52 Powerful Quotes on Leadership, Action and Motivation

September 16, 2011 by
Filed under: Leadership, Mentoring, Positive Attitude, Quotes and Sayings 

Why do we like quotes so much? A good reason for many of us is that you don’t have to read a book to get to the point. Quotes can be very short, straight to the point and thought provoking. Sometimes, there’s just so much wisdom and life experiences in one short sentence that you can almost sense and understand what the author has gone through to reach the point they are attempting to make! Here are some quotes that have thought provoking to me in my own leadership journey. Do you recognize any of these?

 

  1. “I am more afraid of an army of 100 sheep led by a lion than an army of 100 lions led by a sheep.” —Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
  2.  “A leader has to be able to change an organization that is dreamless, soulless and visionless … someone’s got to make a wakeup call.” —Warren Bennis
  3.  “Although some people think that life is a battle, it is actually a game of giving and receiving.” —Florence Scovel Shinn
  4.  “A boss creates fear, a leader, confidence. A boss fixes blame, a leader corrects mistakes. A boss knows all, a leader asks questions. A boss makes work drudgery, a leader makes it interesting.” —Russell H. Ewing, Author
  5. “A frightened captain makes a frightened crew.” —Lister Sinclair, Playwright/Broadcaster
  6.  “As you enter positions of trust and power, dream a little before you think.” —Toni Morrison, Author
  7. “Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult.” —Warren Bennis
  8. “A life of reaction is a life of slavery, intellectually, and spiritually. One must fight for a life of action, not reaction.” —Rita Mae Brown, Mystery Author
  9.  “A teacher affects eternity. He can never tell where his influence stops.” —Henry B. Adams, American Historian
  10. “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” —John Quincy Adams
  11.  “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear” —Ambrose Redmoon, American Philosopher
  12. “Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage.” —William Ellery Channing, Psychologist
  13. “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” —Peter Drucker
  14.  “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.” —Jim Rohn, Author/Motivator
  15. “Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
  16. “Everyone lives by selling something.” —Robert Louis Stevenson
  17.  “I have more fun, and enjoy more financial success, when I stop trying to get what I want and start helping other people get what they want.” —Spencer Johnson, Business Author
  18. “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent in doing nothing.” —George Bernard Shaw
  19.  “I must follow the people. Am I not their leader?” —Benjamin Disraeli
  20. “If the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near” —Jack Welch
  21. “If you don’t think about the future, you won’t have one.” —Henry Ford
  22. “Most people succeed because they are determined to. People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don’t know when to quit.” —George Allen, Football Coach
  23.  “It takes a tremendous act of courage to admit to yourself that you are not defective in any way whatsoever.” —Cheri Huber, Author/Zen Philosopher
  24. “Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.” —William James
  25. “It’s so hard when contemplated in advance and so easy when you do it.” —Robert Pirsig, Philosopher/Author
  26. “Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” —Tom Peters
  27. “Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.” —Bernard Baruch
  28.  “Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses.” —George Washington Carver
  29. “No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.” —Helen Keller
  30. “Nothing great was ever created without enthusiasm.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
  31.  “One measure of leadership is the caliber of people who choose to follow you.” —Dennis A. Peer, Management Consultant
  32. “Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” —John Quincy Adams
  33. “Nothing so conclusively proves a man’s ability to lead others as what he does from day to day to lead himself.” —Thomas J. Watson, Former CEO, IBM
  34.  “People can be divided into two classes: those who go ahead and do something, and those people who sit still and inquire, why wasn’t it done the other way?” —Oliver Wendell Holmes
  35. “Question: How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Answer: Four; calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.” —Abraham Lincoln
  36. “Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things and I’ll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things.” —Lawrence D. Bell, Founder, Bell Aircraft
  37. “Start by doing what’s necessary, then what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” —St. Francis
  38. “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” —Theodore Roosevelt
  39. “The best way out is always through.” —Robert Frost
  40.  “The first law of success is concentration, to bend all the energies to one point, and to go directly to that point, looking neither to the right, nor to the left.” —William Matthews, Journalist
  41. “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.” —Max DePree, Business Consultant/Author
  42. “The leadership instinct you are born with is the backbone. Then you develop the funny bone and the wishbone that go with it.” —Elaine Agather, CEO, JPMorgan Bank
  43. “The older I get the more wisdom I find in the ancient rule of taking first things first. A process which often reduces the most complex human problem to a manageable proportion.” —Dwight D. Eisenhower
  44. “The reason most major goals are not achieved is that we spend our time doing second things first.” —Robert J. McKain, Management Consultant
  45. “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” —Peter Drucker
  46. “The first duty of a leader is optimism. How does your subordinate feel after meeting with you? Does he feel uplifted? If not, you are not a leader.” —Field Marshal Montgomery
  47.  “Those that are most slow in making a promise are the most faithful in the performance of it.” —Jean-Jacques Rousseau
  48. “Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem to be more afraid of life than death.” —James F. Bymes, Secretary of State
  49. “What would be the use of immortality to a person who cannot use well a half an hour?” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
  50. “When I’m getting ready to persuade a person, I spend one-third of the time thinking about myself, what I’m going to say, and two-thirds of the time thinking about him and what he is going to say.” —Abraham Lincoln
  51. ”Always think of what you have to do as easy and it will be.” —Emile Coue, Psychologist
  52. “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” –Zig Ziglar

Hope you enjoyed reading some of these quotes! If so, and you’d like to comment, please do so. If not, then let us know and why!

What are some of your favorite leadership, action and motivation quotes?

 

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Comments

80 Intelligent Opinions, Leave Yours on 52 Powerful Quotes on Leadership, Action and Motivation

  1. sabir momin on Wed, 26th Sep 2012 11:15 am

    2. i think your confident is your success

  2. Sue on Thu, 6th Jun 2013 7:17 am

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  7. Festus on Tue, 13th Oct 2015 10:42 am

    8. Great quotes coming from great people. I so much love this particular one “The best way to pre­dict the future is to cre­ate it.” —Peter Drucker

  8. Nakul on Mon, 13th Mar 2017 7:42 am

    9. “The first law of suc­cess is con­cen­tra­tion, to bend all the ener­gies to one point, and to go directly to that point, look­ing nei­ther to the right, nor to the left.” — This is the best bold suggestion I’ve ever heard.

    It is so much important that we must avoid the distractions and go straight right away to achieve dreams.

    Thanks for sharing .. 🙂

  9. Hafsa Khalid on Fri, 14th Apr 2017 6:50 am

    10. “Lead­ers don’t cre­ate fol­low­ers, they cre­ate more lead­ers.” —Tom Peters, This is really true Don’t be Boss be a leader good post thanks for sharing so many Quotations.

  10. HowToBeIt on Sun, 30th Apr 2017 12:48 pm

    11. It’s not about how long does motivation lasts, it’s all about how easily it’s obtained before doing the important things… such as working out or preparing for exams etc.

    For some people it’s obtained without any effort… an addict requires do not need to motivate themselves before fulfilling their addiction.

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  12. Hilda Y on Fri, 12th May 2017 2:07 am

    13. Yes, we all love quotes. My favourite ones from your list are # 30 from Ralph Waldo Emerson “Nothing great was ever created without enthusiasm”. I love it because is about joyful creativity, doing what you love. My second favourite is # 7 from Warren Bennis “Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult”. I love this quote because he is teaching about the importance of self-awareness, self-acceptance, self-worth and self-love. I agree with W. Bennis is simple but not easy.

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  14. Brian Carter on Thu, 13th Jul 2017 11:27 am

    15. Great quotes coming from great people. I so much love this particular one “The best way to pre­dict the future is to cre­ate it.” —Peter Drucker

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  19. Mind Roaster on Fri, 22nd Sep 2017 2:56 pm

    20. Great quotes coming from great people, it was really good to read it.Thanx for sharing..

  20. egoquotes on Mon, 25th Sep 2017 12:42 pm

    21. Yes….a million times yes!!! One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is when someone does a good deed and has to post and broadcast it!! If you weren’t seeking attention, you wouldn’t need to announce it!! “No good deed goes unpunished.” If you’re looking to feel enriched by blessing someone, be quiet about it!! Sheesh!!

  21. WisdomSpeaker on Fri, 29th Sep 2017 5:45 am

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  23. Gandu on Mon, 30th Oct 2017 2:17 am

    24. Amazing post………………….thanks for sharing.

  24. Mind Roaster on Fri, 24th Nov 2017 7:31 am

    25. Awesome Collection of Quotes.Thanx for sharing

  25. Tanya on Sat, 9th Dec 2017 6:43 am

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  27. sarah on Thu, 21st Dec 2017 5:39 am

    28. Happiness Best Work
    Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best.
    Theodore Isaac Rubin

  28. Dragon Ball Super on Thu, 28th Dec 2017 6:12 pm

    29. Happiness Best Work

  29. Sunny Singh on Tue, 2nd Jan 2018 1:03 am

    30. Hey! Gil, it’s really an awesome post, enjoyed reading it.

  30. Monika Roy on Wed, 24th Jan 2018 9:13 am

    31. Awesome Collection of Quotes.Thanx for sharing

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    32. admin. I really love the piece of knowledge. You did the amazing job. I am really impressed by the quotes

  32. rescue home buyers on Tue, 6th Feb 2018 1:34 pm

    33. Do what you have always done, and you will get what you have always gotten….
    You can have reasons or results, but you can’t have both….

  33. Abdullah Farhan on Thu, 8th Feb 2018 2:13 am

    34. These type of sites gives hope to the people who give up.good work friend keep it up.

  34. SpongeBob Meme on Thu, 1st Mar 2018 3:20 am

    35. a million times yes!!! One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is when someone does a good deed and has to post and broadcast it!! If you weren’t seeking attention, you wouldn’t need to announce it!! “No good deed goes unpunished.” If you’re looking to feel enriched by blessing someone, be quiet about it!! Sheesh.

  35. Shyami goyal on Thu, 8th Mar 2018 12:12 am

    36. Awesome post thanks for sharing.
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  36. Shyami goyal on Thu, 8th Mar 2018 12:13 am

    37. nice post appreatiat.
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  37. majmoued on Tue, 20th Mar 2018 5:12 pm

    38. nice! Quotes are so helpful for so many occasions! Don’t forget you’re human. It’s okay to have a meltdown, just don’t unpack and live there. Cry it out and then refocus on where you are headed.[80 life Quotes To Over Come Stress At Work](https://www.makemoneyyonline.com/life-quotes-to-over-come-stress-at-work/)

  38. Ramesh on Mon, 26th Mar 2018 10:10 pm

    39. Thanks for writing such an awesome post.

  39. Opatola Abdulmujeeb on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 11:17 pm

    40. I love this!….Great content, full of inspiration….Thumbs Up!

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  41. zera on Mon, 16th Apr 2018 2:02 am

    42. Awesome post thanks for sharing.good work

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    43. nice post.well done

  43. quotesfan on Sat, 21st Apr 2018 8:23 am

    44. list of famous quotes available at quotesfan.com

  44. Remy on Sun, 22nd Apr 2018 12:16 pm

    45. These are the best leadership quotes i’ve seen for a while now. Thanks for sharing I really do love the way you handle your ideas.

  45. adil sharif on Thu, 24th May 2018 4:11 am

    46. All in my life people brought me down with their words.. i realize motivation is the best way to overcome them and it is the greatest way you can achieve good things.

  46. Adarsh Kumar on Thu, 31st May 2018 11:57 am

    47. Such a wonderful quote.

  47. Adarsh Kumar on Sat, 2nd Jun 2018 1:27 am

    48. very nice thank you for the post

  48. wali kali on Sat, 2nd Jun 2018 1:29 am

    49. I love this!….Great content, full of inspiration….Thumbs Up!

  49. Subha Malik on Wed, 6th Jun 2018 10:37 am

    50. The list is wonderful, especially no. 23 ( “It takes a tremendous act of courage to admit to yourself that you are not defective in any way whatsoever.” —Cheri Huber, Author/Zen Philosopher) really inspired me.

  50. john on Sat, 9th Jun 2018 10:14 am

    51. Thanks for sharing this important list with all of us.

  51. Madiha on Mon, 9th Jul 2018 1:03 pm

    52. People with positive attitude are making their life better so we should stay in attitude.

  52. Casey Rackham on Tue, 10th Jul 2018 3:11 am

    53. This One Is My Most Favorite: “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

  53. Funny Shayari on Wed, 11th Jul 2018 5:41 pm

    54. thanks for giving this information of leadership
    thanks a lot

  54. love quotes on Wed, 18th Jul 2018 4:52 am

    55. these are more to enough quotes for leadership and motivation.

  55. Clifford Starks on Mon, 23rd Jul 2018 3:37 am

    56. Great quotes! I especially liked the one that says “It takes a tremendous act of courage to admit to yourself that you are not defective in any way whatsoever.” —Cheri Huber, Author/Zen Philosopher People have to believe in their greatness to truly achieve it. It really does take courage to say it first, so you can act on it!

  56. Muhanji on Tue, 28th Aug 2018 7:15 am

    57. I have saved some of this for my Pinterest boards thanks for the read

  57. sara on Sun, 9th Sep 2018 8:16 am

    58. great quotes i love all so much

  58. quotes word on Sun, 7th Oct 2018 2:25 am

    59. Amazing your thoughts
    See here more thoughts about Motivational quotes for students
    https://quotesword.com/2018/09/27/motivational-quotes-for-students/

  59. Jhone on Fri, 19th Oct 2018 2:53 pm

    60. Best leadership quotes i ever read. thanks for this great post. will visit again for motivation 🙂

  60. Moazzam Ali on Thu, 25th Oct 2018 1:44 am

    61. Very inspirational and motivational quotes, thanks for sharing.

  61. Sarcastic Facebook Statuses on Wed, 31st Oct 2018 6:09 am

    62. These are really great leadership or personality quotes. Thanks for sharing it with us.

  62. plumixlab on Wed, 31st Oct 2018 9:40 am

    63. Beautiful listing, I love your work.It’s been one year since I started a motivational facebook page, and I will love and be honored to use this quotes on it.
    What do you think ?

  63. captionandquote on Sat, 3rd Nov 2018 7:24 am

    64. Amazing leadership quotes.

  64. best dog food on Mon, 5th Nov 2018 1:25 am

    65. This is truly a pleasant and enlightening, containing all data furthermore greatly affects the new innovation. Much obliged for sharing it,

  65. Rana on Mon, 12th Nov 2018 3:47 am

    66. these quotes were very deep to think and very easy to understand keep it up.

  66. Molly on Tue, 13th Nov 2018 2:22 pm

    67. Amazing Quotes Collection, I Must Say.

  67. Diwakar on Wed, 14th Nov 2018 6:40 am

    68. Thanks, when ears hears, minds interpret and heart understand then eyes seeth hands and foot move forward to implement.

  68. rahul on Tue, 20th Nov 2018 9:05 am

    69. Great quotes! I Thanks for right unique information about this topic. Good one

  69. Marion on Sun, 25th Nov 2018 10:20 am

    70. I love this one: “One measure of leadership is the caliber of people who choose to follow you.” Leadership starts with the people who follow you.

  70. Sana on Sat, 8th Dec 2018 9:37 pm

    71. Amazing quotes , love to read your post.
    Okay Quotes

  71. Stewart on Mon, 10th Dec 2018 10:29 pm

    72. Those are very inspirational quotes. Thanks for sharing!

  72. Chibuzor Divine on Sun, 16th Dec 2018 7:07 am

    73. This is absolutely inspirational. I love this

  73. Happiness on Sun, 16th Dec 2018 7:10 am

    74. Great and outstanding quotes. Thanks

  74. Kunle on Tue, 25th Dec 2018 11:27 pm

    75. Thanks this inspires me a lot.
    More of it.

  75. Never Give Up Quotes on Tue, 25th Dec 2018 11:29 pm

    76. Waoo.
    Very inspire quotes.
    A very big thank you for this.

  76. Anna on Wed, 2nd Jan 2019 2:20 am

    77. Wow ! Its Really Amazing Quotes Collection, I love this, Thanks and keep sharing..!!

  77. Danyal Ahmed on Fri, 11th Jan 2019 1:48 am

    78. Very Inspirational quotes, Thanks for sharing.

  78. sagarvidyayadav on Thu, 21st Feb 2019 9:03 am

    79. great quotes sir. i really motivate this thought thanxx..

  79. rifa on Thu, 28th Feb 2019 2:06 am

    80. Thanks for sharing. Great quotes! I especially liked the one that says “It takes a tremendous act of courage to admit to yourself that you are not defective in any way whatsoever.

  80. Tony on Fri, 13th Sep 2019 3:49 am

    81. Thanks for sharing such a inspirational thoughts in one place. “It’s so hard when contemplated in advance and so easy when you do it.”- This is it.

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