Explore Quotes by Tom Landry

I try to block out everything that distracts me. Even a big play, I blank it out.

Every coach has his own style of play, but when you spend your whole life as a Cowboy, you have to be influenced by what we did.

I probably should have gotten out, but I really enjoyed the challenge of bringing a team to that game. In fact, I probably enjoy the challenge of it more than the actual game.

If I had to pick my greatest strength as a football coach, I say it would be innovation.

When a big play occurs for our team, I'm concentrating on how the defense is reacting to it. Most of the time, I don't see the great catch or the long run. What I'm looking at is how the other team defended it.

People say you have to know when to retire, which is a dumb thing to say. If you want to go out on top, yeah, it becomes important when you quit. But I wasn't afraid of that. And I wasn't worried about getting fired. I knew the risk. To me, it's not an ego thing. I enjoy coaching. I enjoy helping people achieve something.

There are coaches to whom winning or losing means something close to life or death. If they lose, then their life has somehow been diminished. I'm not that way, and it keeps me steady.

I learned early in sports that to be effective - for a player to play the best he can play - is a matter of concentration and being unaware of distractions, positive or negative.

As a Christian, I know my life is in God's hands. He has a plan for me. Therefore, I never worry about tomorrow or never worry about winning or losing football games. That knowledge gives me a lot of composure in tough situations.

Being the best at whatever talent you have, that's what stimulates life.

Really, coaching is simplicity. It's getting players to play better than they think that they can.

Achievement builds character.

You don't have to drink or swear or hit people in the face when they're not looking, but you do have to be tough to win.

If you eliminate our way of life, the American way of life, what is the effect... what are the alternatives?

My hats did give me an identity. In fact, if I had a dollar for every time someone has seen me bareheaded and said, 'I almost didn't recognize you without a hat on', I could have bought the Cowboys myself.

Take away winning, and you take away everything that is strong about America.

If you show emotion in competition, temporarily, you'll be ineffective. If you're disciplined enough, you don't get down when you're behind, and you have a chance to create something positive.

If you don't win a Super Bowl, you're not considered successful in the National Football League. I can remember, when we finally won that first one, feeling so good for the players and fans.

People striving, being knocked down and coming back... this is what builds character in a man.

I know that life is really finding the right relationship between yourself and God.

Generally, achieving goals... which in many cases means winning... is really the ultimate in this life we live in.