“When somebody asks about the greatest players in history, I start with Bill Russell. More than the best player is the MVP, and the MVP in the history of team sports is Bill Russell.”

“The will to succeed is important, but what's more important is the will to prepare.”

“My dad was a very quiet person, and unbelievably tough. But my grandmother gave me my first look at negative thinking to bring about positive results. When I was just a little guy, anytime I came to my grandmother and said I wish for this or that, Grandma would say, 'If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.'”

“Why talk now when so many things have been said without ever giving me a chance to talk?”

“People change over the years, and that changes situations for good and for bad.”

“I don't have to wait until the next morning to regret something I did that was kinda dumb.”

“I'm an unemployed teacher right now and I'm looking for a place to teach.”

“I'm a teacher. My mother was a teacher. I spent 40 years as a teacher.”

“When somebody asks about the greatest players in history, I start with Bill Russell. More than the best player is the MVP, and the MVP in the history of team sports is Bill Russell.”

“You don't play against opponents, you play against the game of basketball.”

“When I first started coaching, one of the worst things that I think I heard was 'It will be O.K.' I would wonder, 'How the hell is it going to be O.K.?' The worst word in the English language is 'hope.'”