Make Each Day Your Masterpiece

This maxim was written on a card given to John Wooden by his father Joshua Wooden when John left the family farm to attend high school, and Wooden carried and recited it throughout his life. He included it in They Call Me Coach (1972) and cited it repeatedly in interviews as the piece of advice that most shaped his approach to coaching and living. His father's card also included "Don't whine, complain, or make excuses" and "Make friendship a fine art."