John C. Maxwell Quotes

Remember, man does not live on bread alone: sometimes he needs a little buttering up.

Good executives never put off until tomorrow what they can get someone else to do today.

Children astound me with their inquisitive minds. The world is wide and mysterious to them, and as they piece together the puzzle of life, they ask ‚Why?‘ ceaselessly.

It seems the older you get, the more life comes into focus.

You will never fulfill your destiny doing work you despise.

The experience of pain or loss can be a formidably motivating force.

When a person starts to talk about their dreams, it’s as if something bubbles up from within. Their eyes brighten, their face glows, and you can feel the excitement in their words.

Exceptionally hard decisions can deplete your energy to the point at which you finally cave in. If you mentally crumble and degenerate into negative thinking, you’ll magnify the problem to the point where it can haunt you.

Talent grips us. We are overtaken by the beauty of Michelangelo’s sculpture, riveted by Mariah Carey’s angelic voice, doubled over in laughter by the comedy of Robin Williams, and captivated by the on screen performances of Denzel Washington.

We all have done something unethical.

Leaders who fail to prune their pride will meet demise. That’s not a guess, it’s a guarantee. With pride, it’s not a matter of ‚if‘ we will fall, but ‚when.‘ There are no exceptions.

Keeping score is for games, not friendships.

Life can be boring unless you put some effort into it.

Inability to make decisions is one of the principal reasons executives fail. Deficiency in decision-making ranks much higher than lack of specific knowledge or technical know-how as an indicator of leadership failure.

How do leaders serve their people? They may pay good wages and treat employees with respect.

People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.

A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.

I vividly remember a conversation I had many years ago in 1974, which marked a turning point in my leadership journey. I was sitting at a Holiday Inn with my friend, Kurt Campmeyer, when he asked me if I had a personal growth plan. I didn’t. In fact, I didn’t even know you were supposed to have one.

The first time you say something, it’s heard. The second time, it’s recognized, and the third time it’s learned.

A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.

Whenever a high-profile leader dies, people immediately attempt to summarize that person’s life in a sentence. Often, critics and commentators get caught up looking at the leader’s style, or which political or philosophical camp they represented.

The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That’s the day we truly grow up.

If you’re lying, you’re lying.

Good thinkers always prime the pump of ideas. They always look for things to get the thinking process started, because what you put in always impacts what comes out.

For more than a decade, I led an organization that put on an elaborate Christmas program each December. It was a big production, with over 250 people participating in more than 20 performances. By the end of the season, everyone who participated was exhausted.

Positional leaders ignore the fact that every person has hopes, dreams, desires, and goals of his own. And leaders must bring their vision and the aspirations of the people they lead together in a way that benefits everyone.

There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. ‚Good pride‘ represents our dignity and self-respect. ‚Bad pride‘ is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance.

Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team.

Everything rises and falls on leadership.

Pride deafens us to the advice or warnings of those around us.

If you want to reach the top, don’t run over others. Likely, the only way you’ll reach the top is to be carried there by others.

Ranking among the greatest Christmas movie classics, ‚It’s a Wonderful Life‘ tells a beautiful story about the priceless value of relationships.

We don’t mature momentarily, but over the long-term.

The most talented do not always end up as celebrities, and those with less talent often do. Upsets are written into our history and occur around us every day.

The greatest mistake we make is living in constant fear that we will make one.

To add value to others, one must first value others.

Time management is an oxymoron. Time is beyond our control, and the clock keeps ticking regardless of how we lead our lives. Priority management is the answer to maximizing the time we have.

People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.

The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda.

Most people want to avoid pain, and discipline is usually painful.

As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me. The first person that I should try to change is me.

Failed plans should not be interpreted as a failed vision. Visions don’t change, they are only refined. Plans rarely stay the same, and are scrapped or adjusted as needed. Be stubborn about the vision, but flexible with your plan.

The dreams and passions stored within hearts are powerful keys which can unlock a wealth of potential.

Growth is the great separator between those who succeed and those who do not. When I see a person beginning to separate themselves from the pack, it’s almost always due to personal growth.

Enjoyment is an incredible energizer to the human spirit.

Family and friendships are two of the greatest facilitators of happiness.

Without failure there is no achievement.

Policies are many, Principles are few, Policies will change, Principles never do.

Most people don’t like change. They revolt against it unless they can clearly see the advantage it brings. For that reason, when good leaders prepare to take action or make changes, they take people through a process to get them ready for it.

Success is due to our stretching to the challenges of life. Failure comes when we shrink from them.

Live to learn, and you will really learn to live.

Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.

Learn to say ‚no‘ to the good so you can say ‚yes‘ to the best.

The best leaders are readers of people. They have the intuitive ability to understand others by discerning how they feel and recognizing what they sense.

In the end, people are persuaded not by what we say, but by what they understand.

Have the humility to learn from those around you.

One of the roles of the Presidency is to lead a political party. Having a President in office is usually a huge advantage to a party because it gives the party a mouthpiece and an advocate at the highest level.

The best way a mentor can prepare another leader is to expose him or her to other great people.

Look at our society. Everyone wants to be thin, but nobody wants to diet. Everyone wants to live long, but few will exercise. Everybody wants money, yet seldom will anyone budget or control their spending.

Leadership is influence.