Need a good quote for your team meeting or that social media post? We’ve got your back. We’ve assembled the best leadership quotes you’ll find. These are some of the most helpful and inspiring quotes from some of the world’s best.
- “When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” Abraham Lincoln (1809 –1865) – 16th President of The United States
- “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” – Abraham Maslow, Psychologist (1908-70)
- “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” – Albert Einstein, Theoretical physicist (1879-1955)
- “Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.” – Albert Schweiter
- “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
- “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, Business Magnate and Philanthropist
- “He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.” – Aristotle
- “He that cannot obey, cannot command.” – Benjamin Franklin
- “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, Media executive & businessman
- “We Generate Fears While We Sit. We Overcome Them By Action.” – Dr. Henry Link
- “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
- “You do not 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
- “Never give an order that can’t be obeyed.” – General Douglas MacArthur
- “Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.” – George Patton
- “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Harold McAlindon
- “The man who has confidence in himself gains the confidence of others.” – Credit Unknown, Proverb
- “Don’t find fault, find a remedy.” – Henry Ford, Founder of Ford Motor Company
- “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”- Henry Ford
- “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford
Need a break from the research? Take a fun break and try your skills with the Which Leader Said That? Quiz.
- “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Wishing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
- “The task of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.” – John Buchan, a Scottish novelist, poet, and politician who was Governor-General of Canada from 1935 to 1940.
- “Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.” – John C. Maxwell
- “Leadership and learning are indispensable to one another.” – John F. Kennedy
- “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams
- “To lead people, walk behind them.” – Lao Tzu
- “Leadership has been defined as the ability to hide your panic from others.” – Lao Tzu
- “A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” – Max Lucado
- “Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.” – Publilus Syrus
- “The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.” – Ray Kroc
- “People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Rob Siltanen
- “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
- “Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.” – Steve Jobs
- “If you are working on something that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.” – Steve Jobs
- “The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes.” – Tony Blair
- “An army of a thousand is easy to find, but, ah, how difficult to find a general.” – Chinese Proverb
- “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, American actor, cowboy, columnist and social commentator
- “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill
- “When you replace ‘lose’ with ‘learn’ in your vocabulary, the thought of failure becomes less daunting and lets you focus on growth.” – Unknown
Need even more of the best quotes for inspiration? Click here to troll our list of innovation quotes.