Throughout history, influential leaders have shared their wisdom through statements that have struck a chord with others looking for inspiration and advice on their leadership journeys. We’ll look at famous inspirational leadership quotes that can help us know what are the do’s and don’t and what should be the qualities to be a good leader.
Best Inspirational Leadership Quotes
1. “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” — John Maxwell, Author, speaker, and pastor
2. “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” – Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO and author
- “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder
- “Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.” – Gen. Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State
- “A leader is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along, they are being directed from behind.” – Nelson Mandela, South African anti-apartheid activist
- “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Poet and essayist
- “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker, Management consultant, educator, and author
- “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” – Warren Bennis, Scholar and organizational consultant
- “Becoming the type of leader that people would follow voluntarily, even if you had no title or position.” – Brian Tracy, Author and speaker
- “Earn your leadership every day.” – Michael Jordan, Former professional basketball player
- “The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.” — Henry Kissinger, Diplomat and political scientist
- “The task of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.” – John Buchan, Novelist and politician
- “A good leader leads the people from above them. A great leader leads the people from within them.” – M.D. Arnold, Leadership expert
- “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” – Rosalynn Carter, former first US lady
Motivational Leadership Quotes
15. “I think whether you’re having setbacks or not, the role of a leader is to always display a winning attitude.” —Colin Powell
- “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill, Former British Prime Minister
- “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, Former U.S. President
- “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” – Martin Luther King Jr., Civil Rights Leader
- “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” – Ralph Nader, Political Activist
- “Leadership is not just about giving orders. It’s about setting an example and inspiring others.” – Tony Dungy, Former NFL Coach and Sports Analyst
- “Leadership is not about the next election, it’s about the next generation.” – Simon Sinek, Author and Speaker
- “The best leaders are those most interested in surrounding themselves with assistants and associates smarter than they are.” – John C. Maxwell, Author and Leadership Expert
- “Leadership is not about being the best. It’s about making everyone else better.” – Unknown
- “My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to take great people and push them to make them even better.” – Steve Jobs, Apple’s Co-founder
- “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” – William Arthur Ward, Author and Educator
Quotes on Effective Leadership
26. “Great leaders are willing to sacrifice the numbers to save the people. Poor leaders sacrifice the people to save the numbers.” —Simon Sinek
- “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.” — Sara Blakely, founder & CEO of Spanx
- “It’s fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” – Bill Gates, Co-Founder of Microsoft
- “Outstanding leaders go out of the way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” — Sam Walton, founder of Walmart
- “The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.” – Jim Rohn, entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker
- “I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.” – Mahatma Gandhi, Indian independence movement leader
- “If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.” — Dolly Parton
- “In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.” – President Harry Truman
- “Average leaders raise the bar on themselves; good leaders raise the bar for others; great leaders inspire others to raise their own bar.” — Orrin Woodward, entrepreneur, and author
- “The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.” – Ray Kroc, Former CEO of McDonald’s
- “Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.” — Stephen Covey, American educator and author
- “A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit.” – Arnold Glasow, humorist and author
- “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” – President Abraham Lincoln
- “I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” — Ralph Nader, Political Activist
- “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” — Thomas Jefferson, Founding Father and former U.S. President
- “I think one of the keys to leadership is recognizing that everybody has gifts and talents. A good leader will learn how to harness those gifts toward the same goal.” – Ben Carson, Doctor & former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Quotes on Leadership and Empathy
42. “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” – James Clear, Author and Speaker
- “The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.” – John Maxwell, Author and Leadership Expert
- “Real leadership is leaders recognizing that they serve the people that they lead.” – Pete Hoekstra, Politician
- “Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate to and connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives.” – Oprah Winfrey, Media Mogul and TV Host
- “The greatest leaders mobilize others by coalescing people around a shared vision.” – Ken Blanchard, Author and Leadership Expert
- “The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes.” — Tony Blair, British Politician
- “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results, not attributes.” – Peter F. Drucker, Management Consultant and Author
- “Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.” — Bill Bradley, American Politician
- “A leader is a dealer in hope.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
- “The beauty of empowering others is that your own power is not diminished in the process.” – Andrew Carnegie, Industrialist and Philanthropist
- “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” – Albert Einstein, Theoretical Physicist
- “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou, Author and Poet
- “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein, Theoretical Physicist
- “You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.” – Beverly Sills, Opera Singer
- “Power isn’t control at all – power is strength, and giving that strength to others. A leader isn’t someone who forces others to make him stronger; a leader is someone willing to give his strength to others that they may have the strength to stand on their own.” – Beth Revis, Author
- “Do you know that one of the great problems of our age is that we are governed by people who care more about feelings than they do about thoughts and ideas?” – Margaret Thatcher, Former British Prime Minister
- True leadership stems from individuality that is honestly and sometimes imperfectly expressed… Leaders should strive for authenticity over perfection. —Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook
- Leadership is getting someone to do what they don’t want to do but to achieve what they want to achieve. – Tom Landry
- The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership. – Harvey S. Firestone
Leading is not an easy task. You get the blames if something goes wrong. So sometimes, we need some quotes or words to motivate us so we can do the best decisions we have to do.
We’d love to hear your ideas, experiences, or favorite leadership quotes that have greatly impacted you, please leave them in the comments area below.
Feel free to share these Famous Inspirational Leadership Quotes above to your friends and motivate them to be leaders also. You might also be interested in reading Words of Encouragement for Tough Times.
Martha lives in the Bay Area and is a dedicated reader of romance novels. She runs a yoga studio and taught yoga for many years. She always says that yoga fuels her writing. She’s also a vegetarian and advocate for living a healthy life. Martha has been writing for us for a while now, giving readers a glimpse into her lifestyle and work.
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