Rick Pitino Quotes

“Humility is the true key to success. Successful people lose their way at times. They often embrace and overindulge from the fruits of success. Humility halts this arrogance and self-indulging trap. Humble people share the credit and wealth, remaining focused and hungry to continue the journey of success.”

— Rick Pitino

It could happen to anyone when you get hired by a different president. There's a difference in philosophies. It happens. It's a change in CEOs. They have their own people, their own philosophies, and it's different than what Bob stands for.

— Rick Pitino

“Tackle the difficult things first in the morning; make changes in the way you network. Treat everyone with respect and dignity. This stops you from cynicism and negativity. End your day with that same attitude you started. Renew your contract with a day well completed.”

— Rick Pitino

“The one thing I've always said: Let your family and close friends be the judge of who you are as a person. Don't worry about being judged by others who don't know you, because your family and close friends know what you're all about, good and bad.”

— Rick Pitino

“Avoid cynical and negative people like the plague. They are killers of potential.”

— Rick Pitino

“The term 'overachiever' sort of makes it look like the person has mediocre talent and he just works so hard that he achieves beyond what you would think. 'Overachiever' is sort of a - it's sort of an incorrect term. An overachiever is someone that's just willing to pay the price to get so much more out of his performance.”

— Rick Pitino

“Technology is a compulsive and addictive way to live. Verbal communication cannot be lost because of a lack of skill. The ability to listen and learn is key to mastering the art of communication. If you don't use your verbal skills and networking, it will disappear rapidly. Use technology wisely.”

— Rick Pitino

“I ignore the jealous, I ignore the malicious, I ignore the ignorant, and I ignore the paranoid. If the shoe fits anyone, wear it.”

— Rick Pitino

“If I had one regret in life ... it's that I was not more humble at an earlier age.”

— Rick Pitino

“If I didn't have a recruiting engagement, I was going to be here. I did everything possible to change the recruiting thing. I'm a very small part of this night, but I did want to be a part of it.”

— Rick Pitino

“Basketball has consumed me since the age of 7 or 8. I don't know what I would do without it.”

— Rick Pitino

“Basketball is my passion, and I love it, and I love to see my players succeed. I'm here for them and my children. That's my passion.”

— Rick Pitino

“I'm at the stage of my career when it's not only about winning and developing players, it's about having fun. That's a void in your life right now, but it's something you're going to have here.”

— Rick Pitino

“This is not the beginning of American civilization where we need guns because it's the Wild, Wild West ... There should not be guns in our society, and we all know that; politicians know that.”

— Rick Pitino

“I care what people think, but it doesn't change my opinion of how to do things.”

— Rick Pitino

“I give myself 24 hours after a loss. After that, I'm totally on to the next game. But for 24 hours, I'm not a happy man.”

— Rick Pitino

“I don't get into these petty things, Kentucky-Louisville. To me, it's nonsense ... There will be people at Kentucky that will have a nervous breakdown if they lose to us ... They've got to put the fences up on bridges. There will be people consumed by Louisville.”

— Rick Pitino

“I never thought that shoes would be the reason that you recruit players, but it's a factor. I think we need to get the shoe companies out of the lives of the athletes. I think we need to get it back to where parents and coaches have more of a say than peripheral people, but that's easier said than done.”

— Rick Pitino

“The other guys just caught lightning in a bottle with a great game.”

— Rick Pitino

“He knew I enjoyed the relationships of college basketball. All along, he was the wise one.”

— Rick Pitino

“I'd tell any coach not to move for money ... Stay at your job if you're really happy.”

— Rick Pitino

“Francisco Garcia could have been a high draft choice last year, probably in the 20s. He's the best wing player I've ever coached. But he's done it the right way. He knew he had to work on his body to become a good pro. When he goes into the pros, he'll be physically ready.”

— Rick Pitino

“I can say that hands down from being in this business 32 years; we're going to be much better than we were last year just because there's eight new players that now have experience and Palacios will be healthy.”

— Rick Pitino

“True motivation is not getting people to play to their potential. It's getting people to play beyond their potential”

— Rick Pitino

“Set higher standards for your own performance than anyone else around you, and your only competition will be with yourself”

— Rick Pitino

Lying makes a problem part of the future; truth makes a problem part of the past.

— Rick Pitino

“Set higher standards for you own performance than anyone around you, and it won't matter whether you have a tough boss or an easy one. It won't matter whether the competition is pushing you hard, because you'll be competing with yourself.”

— Rick Pitino

“It's better to have a good player with the basketball in late game situations than to have plays.”

— Rick Pitino

“Inferior guards play on the sidelines and great guards play in the middle. Isiah, Magic, Chris Paul, all get to the middle”

— Rick Pitino

“If you are not willing to work hard and establish discipline in your life, then all your dreams are merely pipe dreams.”

— Rick Pitino

“Nothing meaningful or lasting comes without working hard at it.”

— Rick Pitino

“Success is determined by your daily choices and habits”

— Rick Pitino

“The bone's 6 inches out of his leg and all he's yelling is, 'Win the game, win the game.' I've not seen that in my life. Pretty special young man. I don't think we could have gathered ourselves - I know I couldn't have - if Kevin didn't say over and over again, 'Just go win the game,' I don't think we could have gone in the locker room with a loss after seeing that. We had to gather ourselves. We couldn't lose this game for him. We just couldn't.”

— Rick Pitino

“A lot of people always use the term, 'I'm so blessed.' Most of it they believe is true.”

— Rick Pitino

I actually think if you have a strong junior class, that's the best possible scenario. In their senior year, guys who are on the threshold of making it to the NBA start getting preoccupied in their thoughts elsewhere more than concerning themselves with the present. The junior class is the perfect age.

— Rick Pitino

“Ego is the greatest killer of one's potential”

— Rick Pitino

Make incremental progress, change comes not by the yard, but by the inch.

— Rick Pitino

When it comes to team dynamics - on a basketball court or in a corporate setting - maintaining a positive atmosphere is crucial.

— Rick Pitino

“Doubt is one of the main paths on the highway to failure.”

— Rick Pitino

“Self-esteem is directly linked to deserving success. You must deserve victory to feel good about yourself.”

— Rick Pitino

“The key to coaching is not what you do, but the way you do it. The intangibles, the motivational parts of the game are the most important facets of it.”

— Rick Pitino

“Postponing action is only postponing achievement.”

— Rick Pitino

People with high self esteem are risk takers, but more importantly, they are achievers.

— Rick Pitino

Learning to live in the present tense-one that's free from the failures of the past and the anxieties of the future-is a wonderful gift, and one you always should be striving for.

— Rick Pitino

Live in the precious present.

— Rick Pitino

“Working hard is not always fun - that's why it is called work.”

— Rick Pitino

“When you have a problem, if you tell the truth, the problem becomes part of your past. If you lie, it becomes part of your future.”

— Rick Pitino

Dreamers are not content with being mediocre.

— Rick Pitino

When love and discipline come together you have great chemistry.

— Rick Pitino

When you describe passion at any age, passion is derived from everything, from the people you work with to enjoying the last years.

— Rick Pitino