Football fans know Lou Holtz (1937–2026) as a legendary American college coach and broadcaster. Over a 33-season collegiate career, he earned 249 wins, not only becoming the only coach to lead six different programs to bowl games but also leading Notre Dame to the 1988 National Championship.
Coaching wisdom often applies far more broadly than just to one sport or activity, and Holtz habitually dispensed timeless wisdom that should resonate as strongly with test takers as with play makers on any field:
“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.”
“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”
“Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.”
“Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period.”
“Pressure comes when someone calls on you to perform a task for which you are unprepared.”“You were not born a winner, and you were not born a loser. You are what you make yourself be. ”
“Remember, if you have a problem, it’s your problem. Solve it.” (Particularly relevant on math sections!)
“Every day, some ordinary person does something extraordinary. Today, it’s your turn.”
Mike Bergin