Quotes from Mike Krzyzewski

Even though we want huge individual egos, our collective ego is unbelievable.

In high school, in sport, I had a coach who told me I was much better than I thought I was, and would make me do more in a positive sense. He was the first person who taught me not to be afraid of failure.

Leadership is an ever-evolving position.

A common mistake among those who work in sport is spending a disproportional amount of time on "x's and o's" as compared to time spent learning about people.

I believe work is good. There is dignity in work. I also believe that a hard-work ethic forges strong leaders.

You have to work hard at staying in contact with your friends so that the relationships will continue and live on... Friendships, along with love, make life worth living.

You start developing a championship attitude by, first of all, telling kids that they are really good and that they have the potential to become better.

I try to see each new season as a new challenge because I have a new team to work with, new opponents to encounter, and often new ideas and theories to try

There are kids don't want to do something because they're afraid of looking stupid to their peers. There comes a time when they start protecting themselves, instead of extending. I want to make sure that they're always trying to extend themselves.

Leaders should be reliable without being predictable. They should be consistent without being anticipated

If you have talent with teamwork, you've got a chance to be a championship team.

Effective teamwork begins and ends with communication

With accomplishments comes confidence and with confidence comes belief. It has to be in that order.

It takes courage not only to make decisions, but to live with those decisions afterward

Champions play as they practice. Create a consistency of excellence in all your habits.

If a team cannot perform with excellence at a moment's notice, they probably will fail in the long run.

Great rivalries don't have to be built on hatred. They're built on respect, on a respect for excellence.

To me, teamwork is the beauty of our sport, where you have five acting as one. You become selfless.

The person who has inspired me my whole life is my Mom, because she taught me commitment. She sacrificed.

The truth is that many people set rules to keep from making decisions.

In high school, in sport, I had a coach who told me I was much better than I thought I was, and would make me do more in a positive sense. He was the first person who taught me not to be afraid of failure.

The thing I loved the most - and still love the most about teaching - is that you can connect with an individual or a group, and see that individual or group exceed their limits.

I always won in my imagination. I always hit the game-winning shot, or I hit the free throw. Or if I missed, there was a lane violation, and I was given another one.

Imagination has a great deal to do with winning.