John Wooden Quotes

Integrity is not so much what we do as much as who we are.

For me the most important thing is being a really good person, and that doesn’t depend on what you do on stage, that depends on how you treat people when you’re offstage.

To say America can have strong leadership without strong character is to say we can get water without the wet.

Integrity is not a conditional word. It doesn't blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself, and if you look in there and see a man who won't cheat, then you know he never will.

It is true that integrity alone won't make you a leader, but without integrity you will never be one.

Character is higher than intellect. Thinking is the function; living is the functionary.

Great leaders have no need for reputation. Reputation is what you are in public. Character is who you are in private.

True success depends more on character than on intellect.

Whatever you think of Romney and his politics, as a human being there's none better. As a man of integrity, man of character, there's none better.

Have you ever asked yourself why one person is honorable and another dishonorable; why one is honest, another dishonest; why one is moral, another immoral? Most individuals do not intend to be dishonest, dishonorable, or immoral. They seem to allow their characters to erode by a series of rationalizations, lies, and compromises. Then when grave temptation presents itself, they haven't the strength of character to do what they know to be right.

Honesty is a very expensive gift, Don't expect it from cheap people.

Ninety-nine percent of leadership failures are failures of character.

Integrity is honesty carried through the fibres of the being and the whole mind, into thought as well as action so that the person is complete in honesty. That kind of integrity I put above all else as an essential to leadership.

Integrity is what you do behind closed doors or when you think nobody is watching. Integrity is the true essence of who you are, your beliefs and your values. Reputation is the public perception of who you are. It is how others view your integrity or strong moral principles.

When duty calls, that is when character counts.

If you don't have integrity, you have nothing. You can't buy it.

Leading with character gives the wise leader clear-cut advantages. They are easier to trust and follow; they honor commitments and promises; their words and behavior match; they are always engaged in and by the world; they are open to "reflective backtalk": they can speak with conviction because they believe in what they are saying...and everyone else knows that. They are comfortable in their own skin. They feel at ease in the spotlight and they enjoy it there. They tend to be more receptive to opportunity and risk.

Virtue is in the mind, not in the appearance.

Never be impressed with charisma. Look for character.

Character is made by what you stand for;reputation by what you fall for.

I am an honest, straight guy.

If you can maintain that integrity in whatever you do, you can't go wrong. That's what I tell my kids, anyway.

My character has always been important to me. That was the one thing that I knew, no matter what, I had to hold that strong.

A man should be upright, not be kept upright.

I think character is real important. And you know, and I think the public does.