Dissecting Quotes #11

                This is the eleventh edition of the series "Dissecting Quotes", where I choose a quote and briefly describe what I think the quote means and how to apply it to our everyday lives. I hope the insight a high schooler can provide can help brighten a day or get you thinking. The quote today is an quote requested by a friend of mine, and I will try to dissect the quote best as I can.

"Be more concerned about your character than your reputation. Your

character is what you really are and your reputation is what others think you are."

-John Wooden, NCAA Coach

         Some people get all worked up on what other people think of them. I know I was really concerned about appearance and about reputation. I got better on it, but even now I still worry about what people think of me. John Wooden related this to sports by saying, "Be more concerned about your character than your reputation." This means we should worry more about who we are as a person than who others think we are. We sometimes get caught up on how we are viewed in the eyes of others, but I think we should focus more on our own problems and own self than others. This does not mean, however, it is okay to be a jerk to others because you do not care what they think of you. The second part of the quote just further explains what a character is and what the reputation is. I think we should all realize reputation isn't everything, and that in order to have a good reputation, we need to focus on our character.