Quotable General (Potent Quotables) [Hardcover]

Monte Carpenter (Author)

Book Description

Series: Potent Quotables | Publication Date: February 6, 2001

Bobby Knight spent nearly 30 years as the controversial yet incredibly successful head basketball coach at Indiana University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing; illustrated edition edition (February 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931249024
• ISBN-13: 978-1931249027
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #374,512 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Basketball > College & University
  • #58 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Sports
  • #62 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Basketball > Coaching

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fortunately, No (Bleeping) Profanity, April 22, 2002

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Quotable General (Potent Quotables) (Hardcover)

Those who have read John Feinstein's A Season on the Brink and/or Knight's recently published memoir (Knight: My Story) will probably enjoy reading this book as much as I did. Long ago, I concluded that most human wounds are self-inflicted. That has certainly been true of me and I think it is also true of Knight. He offers a highly visible example of someone who is "his own worst enemy." Ironically, Knight has much of value to share but, for whatever reasons, he alienates those who would otherwise respect, perhaps even admire his ideas such as limiting Division One universities to only one scholarship in each major sport (e.g. football and basketball) for every "scholar/athlete" who earns a degree. For example, the number of scholarships Knight could award for the 2002-2003 basketball season would be determined by the number of Texas Tech basketball players who earned a degree during the 12 months prior to that season. (I really like that idea.) Knight has so much as said that Feinstein was a bleeping "traitor" because he quotes Knight constantly using profanity. There is none in this book. Rather, through 250-300 quotations, Carpenter and Towle trace Knight's career (and the evolution of his thinking) back to when he first became a head coach at the United States Military Academy. Those who are Knight advocates will find an abundance of material to support their high opinion of him. Those who view him with contempt must seek elsewhere for additional "evidence" of his misbehavior.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome stuff!, January 31, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Quotable General (Potent Quotables) (Hardcover)

Most people think of Knight as this profane hothead with little good to say about anything. This book shows sides of Knight not often seen, starting with a great sense of humor and an ability to explain basketball's nuances in easy to understand language. And there's no profanity in the book, I'm glad to say. There's something like 250 quotes in this book going back to his days at West Point, including some quotes from well-known people talking about Knight. Even if you hate Knight, you will get a kick out of this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brief compilation of Bobby Knight's Quotes, January 11, 2006

By 

T. Sparfeld (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Quotable General (Potent Quotables) (Hardcover)

I've always been fascinated by Bobby Knight. I always figured that anybody who could lose his temper so violently, make outlandish statements, become involved in numerous controversies, and yet still coach college basketball must have some inspiring things to say.

And I was right. Carpenter's book is a short collection of Knight's great quotes on various subjects such as leadership, success, basketball, himself, and his times at Indiana and Army. The Appendix contains his statement regarding the 1979 "Puerto Rico Incident," which I found to be superfluous.

Some reviewers seem surprised that the book is free from profanity and contains a very positive message. This quote is well known, but I still like it: "The will to prepare to win is more important than the will to win."

Not all of the messages are as inspiring, of course. Some quotes are purely included for humor, while others simply provide the reader with insight into Knight's character. Many quotes are not even from Knight himself, but from others in reference to him.

This book is a very fast read -- athletes and other readers may find it especially interesting.
One thing fans will notice is the book is somewhat out of date --there is no mention of Knight's Texas Tech years.

Knight's fans and supporters will like this book, and it would make a great small gift/stocking stuffer for that purpose.