Quotes from Phil Jackson

Maslow puts it, "The great lesson from the true mystics . . . [is] that the sacred is in the ordinary, that it is to be found in one's daily life, in one's neighbors, friends, and family, in one's backyard.

Suzuki had just finished giving a talk to a group of Zen students when someone in the audience said, "You've been talking about Buddhism for nearly an hour, and I haven't been able to understand a thing you said. Could you say one thing about Buddhism I can understand?" After the laughter died down, Suzuki replied calmly, "Everything changes.

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor. THICH NHAT HANH

I think there's something about wanting to stand in the spotlight. I think the ball is a spotlight, for example, and I think they want to stand in that. I a lot of times see - LeBron is a guy that vacillates between wanting to do that and then wanting to get somebody else involved.

Pau is one of the best big men in the game. I mean, Pau Gasol is going to be in the Hall of Fame.

I'm not going to coach again. I've done my coaching, and I think I can put that aside.

For us tall people, the whole key is that your hips and your knees should form a right angle when you sit down. That's where backs and hips get to be problems for big guys.

Leadership is not about forcing your will on others. It's about mastering the art of letting go.

I think the most rewarding part of the job, and I think most coaches would say it, is practice. If you have it, a very good practice in which you have 12 guys participate, and they can really get something out of it, lose themselves in practice.

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.

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.

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

Your problems never cease. They just change.

No one plays this or any game perfectly. It's the guy who recovers from his mistakes who wins.

Always keep an open mind and a compassionate heart.

Not only is there more to life than basketball, there's a lot more to basketball than basketball.

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.

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.

I'm not trying to find answers anymore. I'm trying to live what I know.

I'm a sports-watcher. I played football and baseball, coached baseball. So I watch those things.

The strength of the team lies within the individual. And the strength of the individual lies within the team

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.

You're only a success for the moment that you complete a successful act.

My father was a man who didn't consider himself learned. He was a man who liked to be a farmer. He enjoyed his dairy farm and felt the calling. So there was a dedication. I was dedicated as a child to the service of God, and so there was this continual centering of a greater purpose than your own.