You never make any of the shots you never take. 87% of the ones you do take, you'll miss too. I make 110% of my shots.
Larry BirdRead
Practice habits were crucial to my development in basketball. I didn't play against the toughest competition in high school, but one reason I was able to do well in college was that I mastered the fundamentals. You've got to have them down before you can even think about playing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Mastering the basics is essential for achieving success in any field.
Larry Bird emphasizes that developing strong habits and mastering the fundamentals are vital components in achieving success, particularly in basketball. He acknowledges that while he may not have faced the toughest competition in high school, it was his dedication to practicing core skills that allowed him to excel in college basketball and beyond. This quote suggests that foundational elements are important before tackling more complex challenges.
Themes
PracticeHabitsFundamentalsBasketballSuccessDevelopment
In practice
Example use cases
In a sports coaching seminar to highlight the importance of practice.
More from Larry Bird
All quotes →When I was young, I never wanted to leave the court until I got things exactly correct. My dream was to become a pro.
Larry BirdRead
You can make all the excuses you want, but if you're not mentally tough and you're not prepared to play every night, you're not going to win.
Larry BirdRead
It's been a journey, the NBA. It's taken me a lot farther than I ever expected.
Larry BirdRead
Leadership is diving for a loose ball, getting the crowd involved, getting other players involved. It's being able to take it as well as dish it out. That's the only way you're going to get respect from the players.
Larry BirdRead
I learned what my weaknesses were and I went out the next day to turn those weaknesses intro strengths.
Larry BirdRead
Similar quotes
Even at the height of my fame, 50 per cent of the people who saw me wanted a fight; it’s the downside of being a star player.
George BestRead
Everything excellent is as difficult as it is rare.
Baruch SpinozaRead
Be happy when you reach the top: cry, clap your hands, shout to the four winds that you did it, let the wind - the wind is always blowing up there - purify your mind, refresh your tired and sweaty feet, open your eyes, clean the dust from your heart. It feels so good, what was just a dream before, a distant vision, is now part of your life, you did it!
Paulo CoelhoRead
It's very easy to confuse confident motion with being productive - and they're not the same thing. Productive to me means measurable outcomes that apply to my most important to-dos that positively affect my life. That's it.
Tim FerrissRead
Naturally it is nice to be widely known for worthwhile achievements, but it forces you to do many things which you don't like to do and these things take up time you want for other things.
Jack NicklausRead
Ex-D-boy, used to park my Beamer _x000D_ _x000D_ Now look at me, I can park in my own arena
Jay-ZRead