20 Inspiring and Valuable Quotes on Leadership From political figures to high-power CEOs, these words of wisdom will get thinking about how to apply them in your life.
By Matt Mayberry Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Every day I pick out a quote that I carry around with me and really spend a lot of time thinking about it. I think about the meaning of that quote and all of the possible ways on how I can adopt that into my way of living.
Below are 20 leadership quotes that I have been paying close attention to as of late. I hope these quotes add value to your life and inspire you to become a better leader.
1. "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." -- John Quincy Adams
Related: 38 of the Most Inspirational Leadership Quotes
2. "Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others." -- Jack Welch
3. "Great leaders are willing to sacrifice the numbers to save the people. Poor leaders sacrifice the people to save the numbers." -- Simon Sinek
4. "Think about all the great leaders. Think about Obama. Think about Clinton. Think about all the people that we know who are very successful in business, in politics and religion. What are they? They tell purposeful stories. They move people to action by aiming at the heart." -- Peter Guber
5. "Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers who can cut through argument, debate and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand." -- Colin Powell
6. "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
7. "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
8. "You manage things. You lead people." -- U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Grave Murray Hopper
9. "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way." -- John Maxwell
10 "Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality." -- Warren Bennis
Related: 9 Cheesy, But Inspiring, Sayings You Wish You Never Heard -- But Will Be Glad You Did
11. "Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish." -- Sam Walton
12. "People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives." -- Theodore Roosevelt
13. "It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership." -- Nelson Mandela
14. "Don't find fault, find a remedy." -- Henry Ford
15. "The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army or in an office." -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
16. "Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it." -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
17. "A leader is a dealer in hope." -- Napoleon Bonaparte
18. "No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it." -- Andrew Carnegie
19. "I think whether you're having setbacks or not, the role of a leader is to always display a winning attitude." -- Colin Powell
20. " As a leader … your principal job is to create an operating environment where others can do great things." -- Richard Teerlink
