man was not even granted a trial by his peers. There will be a wave coming that will ultimately clear Paterno’s name. He was a coach, not a criminal justice expert. He reported the incident to his superiors. The man’s dead. Why continue to beat up a dead man?
Sorry “lynch” mob. Typo.
You left out my favorite football quote, as least as it relates to politics…
“What the hell’s going on out there?!”
–Lombardi
Including a quote from a social pariah might sound noble of you, but it completely ensures that the thread goes sideways. Then you got the pics wrong. Thus, there is almost no discussion about the great quotes. This article is a great big fail, as a result. Better luck next time.
I used to read your articles on townhall.com regularly, but have stopped doing so as often. Your articles filled with all these lists really get tedious after awhile*.
* ‘Awhile’ is one word, not two, Mr. Hawkins. Editing is in order.