21 leadership quotes to know
Do you remember specific quotes from your past, possibly from your childhood, which are particularly meaningful? I know I do! In fact, I remember many quotes or sayings from my parents and grandparents. One of my grandfathers, a community leader, sensed that I was impatient and wanted results to come easily and quickly, taught me, “If you don't succeed at first try, try, and try again until you do!”
This valuable wisdom has inspired me then and served me well over the years. Today, as an executive coach, I refer to leadership quotes in my conversations with my clients to support and encourage them in their professional development journey. I hope some of the following quotes will inspire and motivate you too.
“Between stimulus and response is our choice.” - Victor Frankel
“We must all obey the great law of change. It is the powerful law of nature.” - Edmund Burke
“Change is never easy, but always possible.” - Barack Obama
4. “Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.” - John Wooden
5. “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” - Colin Powell
6. “I am not bound to win, I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to the light I have.” - Abraham Lincoln
7. “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” - Stephen King
8. “When you know what’s important, it’s a lot easier to ignore what’s not.” - Marie Forleo
9. “The best way of learning about anything is by doing.” - Richard Branson
10. “To grasp and hold a vision, that is the very essence of successful leadership—not only on the movie set where I learned it, but everywhere.” - Ronald Reagan
11. “The end of all knowledge should be service to others.” - Cesar E. Chavéz
12. “The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.” - Sven Goran Eriksson
13. “The most important trip you take in life is meeting people halfway.” - Henry Boyle
14. “Any man or institution that tries to rob me of my dignity will lose.” - Nelson Mandela
15. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” - Aristotle
16. “You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” - Wayne Gretzky
17. “You don’t get harmony when everyone sings the same note.” - Doug Floyd
18. “Do what you love, and put your whole heart into it, and then just have fun.” - Tim Cook
19. “All work is holy work.” - Gandhi
20. “Leadership principles are values translated into action.” - Bill George
21. “I define a leader as anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential.” - Brené Brown
