Rick Pitino Quotes

Long term success is a direct result of what you achieve everyday. Goals provide your daily routine

Lying makes a problem part of the future; truth makes a problem part of the past.

Technology is a compulsive and addictive way to live. Verbal communication cannot be lost because of a lack of skill. The ability to listen and learn is key to mastering the art of communication. If you dont use your verbal skills and networking, it will disappear rapidly. Use technology wisely.

He knew I enjoyed the relationships of college basketball. All along, he was the wise one.

I just don't deal with the negativity. I can't get involved in that side of it. I don't understand it, and you can't let it take away from your life and what you are trying to do.

Excellence is the unlimited ability to improve the quality of what you have to offer.

Set higher standards for your own performance than anyone else around you, and your only competition will be with yourself

Humility is the true key to success. Successful people lose their way at times. They often embrace and overindulge from the fruits of success. Humility halts this arrogance and self-indulging trap. Humble people share the credit and wealth, remaining focused and hungry to continue the journey of success.

Set higher standards for you own performance than anyone around you, and it won't matter whether you have a tough boss or an easy one. It won't matter whether the competition is pushing you hard, because you'll be competing with yourself.

True motivation is not getting people to play to their potential. It's getting people to play beyond their potential

Never let anyone out work you or out hustle you. Ever.

Success is determined by your daily choices and habits

I ignore the jealous, I ignore the malicious, I ignore the ignorant and I ignore the paranoid.

The only way to get people to like working hard is to motivate them. Today, people must understand why they're working hard. Every individual in an organization is motivated by something different.

Inferior guards play on the sidelines and great guards play in the middle. Isiah, Magic, Chris Paul, all get to the middle

If you are not willing to work hard and establish discipline in your life, then all your dreams are merely pipe dreams.

Failure is good. It's fertilizer. Everything I've learned about coaching I've learned from making mistakes.

When you have a problem, if you tell the truth, the problem becomes part of your past. If you lie, it becomes part of your future.

It's better to have a good player with the basketball in late game situations than to have plays.

When you build bridges you can keep crossing them.

Self-esteem is directly linked to deserving success. You must deserve victory to feel good about yourself.

Nothing meaningful or lasting comes without working hard at it.

Avoid cynical and negative people like the plague. They are killers of potential.

Working hard is not always fun - that's why it is called work.

Learning what not to do is sometimes more important than learning what to do.

When love and discipline come together you have great chemistry.

Those who work the hardest are the last to surrender.

Francisco Garcia could have been a high draft choice last year, probably in the 20s. He's the best wing player I've ever coached. But he's done it the right way. He knew he had to work on his body to become a good pro. When he goes into the pros, he'll be physically ready.

At Boston University, I motivated negatively, and I found that although it can work at first, by the end of the year everyone is dying for the year to end and you have lost them. The last two years at BU, I motivated positively and got much better results.

The bone's 6 inches out of his leg and all he's yelling is, 'Win the game, win the game.' I've not seen that in my life. Pretty special young man. I don't think we could have gathered ourselves - I know I couldn't have - if Kevin didn't say over and over again, 'Just go win the game,' I don't think we could have gone in the locker room with a loss after seeing that. We had to gather ourselves. We couldn't lose this game for him. We just couldn't.

The more you lose, the more positive you have to become. When you're winning, you can ride players harder because their self-esteem is high. If you are losing and you try to be tough, you're asking for dissension.

I actually think if you have a strong junior class, that's the best possible scenario. In their senior year, guys who are on the threshold of making it to the NBA start getting preoccupied in their thoughts elsewhere more than concerning themselves with the present. The junior class is the perfect age.

The basic premise of my system is to fatigue your opponents with constant pressure defensively and constant movement offensively.

The key to coaching is not what you do, but the way you do it. The intangibles, the motivational parts of the game are the most important facets of it.

I'm at the stage of my career when it's not only about winning and developing players, it's about having fun. That's a void in your life right now, but it's something you're going to have here.

If I didn't have a recruiting engagement, I was going to be here. I did everything possible to change the recruiting thing. I'm a very small part of this night, but I did want to be a part of it.

Doubt is one of the main paths on the highway to failure.

I can say that hands down from being in this business 32 years; we're going to be much better than we were last year just because there's eight new players that now have experience and Palacios will be healthy.

It could happen to anyone when you get hired by a different president. There's a difference in philosophies. It happens. It's a change in CEOs. They have their own people, their own philosophies, and it's different than what Bob stands for.

Every individual in an organization is motivated by something different.

Dreamers are not content with being mediocre.

Postponing action is only postponing achievement.

Ego is the greatest killer of one's potential

A lot of people always use the term, 'I'm so blessed.' Most of it they believe is true.

Coaches are bridge builders. It's our job to build a bridge for our athletes to cross over.

Make incremental progress, change comes not by the yard, but by the inch.

Live in the precious present.

Tackle the difficult things first in the morning; make changes in the way you network. Treat everyone with respect and dignity. This stops you from cynicism and negativity. End your day with that same attitude you started. Renew your contract with a day well completed.

People with high self esteem are risk takers, but more importantly, they are achievers.

When it comes to team dynamics - on a basketball court or in a corporate setting - maintaining a positive atmosphere is crucial.