Character and Reputation

John Wooden (with ball) with the 1975 UCLA Champions

John Robert Wooden (1910-2010) was nicknamed the ‘Wizard of Westwood’ as a basketball coach of the UCLA Bruins. With them he won 10 national championships in 12 years, 7 of them consecutively, a truly incredible feat since there are thousands of College basketball teams competing every year. His famous quote about character and reputation is worth reflecting on: “Be more aware of your character, rather than your reputation. Your character is what you really are. The reputation is what others think about you.”