I could have skated by as an athlete, but the world is so much bigger and more interesting than any one thing. I didn't want to be pigeonholed as just a jock. I'm also an author, a student of history, and I collect memorabilia from the Wild West. I'm also a son, a father, and a friend.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

basketball teamwork sports

You can't win unless you learn how to lose.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

basketball winning sports

I think that the good and the great are only separated by the willingness to sacrifice.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

sacrifice basketball motivational

What we need are positive, realistic goals and the willingness to work. Hard work and practical goals.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

hard-work success sports

Five guys on the court working together can achieve more than five talented individuals who come and go as individuals.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

guy basketball motivational

Fundamental preparation is always effective. Work on those parts of your game that are fundamentally weak.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

basketball games motivational

If ISIS represents Islam, then the KKK represents Christianity

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

kkk isis islam

Each story, novel, poem and play presents a vision of the world that illuminates the dark cave of life we stumble through. We can see better where we're going, what sudden drop to avoid, where the cool water is running.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

dark play running

Great players are willing to give up their own personal achievement for the achievement of the group. It enhances everybody.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

giving-up basketball motivational

I try to do the right thing at the right time. They may just be little things, but usually they make the difference between winning and losing.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

success motivational life

I don't get a big charge out of being the leading scorer. The object of competing is winning. I just try to do what has to be done for us to win. That might be anything at the time - defense, rebounding, passing. I get great satisfaction out of being a team player.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

team player winning

The saying, "Those that don't learn from history are condemned to repeat it" doesn't just apply to politicians and world leaders, it applies to all of us on a daily basis.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

politician leader world

I can do something else besides stuff a ball through a hoop. My biggest resource is my mind.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

basketball mind sports

I think race has been a burden for black Americans. Being Muslim has also been a challenge because so many people do not understand Islam.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

basketball race thinking

I tell kids to pursue their basketball dreams, but I tell them to not let that be their only dream.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

basketball dream motivational

A lot of players think the game is all about individual performances when it's really all about a team game.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

team player thinking

[Albert] Hoxie, my Western Civilization professor. I had him in my freshman year and he opened up an extraordinary world to me that I've never forgotten. He used his extensive knowledge of art history to illustrate the development of Western culture and politics.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

civilization years art

If they took the idea that they could escape poverty through education, I think it would make a more basic and long-lasting change in the way things happen. What we need are positive, realistic goals and the willingness to work. Hard work and practical goals.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

hard-work basketball education

Islam is about finding your own space.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

findings islam space

My English teacher, Dr. John Lindstrom, taught me an appreciation for the written word. Until his class, I'd dabbled in journalism and essay writing. But when he selected one of my essays as the best in the class, it gave me the confidence to see myself as a writer.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

writing appreciation teacher