On our last road trip, I took the opportunity to re-read one of my favorite books, "The Junction Boys" by Jim Dent. It's a very well-written account of how Coach Bear Bryant took over a struggling Texas A&M football program and transformed them into champions.
Here are a few of my favorite Bear Bryant quotes from the book:
"If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride -- and never quit -- you'll be a winner. The price of victory is high, but so are the rewards."
"In a crisis, don't hide behind anything or anybody. They're going to find you anyway."
"In life, you'll have your back up against the wall many times. You might as well get used to it."
"You never know how a horse will pull until you hook him to a heavy load."
"Sacrifice. Work. Self-discipline. I teach these things and my boys don't forget them when they leave."
"I can reach a kid who doesn't have any ability as long as he doesn't know it."
"I don't care how much talent a team has -- if the boys don't think tough, practice tough, and live tough, how they play tough on Saturday."
"The first time you quit, it's hard. The second time, it gets easier. The third time, you don't even have to think about it."
"When you win, there's glory enough for everybody. When you lose, there's glory for none."
"Winning isn't imperative, but getting tougher in the fourth quarter is."
"You have to be willing to outcondition your opponents."
"Football changes and so do people."
"When you make a mistake, admit it; learn from it and don't repeat it."
"When we have a good team, I know it's because we have boys that come from good mamas and papas."
"One man doesn't make a team. It takes eleven."
"If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semigood, we did it. If anything goes real good, you did it. That's all it takes to get people to win football games."
"No coach has ever won a game by what he knows; it's what his players know that counts."