Wooden’s Introduction begins with biographical details about his life and his early coaching and teaching career at Dayton High School in Kentucky when he was 21 years old. It was at Dayton High School in 1934 that Wooden first laid out his definition of success: “Success is the peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable” (8). Alluding to the famous words of 16th-century Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes, who said that “the journey is better than the inn,” Wooden believes that “the joy is in the journey of pushing yourself to the outward limits of your ability and teaching your organization to do the same” (8).

Wooden provides an anecdote showing that true success should be recognized only by individual players and teams. He refers to his 1959-1960 UCLA squad, which struggled to post a 14-12 overall record. While many fans considered it a poor season, Wooden saw it as a successful one because his players “came as close to reaching 100 percent of their potential as some of the later UCLA teams with perfect 30-0 seasons” (12).