Explore Quotes by Phil Jackson

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

The road to freedom is a beautiful system

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.

What moves me is watching young men bond together and tap into the magic that arises when they focus with their whole heart and soul on something greater than themselves. Once you've experienced that, it's something you never forget.

I don't believe in curfews, because you can't treat men like they were boys without forfeiting a certain level of trust.

If you have a clear mind . . . you won't have to search for direction. Direction will come to you.

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

If we can accept whatever hand we've been dealt - no matter how unwelcome - the way to proceed eventually becomes clear.

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.

The greatness of Michael Jordan is his competitive drive. The weakness of Michael Jordan is his competitive drive

You can't force your will on people. If you want them to act differently, you need to inspire them to change themselves

Despite their tremendous talent, (NBA players) are still, by and large, young adults, seeking validation from an authority figure, and there is no greater authority figure on a team than the coach. Needless to say, in today's warped, self-indulgent climate, too many players couldn't care less about appeasing the coach.

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

Basketball, unlike football with its prescribed routes, is an improvisational game, similar to jazz. If someone drops a note, someone else must step into the vacuum and drive the beat that sustains the team.

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

I thrive on challenges, and there is no more imposing challenge for someone in my profession than winning an NBA title.

When the mind is allowed to relax, inspiration often follows.

Basketball is a great mystery. You can do everything right. You can have the perfect mix of talent and the best system of offense in the game. You can devise a foolproof defensive strategy and prepare your players for every possible eventuality. But if the players don’t have a sense of oneness as a group, your efforts won’t pay off. And the bond that unites a team can be so fragile, so elusive.

The best part of basketball, for those people on the inside, is the bus going to the airport after you've won a game on an opponent's floor. It's been a very tough battle. And preferably, in the playoffs. And that feeling that you have, together as a group, having gone to an opponent's floor and won a very good victory, is as about as high as you can get.

I probably would have no capability of absorbing a 60-defeat season as a coach. It would be a foreign experience. My whole career, even as a player, has been on winning basketball clubs and it just seems to have been a part of the make-up of what’s been given me. That’s what I’ve been given and that’s what I’ve had to deal with. Some people can make fun of it or some people can have a good time with it, or some people can resent it. It’s just what it is.

And yet as a coach, I know that being fixated on winning (or more likely, not losing) is counterproductive, especially when it causes you to lose control of your emotions. What’s more, obsessing about winning is a loser’s game: 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.