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.
Phil JacksonRead
My father was a man who didn't consider himself learned. He was a man who liked to be a farmer. He enjoyed his dairy farm and felt the calling. So there was a dedication. I was dedicated as a child to the service of God, and so there was this continual centering of a greater purpose than your own.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of dedication and finding a greater purpose in life beyond oneself.
Phil Jackson reflects on his father's humble nature and dedication to farming, suggesting that a meaningful life is tied to a commitment to serve a greater purpose. He draws a parallel to his own dedication to God, highlighting the value of selflessness and being centered on something larger than personal ambition.
Themes
DedicationPurposeServiceHumilityFarming
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about community service, one could say, 'Like Phil Jackson's father, we find true purpose in dedicating ourselves to something greater than our own ambitions.'
More from Phil Jackson
All quotes →Wisdom is always an overmatch for strength.
Phil JacksonRead
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.
Phil JacksonRead
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.
Phil JacksonRead
My father was the superintendent of the churches in the state of Montana. He was content in his beliefs. He befit the term 'true Christian.' He would turn the other cheek. He was truly a man of peace.
Phil JacksonRead
If you give the future all your attention, the present will pass you by.
Phil JacksonRead
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