Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.

John Wooden (1910–2010), the famed UCLA basketball coach, was known as much for his aphorisms and moral instruction as for his championships. This line reflects his broader teaching style: emphasizing character, effort, and response to circumstances over luck or external outcomes. Wooden frequently shared such maxims in practices, team talks, and later in interviews and books as part of his “Pyramid of Success” philosophy, which framed success as peace of mind from knowing you did your best. The quote is commonly circulated in motivational contexts tied to Wooden’s legacy, though it is often repeated without a pinpointed first utterance.

The saying argues that “best outcomes” are not merely what happens to you, but what you make of what happens. It shifts attention from fortune and uncontrollable events to agency: attitude, resilience, and constructive action after setbacks. In Wooden’s ethical framework, this is a practical form of optimism—accept reality, then respond with disciplined effort and learning. The line also implies a definition of success aligned with process rather than results: people who adapt, persist, and extract value from imperfect situations tend to fare better over time than those who wait for ideal conditions.

1) "Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out."
2) "Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out."