John C. Maxwell Quotes

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

Your attitude determines your actions, and your actions determine your accomplishment.

In a word, most bad attitudes are the result of selfishness.

Efficiency is the foundation for survival. Effectiveness is the foundation for success.

Passion gives you an advantage over others, because one person with passion is greater than ninety-nine who have only an interest!

The english word thanks comes from the same root word as think. Maybe if leaders were more 'think-ful' about the contribution of others, they would be more 'thankful' to them.

If you don't change the direction you are going, then you're likely to end up where you're heading.

Team leaders have to connect with their team and themselves. If they don't know their team's strengths and weaknesses, they cannot hand off responsibilities to the team. And if they don't know their own strengths and weaknesses, they will not hand off responsibilities to the team.

Goals not only help you develop initial motivation by making your dreams obtainable, but they also help you continue to be motivated and that creates momentum.

Don't buy into the notion that mistakes can somehow be avoided. They can't be.

If you want to be positive, upbeat, and passionate, you need to take responsibility for being that way.

Plan and execute your first failure so that you no longer have to fear it.

TALENT PROVIDES HOPE FOR ACCOMPLISHMENT, BUT PERSEVERANCE GUARANTEES IT.

Leader’s potential is determined by those closest to him.

Every journey toward a dream is personal, and as a result, so is the price that must be paid for it.

I can't raise the bar of others if I haven't raised the bar for myself.

Deciding what to be is more important than deciding what to do.

It's lonely at the top, so you better know why you are there.

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.

The only one you should compare yourself to is you. Your mission is to become better today than you were yesterday.

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

Success is not a destination thing, it’s a daily thing.

Leadership is influence. It is the ability to obtain followers. When the leader lacks confidence, the followers have no commitment. A leader is great not because of his power, but because of his ability to empower others.

The true measureof your characteris what you woulddo if you were sureno one would everfind out.

The value you receive from reflective thinking will depend on the kinds of questions you ask yourself.

People are training for success when they should be training for failure.

True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, or assigned. It comes only from Influence.

A good environment certainly makes it easier to grow. But whether you’re in a good environment or not, you can learn and improve where you are.

When somebody tells you he or she is leading something, a fair question is, "What is your vision?"

The trials and pressures of life--and how we face them--often define us. Confronted by adversity, many people give up while others rise up. How do those who succeed do it? They persevere. They find the benefit to them personally that comes from any trial. And they recognize that the best thing about adversity is coming out on the other side of it. There is a sweetness to overcoming your troubles and finding something good in the process, however small it may be. Giving up when adversity threatens can make a person bitter. Persevering through adversity makes one better.

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.

Nurturing has the ability to transform people's lives.

Confidence equals contentment with self; contentment is knowing you have all you need for the present circumstances.

If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate.

People create success in their lives by focusing on today. It may sound trite, but today is the only time you have. It's too late for yesterday. And you can't depend on tomorrow. That's why today matters. Most of the time we miss that.

As long as a person doesn't know what he doesn't know, he doesn't grow

The unexamined leader is not worth following.

I define self-control, in the beginning of life, as the choice of achieving what I really want by doing things I really don't want to do. Once this becomes a habit, discipline becomes the choice of achieving what I really want by doing the very things I now want to do! I really believe that a disciplined life becomes a joy--but only after we have worked hard to practice it.

I wish I could say I coined the phrase "failing forward." I do it all the time. I find as I've embraced this approach to business, life, cycling and generally any new endeavor I take on, I've grown more and more comfortable with the possibility that I am not likely to succeed on my first try. And that's ok.

Responsibility is the most important ability that a person can possess.

It takes a team to do anything of lasting value

If you want to become a better listener, however you need to learn to direct that energy and attention positively by concentrating on the person you're with.

Leadership development is a lifetime journey, not a quick trip.

Attitude is the first quality that marks the successful man. If he has a positive attitude and is a positive thinker, who likes challenges and difficult situations, then he has half his success achieved.

I tried to write the book [Today Matters] with integrity and say, health is one of my daily dozen, and I work on it, but I don't have this right.

Great communicators leave their audiences with great clarity.

When you make a commitment, you create hope. When you keep a commitment you create trust!

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

Talent allows people to stand out, but their wrong choices make them sit down.

Everyone you know and all the people you meet have the potential to be someone important in the lives of others.

He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.

We all have done something unethical.

No matter where you are in your leadership journey, never forget that what got you to where you are won't get you to the next level.

When people respect someone as a person, they admire her. When they respect her as a friend, they love her. When they respect her as a leader, they follow her.

Negative thinking hinders others from making a positive response.

Seek people who seek solutions.

You can't grow and learn if your focus is on finding someone else to blame instead of looking at your own shortcomings.

If you want to be great, you can't be great by yourself. You gotta to bring people around you. As the the challenge escalates, the need for teamwork elevates. The greater the challenge, the better the team.

Tenacious people don't rely on luck, fate, or destiny for their success. And when conditions become difficult, they keep working.

The best leaders realize their success depends on their people.