Exploring Inspiring Quotes about Leadership

Welcome to a compilation of uplifting quotes about leadership.

In the office or out, guiding others towards a common goal, the ability to inspire, empower, and persevere is paramount. These motivational phrases shed light on the essence of true leadership and the impact it can have on individuals and teams alike.

60+ Inspiring quotes about leadership: 

1. “If you wish to be out front, then act as if you were behind.”

2. “Only work on what matters most.”

3. “Done is better than perfect.”

Sheryl Sandberg

4. “Leadership requires belief in the mission and unyielding perseverance to achieve victory.”

Jocko Willink

5. “You take people as far as they will go, not as far as you would like them to go.”

Jeanette Rankin

6. “Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

7. “We must always be mindful of who we are being while we are leading.”

Lolly Daskal

8. “Doing what needs to be done may not make you happy, but it will make you great.”

George Bernard Shaw

9. “The most effective way to convince people is quietly.”

Yoko Ono

10. “Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”

George S. Patton

11. “The more a man knows, the less he talks.”

Voltaire

12. “A tyrant is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader.”

Plato

13. “One should measure their life by the faith they embrace and the relationships they cherish.”

14. “Leadership is not always about your power, it's all about your ability to empower, encourage, and elevate others.”

15. “Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.”

Stephen R. Covey

16. “People will always have their opinion on you despite who you are and what your capable of.”

17. “You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.”

18. “Greatness means setting out to make some difference somewhere to someone in someplace.”

Lolly Daskal

19. “Keep making a difference out there! Don't let the noise around you distract you from listening to the voice within you.”

20. “If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well.”

21. “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”

William Shakespeare

22. “The task of the leader is to get their people from where they are to where they have not been.”

Henry Kissinger

23. “People achieve more as a result of working with others than against them.”

24. “Teamwork makes the dream work.”

25. “You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too.”

Sam Rayburn

26. “If you are working on something you really care about, you don't have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.”

Steve Jobs

27. “Leaders draw out ones individual greatness.”

28. “There will be no fear of your becoming lethargic if you are continually familiar with internal realities.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

29. “Effective executives do first things first and they do one thing at a time.”

Peter F. Drucker

30. “Where there is no accountability, there will also be no responsibility.”

Sunday Adelaja

31. “Act or do not act, but do not hedge.”

Peter F. Drucker

32. “The cautious seldom err.”

Confucius

33. “Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other.”

Mark Twain

34. “A band doesn't need 5 identical musicians. It's better to play your own instrument.”

35. “Seek out mentors and role models in your field.”

36. “Leadership involves finding a parade and getting in front of it.”

John Naisbitt

37. “Tomorrow is today.”

38. “You've got to help others. Don't just think about yourself. Help others.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

39. “Doing your best means never stop trying.”

Benjamin Franklin

40. “The humblest tasks get beautified if loving hands do them.”

Louisa May Alcott

41. “We need to think of the future and the planet we are going to leave to our children and their children.”

Kofi Annan

42. “A leader must have the courage to act against an expert's advice.”

James Callaghan

43. “Determined people working together can do anything.”

Jim Casey

44. “Stop counting your "years" and start enjoying your "seasons".”

45. “Saying no to the wrong things creates space to say yes to the right things.”

46. “Strategize yearly, plan quarterly, examine monthly, reflect weekly, act daily, and live #intentionally.”

47. “Communication is the most important skill any leader can possess.”

Richard Branson

48. “Don't Expect Others to Read or Hear Your Thoughts; if You Want to be Heard, Speak Up and Speak Out!”

49. “You can't always control what happens to you but you can master how you react to it.”

50. “In every part of your life, communication will be one of the keys to success.”

51. “Inventories can be managed, but people must be led.”

H. Ross Perot

52. “People want to know they matter and they want to be treated as people. That's the new talent contract.”

53. “Seek out mentors and role models in your field.”

54. “Great leaders lead by example, not by making an example of others.”

55. “Challenge yourself to do more than what is required. Set the standard.”

56. “A leader takes people where they would never go on their own.”

57. “Sharing emotions builds deeper relationships.”

Sheryl Sandberg

58. “Leadership requires belief in the mission and unyielding perseverance to achieve victory.”

Jocko Willink

59. “Don't let any situation intimidate you anymore, don't accept defeat anymore.”

60. “A leader who is through learning is through.”

John Wooden

61. “Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.”

Caterina Fake

62. “Be the change you want to see happen rather than trying to change anyone else.”

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