Inspiring Leadership: A Collection of Great Leader Quotes

"Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future."

- Deepak Chopra

"The true mark of a leader is the willingness to stick with a bold course of action — an unconventional business strategy, a unique product-development roadmap, a controversial marketing campaign — even as the rest of the world wonders why you're not marching in step with the status quo. In other words, real leaders are happy to zig while others zag. They understand that in an era of hyper-competition and non-stop disruption, the only way to stand out from the crowd is to stand for something special."

- Bill Taylor

"The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet."

- Theodore M. Hesburgh

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock."

- Thomas Jefferson

"Leaders grasp nettles."

- David Ogilvy

"I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers."

- Ralph Nader

"The single biggest way to impact an organization is to focus on leadership development. There is almost no limit to the potential of an organization that recruits good people, raises them up as leaders and continually develops them."

- John Maxwell

"A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better."

- Jim Rohn

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."

- President John Quincy Adams

"A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together."

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"Leadership is the art of giving people a platform for spreading ideas that work."

- Seth Godin

"A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves."

- Lao Tzu

"A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be."

- Rosalynn Carter

"Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others."

- Jack Welch

"The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails."

- John Maxwell

"Wise leaders generally have wise counselors because it takes a wise person themselves to distinguish them."

- Diogenes of Sinope

"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."

- William A. Ward

"Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm."

- Publilius Syrus

"The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born—that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. That’s nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born."

- Warren Bennis

"Mastery is great, but even that is not enough. You have to be able to change course without a bead of sweat, or remorse."

- Tom Peters

"Good leaders build products. Great leaders build cultures. Good leaders deliver results. Great leaders develop people. Good leaders have vision. Great leaders have values. Good leaders are role models at work. Great leaders are role models in life."

- Adam Grant

"Champions keep playing until they get it right."

- Billie Jean King

"You don’t get any medal for trying something, you get medals for results."

- Bill Parcells

"He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious."

- Sun Tzu

"He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly."

- James Allen

"If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done."

- Bruce Lee

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."

- Helen Keller

"Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes."

- Peter Drucker

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that count."

- Winston Churchill

"Victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan."

- John F. Kennedy

"Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility."

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"The greatest leaders mobilize others by coalescing people around a shared vision."

- Ken Blanchard

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea."

- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Don't tell people how to do things; tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results."

- George S. Patton

"Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing."

- Albert Schweitzer

"A leader ... is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind."

- Nelson Mandela

"The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others."

- Robert Louis Stevenson

"Be the leader you wish you had."

- Simon Sinek

"One of the keys to good leadership is good followership."

- James Cameron

"Instruction does much, but encouragement, everything."

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"Innovation does not entail having new ideas, but rather getting rid of old beliefs."

- Bertrand Piccard

"The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion."

- Paulo Coelho

"Safe is the new risky."

- Kathy Klotz

"Only if we understand will we care. Only if we care will we help. Only if we help will we all be saved."

- Jane Goodall

"Power can be taken, but not given. The process of the taking is empowerment in itself."

- Gloria Steinem

"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it."

- Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful."

- Malala Yousafzai

"The main thing about being ‘heroic’ is helping others."

- Sarinya Srisakul

"You must figure out your own destination and the best route to get there because no one else knows the way."

- Nadia Comaneci

"If it’s a good idea, go ahead and do it."

- Grace Hopper

"If you have to choose between an easy thing and a hard thing, the hard one’s usually a lot more fun."

- Samantha Cristoforetti

"If you’re lucky enough to be different, don’t ever change."

- Khoudia Diop

"Never be afraid to be a poppy in a field of daffodils."

- Michaela Deprince

"I think one of the keys to leadership is recognizing that everybody has gifts and talents. A good leader will learn how to harness those gifts toward the same goal."

- Ben Carson

"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality."

- Warren Bennis

"The art of communication is the language of leadership."

- James Humes

"Leadership is the ability to guide others without force into a direction or decision that leaves them still feeling empowered and accomplished."

- Lisa Cash Hanson

"A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way."

- John C. Maxwell

"The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly."

- Jim Rohn

"Leadership is not a position or a title, it is action and example."

- Cory Booker

"The speed of the boss is the speed of the team."

- Lee Iacocca

"The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes."

- Tony Blair

"Leadership is the capacity to see a problem before it becomes an emergency."

- Arnold H. Glasow

"Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better."

- Bill Bradley

"You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too."

- Sam Rayburn

"Great leaders don’t set out to be a leader, they set out to make a difference. It’s never about the role, it’s always about the goal."

- Lisa Haisha

"The hard part of running a business is that there are a hundred things that you could be doing, and only five of those actually matter, and only one of them matters more than all of the rest of them combined. So figuring out there is a critical path thing to focus on and ignoring everything else is really important."

- Sam Altwoman

"As a leader, it is imperative that you demonstrate a clear direction and driving force. It’s not just about the destination, but also the enthusiasm and commitment you bring to the journey. Your passion will inspire others to follow you."

- John C. Maxwell

"True leaders take initiative, roll up their sleeves, and get things done. They lead by example and inspire others through their actions, not just their words."

- Donald H. McGannon

"The key to successful leadership is influence, not authority."

- Ken Blanchard

"Leaders aren’t born, they are made."

- Vince Lombardi

"When in management positions, one must learn to shift their focus from individual heroics to empowering others to achieve greatness. True leaders recognize their team’s potential and provide the support and guidance needed to unlock it."

- Ronald Reagan

"Leadership isn’t always about sunny paths. Great leaders are those who willingly face difficult situations with honesty and transparency. As such, they create a safe space for open communication and navigate rough waters with the team."

- John C. Maxwell

"Humility is a hallmark of great leaders. They are open to feedback, acknowledge mistakes, and learn from them. This fosters trust and allows the team to learn and grow together."

- John C. Maxwell

"Leadership is driven by a deeper purpose, not just titles or positions. Great leaders are passionate about making a positive impact and find leadership as a means to achieve that goal."

- Lisa Haisha

"Great leaders go beyond short-term results and build a foundation for shared success. They invest in developing people, cultivate a positive culture, and lead by example in all aspects of their lives."

- Adam Grant

"Jobs’ quote encourages leaders to set high standards and lead by example. It acknowledges that excellence may not be comfortable for everyone, yet it’s necessary for growth and achieving great things."

- Steve Jobs

"Effective leadership does not rely solely on being liked. Great leaders may sometimes make tough decisions that aren’t universally popular; however, these choices are driven by what’s best for the team and the cause."

- John C. Maxwell

"Self-belief is a core quality for those aspiring to take on management roles. Leading others starts with leading yourself and having unwavering confidence in your vision and abilities."

- Deion Sanders

"Open communication and accessibility are essential in a professional setting. Leaders who build up a safe space for honest dialogue and actively engage with their team’s challenges demonstrate trust and care – which is crucial to both their long-term success and that of the team."

- Colin Powell

"Weak leaders pose a detrimental impact on employee retention and morale. It goes beyond mere dissatisfaction with the company itself, pointing to the manager’s behavior and leadership style as the driving force behind departures."

- Marcus Buckingham

"Toxic workplace environments created by bad managers can dismantle even the most talented and dedicated teams, pushing valuable employees to seek better opportunities elsewhere."

- John C. Maxwell

"This quote, while not explicitly about leadership, carries valuable implications for leaders. It warns against complacency and inaction in the face of wrongdoing. In a leadership context, King’s words could be interpreted as a call to speak up against unethical practices/ poor treatment of team members, even if it means challenging the status quo or going against the majority."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Real leadership is being the person others will gladly and confidently follow."

- John C. Maxwell

"When you become a leader, success is all about growing others."

- Jack Welch

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts."

- Winston Churchill

"Trust is the essence of Leadership."

- Colin Powell

"True leaders understand that leadership is not about them but about those they serve."

- Simon Sinek

"I never dreamed about success. I worked for it."

- Estée Lauder

"Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position."

- Brian Tracy

"Communication is the real work of leadership."

- Nitin Nohria

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."

- Winston Churchill

"A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position."

- John C. Maxwell

"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things."

- Peter Drucker

"Without trust we don’t truly collaborate; we merely coordinate or, at best, cooperate. It is trust that transforms a group of people into a team."

- Stephen Covey

"The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers."

- Ralph Nader

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"Don’t be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

- Steve Jobs

"The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things."

- President Ronald Reagan

"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."

- John F. Kennedy

"Without accountability, there is no trust, and without trust, there is no leadership."

- Dave Ramsey

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear."

- Mark Twain

"Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another."

- John C. Maxwell

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."

- Nelson Mandela

"It’s possible to transcend anything that doesn’t kill you."

- David Goggins

"It is the nature of man to rise to greatness if greatness is expected of him."

- John Steinbeck

"When you’re at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"Accountability breeds response-ability."

- Stephen Covey

"There are three essentials to leadership: humility, clarity, and courage."

- Chan Master Fuchan Yuan

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

- Margaret Mead

"Leadership is the power of one harnessing the power of many."

- John C. Maxwell

"The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team."

- Phil Jackson

"Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much."

- Helen Keller

"Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work."

- Vince Lombardi

"To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often."

- Winston Churchill

"Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion."

- Jack Welch

"A true leader is one who can stand alone if necessary – owing to their self-belief and conviction in their vision, even when faced with opposition. Additionally, they demonstrate the bravery to do what’s right, even if it’s unpopular and is likely to involve risks/ trigger potential criticism. On the other hand, they are also willing to listen to the needs of others empathically and take diverse perspectives into account."

- Douglas MacArthur

"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."

- Paulo Coelho

"Character is the most important quality of leadership, influencing the hearts and lives of others."

- John C. Maxwell

"The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks."

- Mark Zuckerberg

"A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be."

- Rosalynn Carter

"What you do has far greater impact than what you say."

- Stephen Covey

"Goals on the road to achievement cannot be achieved without discipline and consistency."

- Denzel Washington

"To lead people, walk beside them."

- Lao Tzu

"I do the very best I know how – the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end."

- Abraham Lincoln

"Empathy is a choice. It’s a vulnerable choice because in order to connect with you, I have to connect with something in myself that knows that feeling."

- Brené Brown

"Empathy is being concerned about the human being, not just their output."

- Simon Sinek

"A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves."

- Lao Tzu

"The best leaders are those most interested in surrounding themselves with assistants and associates smarter than they are."

- John C. Maxwell

"The leader is one who, out of the clutter, brings simplicity… out of discord, harmony… and out of difficulty, opportunity."

- Albert Einstein

"Example is leadership."

- Albert Schweitzer

"Great leaders are willing to be vulnerable and transparent."

- Liz Wiseman

"Leaders aren’t born they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that’s the price we’ll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal."

- Vince Lombardi

"An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching."

- Mahatma Gandhi

"Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge."

- Simon Sinek

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."

- Winston Churchill

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader."

- John Quincy Adams

"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."

- Steve Jobs

"When the trust account is high, communication is easy, instant, and effective."

- Stephen Covey

"Great leaders communicate and great communicators lead."

- Simon Sinek

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."

- Margaret Mead

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."

- Charles Darwin

"Leadership is a combination of strategy and character. If you must be without one, be without the strategy."

- U.S. Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf

"The ability to learn is the most important quality a leader can have."

- Sheryl Sandberg

"You must underwrite the honest mistakes of your subordinates if you wish to develop their initiative and experience."

- Gen. Bruce Clarke

"no path and leave a trail."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Management is about arranging and telling. Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing."

- Tom Peters

"My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to take these great people we have and to push them and make them even better."

- Steve Jobs

"Leadership is a series of behaviors rather than a role for heroes."

- Margaret Wheatley

"You have to look at leadership through the eyes of the followers and you have to live the message. What I have learned is that people become motivated when you guide them to the source of their own power and when you make heroes out of employees who personify what you want to see in the organization."

- Anita Roddick

"Character is the foundation stone upon which one must build to win respect. Just as no worthy building can be erected on a weak foundation, so no lasting reputation worthy of respect can be built on a weak character."

- R.C. Samsel

"Never has man reached his destination by persistence in deviation from the straight path."

- Mahatma Gandhi

"A leader is a dealer in hope."

- Napoleon Bonaparte

"If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters."

- Colin Powell

"The leader leads, and the boss drives."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"A leader is someone who demonstrates what’s possible."

- Mark Yarnell

"We are the change that we seek."

- Barack Obama

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse."

- Florence Nightingale

"He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader."

- Aristotle

"Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less."

- C. S. Lewis

"Authentic leaders do not lead for the sake of validation. They are validated by the impact of their contribution."

- Gift Gugu Mona

"People would rather follow a leader that is real than one that is always right."

- Craig Groeschel

"Compassion is what makes us human, keeps us on track, and brings us back together when we’ve lost our way."

- Nate Regier

"Leadership grows like tall trees. It needs both toughness and flexibility – toughness for accountability – flexibility to adapt to changes with a compassionate & caring heart for self and others."

- Amit Ray

"No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it."

- Andrew Carnegie

"A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit."

- Arnold Glasow

"Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what."

- Harper Lee

"A good leader leads the people from above them. A great leader leads the people from within them."

- M.D. Arnold

"Real leadership is about transforming limitations into possibilities."

- Robin Sharma

"Some people don’t like change, but you need to embrace change if the alternative is a disaster."

- Elon Musk

"Lessons in leadership: Own your mistakes, celebrate your successes, and know your strengths."

- Kristen Hadeed

"Listening (the first competence of leadership) is not a skill, it is a discipline. All you have to do is keep your mouth shut."

- Peter Drucker

"Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it."

- Dwight D. Eisenhower

"To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"To help others develop, start with yourself."

- Marshall Goldsmith

"Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers."

- Harry S. Truman

"Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results."

- George S. Patton

"Any person capable of angering you becomes your master."

- Epictetus

"Whatever is begun in anger, ends in shame."

- Benjamin Franklin

"Ideas excite me, empathy grounds and centers me."

- Satya Nadella

"Contrary to popular opinion, leadership is not a reserved position for a particular group of people who were elected or appointed, ordained or enthroned. Leadership is self-made, self-retained, self-inculcated and then exposed through a faithful, sincere and exemplary life."

- Israelmore Ayivor

"If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito."

- Dalai Lama

"Leaders think and talk about the solutions. Followers think and talk about the problems."

- Brian Tracy

"Great leaders are willing to sacrifice their own personal interests for the good of the team."

- John Wooden

"The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me."

- Ayn Rand

"Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you."

- Margaret Thatcher

"The way you behave when you think you can get away with it is who you really are."

- Carly Fiorina

"Bees have no constitution, police, or moral training, but they work together in order to survive. Though they may occasionally squabble, the colony survives on the basis of cooperation."

- Dalai Lama

"Leadership should be more participative than directive, more enabling than performing."

- Mary D. Poole

"It’s important for leaders to diffuse power to people who are in a position to make a difference."

- Kenneth Frazier

"Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder."

- Rumi

"The secret of a leader lies in the tests he has faced over the whole course of his life and the habit of action he develops in meeting those tests."

- Gail Sheehy

"Be who you are and say what you feel because the ones who mind don’t matter, and the ones who matter don’t mind."

- Dr. Seuss

"Leaders live by choice, not by accident."

- Mark Gorman

"’Restore connection’ is not just for devices, it is for people too. If we cannot disconnect, we cannot lead. Creating the culture of burnout is opposite to creating a culture of sustainable creativity. This is something that needs to be taught in business schools. This mentality needs to be introduced as a leadership and performance-enhancing tool."

- Arianna Huffington

"We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat; they do not exist."

- Queen Victoria

"A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd."

- Max Lucado

"A woman is like a tea bag – you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"To be successful, you must accept all challenges that come your way. You can’t just accept the ones you like."

- Mike Gafka

"Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person."

- Mother Teresa

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."

- George Bernard Shaw

"There are two kinds of stones, as everyone knows, one of which rolls."

- Amelia Earhart

"The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been."

- Henry Kissinger

"Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand."

- Gen. Colin Powell

"Silent gratitude isn't very much to anyone."

- Gertrude Stein

"The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves."

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out."

"A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus."

"I learned that things are never as complicated as we imagine them to be. It is only our arrogance which seeks to find complicated answers to simple problems."

"To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful."

"Don’t find fault, find a remedy."

"True leaders always practice the three R’s: Respect for self, Respect for others, Responsibility for all their actions."

- Anonymous

"Leadership is not about being the best. It is about making others better."

"True leaders understand leadership is not about dominating, but about empowering and serving their team. Their ultimate goal is to leave a positive mark on the people who follow them."

- Unknown

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

"There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there."

"The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes."

"Leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well."

"Do you know that one of the great problems of our age is that we are governed by people who care more about feelings than they do about thoughts and ideas?"

"Leadership is the ability to influence others to achieve a common goal."

"You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus."

"Leaders instill in their people a hope for success and a belief in themselves. Positive leaders empower people to accomplish their goals."

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

"To lead people, walk beside them. As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence … When the best leader’s work is done, the people say, ‘We did it ourselves!’"

"Leadership is not about being the best. It’s about making everyone else better."