Phil Jackson Quotes

"Wisdom is always an overmatch for strength."

"I gave it my body and mind, but I have kept my soul."

"Always keep an open mind and a compassionate heart."

"Love is the force that ignites the spirit and binds teams together."

"Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the Me for the We."

"Winning is important to me, but what brings me real joy is the experience of being fully engaged in whatever I'm doing."

"In basketball -- as in life -- true joy comes from being fully present in each and every moment, not just when things are going your way."

"An acrobatic dunk will make it onto SportsCenter. A simple, unspectacular bounce pass in the rhythm of the offense will not. System basketball has been replaced by players who want to be the system."

"My philosophy is that you don't motivate players with speeches, you have motivated players that you draft. That's where they come in and those are the guys that are competitive. You can not teach competitiveness."

"Like life, basketball is messy and unpredictable. It has its way with you, no matter how hard you try to control it. The trick is to experience each moment with a clear mind and open heart. When you do that, the game--and life--will take care of itself."

"I think the most important thing about coaching is that you have to have a sense of confidence about what you're doing. You have to be a salesman and you have to get your players, particularly your leaders, to believe in what you're trying to accomplish on the basketball floor."