Top 80 Phil Jackson Quotes (2024 Update)

1. “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”

— Phil Jackson

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

— Phil Jackson

3. “You’re only a success for the moment that you complete a successful act.”

— Phil Jackson

4. “You can’t force your will on people. If you want them to act differently, you need to inspire them to change themselves.”

— Phil Jackson

5. “Always keep an open mind and a compassionate heart.”

— Phil Jackson

6. “Leadership is not about forcing your will on others. It’s about mastering the art of letting go.”

— Phil Jackson

7. “The most we can hope for is to create the best possible conditions for success, then let go of the outcome. The ride is a lot more fun that way.”

— Phil Jackson

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8. “The ideal way to win a championship is step by step.”

— Phil Jackson

9. “Remember, Team, surrender the me for the we.”

— Phil Jackson

10. “When the mind is allowed to relax, inspiration often follows.”

— Phil Jackson

11. “Make your work your play and your play your work.”

— Phil Jackson

12. “If you meet the Buddha in the lane, feed him the ball.”

— Phil Jackson

13. “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.”

— Phil Jackson

14. “Fall down seven times. Stand up eight. JAPANESE PROVERB.”

— Phil Jackson

15. “Approach the game with no preset agendas and you’ll probably come away surprised at your overall efforts.”

— Phil Jackson

16. “Not only is there more to life than basketball, there’s a lot more to basketball than basketball.”

— Phil Jackson

17. “Love is the force that ignites the spirit and binds teams together.”

— Phil Jackson

18. “My first act after being named head coach of the Bulls was to formulate a vision for the team. I had to take into account not only what I wanted to achieve, but how I was going to get there.”

— Phil Jackson

19. “Once you’ve done the mental work, there comes a point you have to throw yourself into the action and put your heart on the line. That means not only being brave, but being compassionate towards yourself, your teammates and your opponents.”

— Phil Jackson

20. “If you give the future all your attention, the present will pass you by.”

— Phil Jackson

21. “Coaching is about, “How do I get people to play at their peak level?” It is a spiritual quest. And if it’s not that, you don’t have a challenge, you don’t have a mission. Forming a brotherhood and trying to move it forward – that’s what coaching is.”

— Phil Jackson

22. “There’s a Zen saying I often cite that goes, “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” The point: Stay focused on the task at hand rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.”

— Phil Jackson

23. “The road to freedom is a beautiful system.”

— Phil Jackson

24. “Winning is important to me, but what brings me real joy is the experience of being fully engaged in whatever I’m doing.”

— Phil Jackson

25. “No one plays this or any game perfectly. It’s the guy who recovers from his mistakes who wins.”

— Phil Jackson

26. “The greatness of Michael Jordan is his competitive drive. The weakness of Michael Jordan is his competitive drive.”

— Phil Jackson

27. “Your problems never cease, they just change.”

— Phil Jackson

28. “I think the most important thing about coaching is that you have to have a sense of confidence about what you’re doing.”

— Phil Jackson

29. “It takes a number of critical factors to win an NBA championship, including the right mix of talent, creativity, intelligence, toughness, and of course, luck. But if a team doesn’t have the most essential ingredient – love – none of those other factors matter.”

— Phil Jackson

30. “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.”

— Phil Jackson

31. “Wisdom is always an overmatch for strength.”

— Phil Jackson

32. “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.”

— Phil Jackson

33. “Basketball is a simple game. Your goal is penetration, get the ball close to the basket, and there are three ways to do that. Pass, dribble and offensive rebound.”

— Phil Jackson

34. “A coach’s main job is to reawaken a spirit in which the players can blend together effortlessly.”

— Phil Jackson

35. “I gave it my body and mind, but I have kept my soul.”

— Phil Jackson

36. “Coaching is salesmanship. Coaching is winning players over and convincing them they have to play together. It takes a team conviction to play together to make things work.”

— Phil Jackson

37. “Basketball is sharing.”

— Phil Jackson

38. “It’s more fun to be a pirate than to join the Navy. STEVE JOBS.”

— Phil Jackson

39. “I’m a patient person. I think that’s one thing that I feel comfortable I can deal with – the downfall and the errors, as long as I see progress and people trying.”

— Phil Jackson

40. “Edwin Markham’s “Outwitted”: He drew the circle that shut me out – Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle that took him in!”

— Phil Jackson

41. “My philosophy is that you can’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 cannot teach competitiveness.”

— Phil Jackson

42. “I won’t coach this team next year if he is still here. He won’t listen to anyone. I’ve had it with this kid.”

— Phil Jackson

43. “Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us.”

— Phil Jackson

44. “I thrive on challenges, and there is no more imposing challenge for someone in my profession than winning an NBA title.”

— Phil Jackson

45. “I don’t believe in curfews, because you can’t treat men like they were boys without forfeiting a certain level of trust.”

— Phil Jackson

46. “Yes, victory is sweet, but it doesn’t necessarily make life any easier the next season or even the next day.”

— Phil Jackson

47. “Tomorrow gives a beck’ning hand – I turn my face away; I’ll not invite her to my home – I only love Today.”

— Phil Jackson

48. “Basketball is a sport that involves the subtle interweaving of players at full speed to the point where they are thinking and moving as one.”

— Phil Jackson

49. “If we can accept whatever hand we’ve been dealt – no matter how unwelcome – the way to proceed eventually becomes clear.”

— Phil Jackson

50. “1 Corinthians 13: If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”

— Phil Jackson