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40 Essential Leadership Quotes That Drive Success
The right words can transform how you lead. Here’s a curated collection of powerful leadership quotes that offer wisdom for every situation.
Vision and Purpose
- “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams
- “People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Rob Siltanen
- “If you are working on something that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.” – Steve Jobs
- “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” – John F. Kennedy
- “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Harold McAlindon
Authentic Leadership
- “When I talk to managers, I get the feeling that they are important. When I talk to leaders, I get the feeling that I am important.” – Alexander den Heijer
- “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
- “You don’t lead by hitting people over the head. That’s assault, not leadership.” – Dwight Eisenhower
- “To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
- “A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” – Max Lucado
Innovation and Growth
- “You can’t allow tradition to get in the way of innovation. There’s a need to respect the past, but it’s a mistake to revere your past.” – Bob Iger
- “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” – Abraham Maslow
- “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” – Albert Einstein
- “Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.” – Albert Schweiter
- “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
Need a break from the research? Take a fun break and try your skills with the Which Leader Said That? Quiz.
Resilience and Challenge
- “When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” – Abraham Lincoln
- “We Generate Fears While We Sit. We Overcome Them By Action.” – Dr. Henry Link
- “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill
- “Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.” – Publilus Syrus
- “An army of a thousand is easy to find, but, ah, how difficult to find a general.” – Chinese Proverb
Action and Results
- “Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.” – George Patton
- “Never give an order that can’t be obeyed.” – General Douglas MacArthur
- “Don’t find fault, find a remedy.” – Henry Ford
- “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford
- “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” – Henry Ford
- “The way get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney
- “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” – Will Rogers
Leadership Wisdom
- “He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.” – Aristotle
- “He that cannot obey, cannot command.” – Benjamin Franklin
- “To lead people, walk behind them.” – Lao Tzu
- “Leadership has been defined as the ability to hide your panic from others.” – Lao Tzu
- “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Wishing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Setting Standards
- “Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.” – Steve Jobs
- “The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.” – Ray Kroc
- “The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes.” – Tony Blair
- “The task of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.” – John Buchan
- “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.” – Ronald Reagan
- “When you replace ‘lose’ with ‘learn’ in your vocabulary, the thought of failure becomes less daunting and lets you focus on growth.” – Unknown
How to Use These Leadership Quotes
- Start team meetings to set intention
- Include in presentations for impact
- Share on social media to inspire
- Use in one-on-one conversations
- Reference when writing about leadership
Want more inspiration? Check out our collections of innovation quotes and sports leadership quotes.
