Monthly Archive: March 2023

COACHES HOT SEAT > 2023 > March

Coaches Hot Seat Quotes of the Day – Friday, March 31, 2023 – John Updike

March 31, 2023

“A leader is one who, out of madness or goodness, volunteers to take upon himself the woe of the people. There are few men so foolish, hence the erratic quality of leadership in the world.”

And

‘Creativity is merely a plus name for regular activity. Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right, or better.”

And

‘Dreams come true; without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them.”

And

“Golf appeals to the idiot in us and the child. Just how childlike golf players become is proven by their frequent inability to count past five.”

And

“If men do not keep on speaking terms with children, they cease to be men, and become merely machines for eating and for earning money.”

And

“Sex is like money; only too much is enough.”

And

“We are most alive when we’re in love.”

And

“When I write, I aim in my mind not toward New York but toward a vague spot a little to the east of Kansas.”

And

“I love my government not least for the extent to which it leaves me alone.”

And

“We take our bearings, daily, from others. To be sane is, to a great extent, to be sociable.”

And

“I secretly understood: the primitive appeal of the hearth. Television is — its irresistible charm — a fire.”

And

‘Four years was enough of Harvard. I still had a lot to learn, but had been given the liberating notion that now I could teach myself.”

And

“It was true of my generation, that the movies were terribly vivid and instructive. There were all kinds of things you learned. Like the 19th century novels, you saw how other social classes lived — especially the upper classes. So in a funny way, they taught you manners almost. But also moral manners. The gallantry of a Gary Cooper or an Errol Flynn or Jimmy Stewart. It was ethical instruction of a sort that the church purported to be giving you, but in a much less digestible form. Instead of these remote, crabbed biblical verses, you had contemporary people acting out moral dilemmas. Just the grace, the grace of those stars — not just the dancing stars, but the way they all moved with a certain grace. All that sank deep into my head, and my soul.”

And

“In the old movies, yes, there always was the happy ending and order was restored. As it is in Shakespeare’s plays. It’s no disgrace to, in the end, restore order. And punish the wicked and, in some way, reward the righteous.”

And

“Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life.”

And

“The essential support and encouragement comes from within, arising out of the mad notion that your society needs to know what only you can tell it.”

And

“America is a vast conspiracy to make you happy.”

And

“Writers may be disreputable, incorrigible, early to decay or late to bloom but they dare to go it alone.”

And

“Being naked approaches being revolutionary; going barefoot is mere populism.”

Wikipedia Page:  John Updike

(more…)

Coaches Hot Seat

, ,

Coaches Hot Seat Quotes of the Day – Thursday 30, March, 2023 – Robert Louis Stevenson

March 30, 2023

“A friend is a gift you give yourself.”

And

“All speech, written or spoken, is a dead language, until it finds a willing and prepared hearer.”

And

“An aim in life is the only fortune worth finding.”

And

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”

And

“Everyone lives by selling something.”

And

“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.”

And

“I never weary of great churches. It is my favorite kind of mountain scenery. Mankind was never so happily inspired as when it made a cathedral.”

And

“It is the mark of a good action that it appears inevitable in retrospect.”

And

“Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.”

And

“Most of our pocket wisdom is conceived for the use of mediocre people, to discourage them from ambitious attempts, and generally console them in their mediocrity.”

And

“Politics is perhaps the only profession for which no preparation and is thought necessary.”

And

“Talk is by far the most accessible of pleasures. It costs nothing in money, it is all profit, it completes our education, founds and fosters our friendships, and can be enjoyed at any age and in almost any state of health.”

And

“The world has no room for cowards.”

And

“To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life.”

And

“To become what we are capable of becoming is the only end in life.”

And

“We must accept life for what it actually is – a challenge to our quality without which we should never know of what stuff we are made, or grow to our full stature.”

And

“You cannot run away from weakness; you must some time fight it out or perish; and if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?”

And

“You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us.”

And

“So long as we love we serve; so long as we are loved by others, I would almost say that we are indispensable; and no man is useless while he has a friend.”

And

“The Monterey Peninsula is the greatest meeting of land and sea in the world.”

Wikipedia:  Robert Louis Stevenson

(more…)

Coaches Hot Seat

, ,

Coaches Hot Seat Quotes of the Day – Wednesday, March 29, 2023 – Bobby Bowden

March 29, 2023

“He doesn’t know the meaning of the word fear, but then again he doesn’t know the meaning of most words.”

And

“Discipline to me is sacrifice; it’s willingness to give up something you want to do, so you can better yourself.”

And

“I learned a long time ago that you don’t have to go around using bad language and trying to hurt people to show how macho you are. That stuff won’t get you anywhere, it just shows lack of vocabulary and character.”

And

“The greatest mistake is to continue to practice a mistake.”

And

“I wasn’t afraid of nothing. I was concerned that our opponents. Just picture now. We’re trying to recruit this kid out of Tampa. OK, I go down and see him. An opponent coach comes there and says, ‘Hey, you don’t want to go to Florida State. Bobby Bowden’s got cancer. He’s 77 years old, he’s not going to be alive next year.”

And

“If short hair and good manners won football games, Army and Navy would play for the national championship every year.”

And

“Somehow, I went from being too young, to being too old. Somewhere in there I must have been just right.”

And

“Son, you’ve got a good engine, but your hands aren’t on the steering wheel.”

And

“I am not happy with moral victories. Those things are forgotten.”

And

“I’ve always said it takes more courage to stand back there and throw a ball knowing you’re fixing to get drilled than anything I can think of in football.”

And

“To have the kind of year you want to have, something has to happen that you can’t explain why it happened. Something has to happen that you can’t coach.”

And

“If somebody mistreats you, treat ’em good. That kills ’em.”

And

“I guess I’ll retire someday if I live that long.”

And

“He who gets the best players usually wins.”

And

“Don’t go to the grave with life unused.”

And

“There’s only about 6 inches that turns that halo into a noose.”

And

“But he played Miami. (Bowden on what they might chisel on his headstone)”

And

“You want to know what a real test of faith is? That’s when you go to church and reach into your pocket and all you’ve got is a $20 bill.”

And

“They look so good to me. I’m amazed they’re not on strike.” Bobby Bowden on Florida State losing to the University of Miami during the NFL strike

And

“The Good Lord might not want to take me, but He might be after the pilot.” Bobby Bowden, on his fear of small planes

Wikipedia: Bobby Bowden

(more…)

Coaches Hot Seat

, ,

Coaches Hot Seat Quotes of the Day – Tuesday, March 28, 2023 – Otis Redding

March 28, 2023

“If you want to be a singer, you’ve got to concentrate on it twenty-four hours a day. You can’t be a well driller, too. You’ve got to concentrate on the business of entertaining and writing songs. Always think different from the next person. Don’t ever do a song as you heard somebody else do it.”

And

“Sittin’ in the mornin’ sun,
I’ll be sittin’ in the evening come.
Watchin’ the ships roll in,
then I watch ’em roll away again.

Yeah, I’m sittin’ on the dock of the bay,
watching the tide roll away.
I’m jus’ sittin’ on the dock of the bay…
Wastin’ time
 
I left my home in georgia,
headed for the ‘frisco bay.
‘Cos I’ve had nothing to live for,
and looks like nothin’s gonna come my way.

So, I’m jus’ gonna sit on the dock of the bay,
watching the tide roll away.
I’m jus’ sittin’ on the dock of the bay…
Wastin’ time.”  Otis Redding

Wikipedia Page:  Otis Redding (more…)

Coaches Hot Seat

, ,

Coaches Hot Seat Quotes of the Day – Monday, March 27, 2023 – Chester William Nimitz

March 27, 2023

“I do believe we are going to have a major war, with Japan and Germany, and that the war is going to start by a very serious surprise attack and defeat of U.S. armed forces, and that there is going to be a major revulsion on the part of the political power in Washington against all those in command at sea, and they are going to be thrown out, though it won’t be their fault necessarily. And I wish to be in a position of sufficient prominence so that I will then be considered as one to be sent to sea, because that appears to be the route.” 

And

“A ship is always referred to as “she” because it costs so much to keep her in paint and powder.”

And

“Through the skill and devotion to duty of their armed forces of all branches in the Midway area our citizens can now rejoice that a momentous victory is in the making.”
After the Battle of Midway, CINCPAC Communiqué No. 3, June 6, 1942

And

“Is the proposed operation likely to succeed?
What might be the consequences of failure?
Is it in the realm of practicability in terms of material and supplies?”
“Three favorite rules of thumb” Nimitz had printed on a card he kept on his desk

And

“They fought together as brothers in arms; they died together and now they sleep side by side…To them, we have a solemn obligation — the obligation to ensure that their sacrifice will help make this a better and safer world in which to live.” Of those who died in the war in the Pacific, after ceremonies in Tokyo Bay accepting the official surrender of Japan, September 2, 1945

And

“The U.S.’s major strength factor and weapon is its economy. If you cripple it, you cripple the military.” 

And

“That is not to say that we can relax our readiness to defend ourselves. Our armament must be adequate to the needs, but our faith is not primarily in these machines of defense but in ourselves.” 

And

“God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right even though I think it is hopeless.”

And

“Sir Walter Raleigh declared in the early 17th century that “whoever commands the sea, commands the trade; whosoever commands the trade of the world commands the riches of the world, and consequently the world itself.” This principle is as true today as when uttered, and its effect will continue as long as ships traverse the seas.” Employment of Naval Forces, 1948

And

“The final objective in war is the destruction of the enemy’s capacity and will to fight, and thereby force him to accept the imposition of the victor’s will.”

And

“The qualities of the Nimitz character were apparent in his face, in his career, and in his heritage; combined these factors made him precisely the man he was and placed him in this particular situation at this moment in history. … He was not a cold man, or a bad tempered man — quite the contrary — to the world he presented a figure of almost total complacency; he seldom lost his temper or raised his voice. … It could be said that King was a driver who knew how to lead; it could also be said that Nimitz was a leader who conquered any personal urge to drive, and achieved his ends more by persuasion and inspiration to men under his command.” Edwin Palmer Hoyt in How They Won the War in the Pacific : Nimitz and His Admirals (2000), p. 28 – 29

And

“On April 13, 1943, Allied radio intelligence intercepted a message carrying the travel itinerary of Admiral Yamamoto. The detail in the message listed flight and ground schedules and included what type of fighter escort would be provided. Major Red Lasswell of FRUPAC broke the coded message. The decision of what to do with the information was left to Admiral Nimitz. Nimitz consulted Layton as to what the ramifications would be if Yamamoto were removed. They considered that he might be replaced with a better commander, and Nimitz felt familiar with Yamamoto as his opponent. Layton felt nobody could adequately replace Yamamoto, and based on this opinion Nimitz gave Admiral Halsey the authority to carry out the intercept of Yamamoto’s aircraft. On 18 April, a flight of P-38 fighters with specially selected pilots and equipped with long-range fuel tanks shot down Yamamoto’s aircraft, killing one of Japan’s top naval leaders.” Ricky J. Nussio, in Sherman and Nimitz: Executing Modern Information Operations (2001)

And

“He surrounded himself with the ablest men he could find and sought their advice, but he made his own decisions. He was a keen strategist who never forgot that he was dealing with human beings, on both sides of the conflict. He was aggressive in war without hate, audacious while never failing to weigh the risks.” E. B. Potter, Naval historian at the US Naval Academy, quoted on the cover jacket of his book Nimitz (1976)

And

“Of the Marines on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue.”

And

“He brought to his new job a number of advantages, including experience, a detailed knowledge of his brother officers, and a sense of inner balance and calm that steadied those around him. He had the ability to pick able subordinates and the courage to let them do their jobs without interference. He molded such disparate personalities as the quiet, introspective Raymond A. Spruance and the ebullient, aggressive William F. Halsey, Jr. into an effective team.” Robert William Love, on the rise of Nimitz to CINCPAC in The Chiefs of Naval Operations

Wikipedia: Chester William Nimitz

(more…)

Coaches Hot Seat

, ,

Coaches Hot Seat Quotes of the Day – Sunday, March 26, 2023 – Louis L’Amour

March 26, 2023

“A good beginning makes a good end.” 

And

“A wise man fights to win, but he is twice a fool who has no plan for possible defeat.”

And

“All loose things seem to drift down to the sea, and so did I.”

And

“Anger is a killing thing: it kills the man who angers, for each rage leaves him less than he had been before – it takes something from him.” 

And

“For one who reads, there is no limit to the number of lives that may be lived, for fiction, biography, and history offer an inexhaustible number of lives in many parts of the world, in all periods of time.”

And

“He might never really do what he said, but at least he had it in mind. He had somewhere to go.”

And

“Knowledge is like money: to be of value it must circulate, and in circulating it can increase in quantity and, hopefully, in value.” 

And

“No memory is ever alone; it’s at the end of a trail of memories, a dozen trails that each have their own associations.”

And

“No one can get an education, for of necessity education is a continuing process.”

And

“Nobody got anywhere in the world by simply being content.”

And

“There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. Yet that will be the beginning.”

And

“To disbelieve is easy; to scoff is simple; to have faith is harder.”

And

“To make democracy work, we must be a notion of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”

And

“Too often I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen.”

And

“Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more.”

And

“One day I was speeding along at the typewriter, and my daughter – who was a child at the time – asked me, “Daddy, why are you writing so fast?” And I replied, “Because I want to see how the story turns out!”

Wikipedia:  Louis L’Amour

www.louislamour.com

(more…)

Coaches Hot Seat

, ,

Coaches Hot Seat Quotes of the Day – Saturday, March 25, 2023 – Helen Keller

March 26, 2023

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

And

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”

And

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”

And

“I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.”

And

“It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision.”

And

“Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.”

And

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

And

“True happiness… is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”

And

“My share of the work may be limited, but the fact that it is work makes it precious.”

And

“Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.”

And

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”

And

“People do not like to think. If one thinks, one must reach conclusions. Conclusions are not always pleasant.”

And

“The highest result of education is tolerance.”

And

“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.”

And

“We can do anything we want to if we stick to it long enough.”

And

“While they were saying among themselves it cannot be done, it was done.”

And

“One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.”

And

“We differ, blind and seeing, one from another, not in our senses, but in the use we make of them, in the imagination and courage with which we seek wisdom beyond the senses.”

And

“Tyranny cannot defeat the power of ideas.”

And

“Miss Sullivan touched my forehead and spelled with decided emphasis, “Think.”  In a flash I knew that the word was the name of the process that was going on in my head. This was my first conscious perception of an abstract idea.  For a long time I was still … trying to find a meaning for “love” in the light of this new idea. The sun had been under a cloud all day, and there had been brief showers; but suddenly the sun broke forth in all its southern splendour.  Again I asked my teacher, “Is this not love?”

“Love is something like the clouds that were in the sky before the sun came out,” she replied. Then in simpler words than these, which at that time I could not have understood, she explained:

“You cannot touch the clouds, you know; but you feel the rain and know how glad the flowers and the thirsty earth are to have it after a hot day. You cannot touch love either; but you feel the sweetness that it pours into everything. Without love you would not be happy or want to play.”

The beautiful truth burst upon my mind — I felt that there were invisible lines stretched between my spirit and the spirits of others.”

And

“No matter how dull, or how mean, or how wise a man is, he feels that happiness is his indisputable right.”

And

“A happy life consists not in the absence, but in the mastery of hardships.”

And

“Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”

Wikipedia:  Helen Keller

(more…)

Coaches Hot Seat

, ,

Coaches Hot Seat Quotes of the Day – Friday, March 24, 2023 – George Allen

March 24, 2023

“Each of us has been put on earth with the ability to do something well. We cheat ourselves and the world if we don’t use that ability as best we can.”

And

“Every day you waste is one you can never make up.”

And

“One of the most difficult things everyone has to learn is that for your entire life you must keep fighting and adjusting if you hope to survive. No matter who you are or what your position is you must keep fighting for whatever it is you desire to achieve.”

And

“People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don’t know when to quit. Most men succeed because they are determined to.”

And

“Winning is the science of being totally prepared.”

And

“Every time you win, you’re reborn; when you lose, you die a little.”

And

“Work hard, stay positive, and get up early. It’s the best part of the day.”

And

“The achiever is the only individual who is truly alive.”

And

“The future? This team hasn’t been to the playoffs in over two decades and you’re worried about the future? The Future is Now!”

And

“Football isn’t necessarily won by the best players. It’s won by the team with the best attitude.”

And

“Football is one-third offense, one-third defense, and one-third special teams.”

And

“If you can accept defeat and open your pay envelope without feeling guilty, you’re stealing.”

And

“Try not to do too many things at once. Know what you want, the number one thing today and tomorrow. Persevere and get it done.”

And

“Success is what you do with your ability. It’s how you use your talent.”

And

“Leisure time is that five or six hours when you sleep at night.”

And

“The street to obscurity is paved with athletes who can perform great feats before friendly crowds.”

And

“The tougher the job, the greater the reward.”

And

“Forget the past- the future will give you plenty to worry about”

And

“How badly do you want it?”

And

“Persevere and get it done.”

Wikipedia: George Allen

(more…)

Coaches Hot Seat

, ,

Coaches Hot Seat Quotes of the Day – Thursday, March 23, 2023 – Joseph Campbell

March 23, 2023

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”

And

“Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.”

And

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.”

And

“I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.”

And

“Is the system going to flatten you out and deny you your humanity, or are you going to be able to make use of the system to the attainment of human purposes?”

And

“It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.”

And

“Life is without meaning. You bring the meaning to it. The meaning of life is whatever you ascribe it to be. Being alive is the meaning.”

And

“Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging.”

And

“The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.”

And

“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.”

And

“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”

And

“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.”

And

“When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness.”

And

“When you make the sacrifice in marriage, you’re sacrificing not to each other but to unity in a relationship.”

And

“Your life is the fruit of your own doing. You have no one to blame but yourself.”

And

“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.”

And

“It’s only when a man tames his own demons that he becomes the king of himself if not of the world.”

And

“The achievement of the hero is one that he is ready for and it’s really a manifestation of his character.”

And

“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonance within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive. That’s what it’s all finally about.”

And

“One thing that comes out in myths is that at the bottom of the abyss comes the voice of salvation. The black moment is the moment when the real message of transformation is going to come. At the darkest moment comes the light.”

And

“The way to find out about your happiness is to keep your mind on those moments when you feel most happy, when you really are happy-not excited, not just thrilled, but deeply happy. This requires a little bit of self analysis. What is it that makes you happy? Stay with it, no matter what people tell you. This is what I call “following your bliss.”

And

“The happy ending of the fairy tale, the myth, and the divine comedy of the soul, is to be read, not as a contradiction, but as a transcendence of the universal tragedy of man. …Tragedy is the shattering of the forms and of our attachment to the forms… the two are the terms of a single mythological theme… the down-going and the up-coming (kathados and anodos), which together constitute the totality of the revelation that is life, and which the individual must know and love if he is to be purged (katharsis=purgatorio) of the contagion of sin (disobedience to the divine will) and death (identification with the mortal form). “All things are changing; nothing dies…”

And

“Eternity isn’t some later time. Eternity isn’t a long time. Eternity has nothing to do with time. Eternity is that dimension of here and now which thinking and time cuts out. This is it. And if you don’t get it here, you won’t get it anywhere. And the experience of eternity right here and now is the function of life. There’s a wonderful formula that the Buddhists have for the Bodhisattva, the one whose being (sattva) is illumination (bodhi), who realizes his identity with eternity and at the same time his participation in time. And the attitude is not to withdraw from the world when you realize how horrible it is, but to realize that this horror is simply the foreground of a wonder and to come back and participate in it. “All life is sorrowful” is the first Buddhist saying, and it is. It wouldn’t be life if there were not temporality involved which is sorrow. Loss, loss, loss.”

And

“Follow your bliss.”

And

“Bill Moyers: Unlike heroes such as Prometheus or Jesus, we’re not going on our journey to save the world but to save ourselves.
Joseph Campbell: But in doing that you save the world. The influence of a vital person vitalizes, there’s no doubt about it. The world without spirit is a wasteland. People have the notion of saving the world by shifting things around, changing the rules, and who’s on top, and so forth. No, no! Any world is a valid world if it’s alive. The thing to do is to bring life to it, and the only way to do that is to find in your own case where the life is and become alive yourself.”

And

“Marx teaches us to blame society for our frailties, Freud teaches us to blame our parents, and astrology teaches us to blame the universe. The only place to look for blame is within: you didn’t have the guts to bring up your full moon and live the life that was your potential.”

Wikipedia:  Joseph Campbell

(more…)

Coaches Hot Seat

, ,

Coaches Hot Seat Quotes of the Wednesday, March 22, 2023 – Jim Lovell

March 22, 2023

“Be thankful for problems. If they were less difficult, someone with less ability might have your job.”

And

“Houston, we’ve had a problem here.”

And

“The moon is essentially gray, no color. It looks like plaster of Paris, like dirty beach sand with lots of footprints in it.”

And

“There are people who make things happen, there are people who watch things happen, and there are people who wonder what happened. To be successful, you need to be a person who makes things happen.”

And

“From now on, we live in a world where man has walked on the moon. It wasn’t a miracle, we just decided to go.”

Wikipedia:  Jim Lovell

(more…)

Coaches Hot Seat

, ,