If you want to become a successful leader, you need to learn from those who have come before you. Sometimes, it is helpful to take a look at a few successful leader quotes or inspirational leadership quotes, as they can provide you with the energy you need to overcome the obstacles in front of you. Inspiring leadership quotes can point you in the right direction.
Take a look at a few inspiring quotes for leaders, and see if these inspirational leader quotes can give you the motivation you need to overcome the challenges in front of you.
The Top Successful Leadership Quotes
A few examples of successful leadership quotes you may want to follow include:
1.
“He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.” – Aristotle
Not everyone is born being a leader. Sometimes, to learn what you appreciate in a leader, you have to be a follower first.
2.
“Any woman who understands the problems of running a home will be nearer to understand the problems of running a country.” – Margaret Thatcher
There are a lot of similarities between running an organization and running a strong household.
3.
“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
You should not expect a leader to make things easier for others. You should expect a leader to get the most out of those who follow him or her.
4.
“Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it to be.” – Jack Welch
If you want to be a strong leader, you need to face reality as it is, not as you think it should be.
5.
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“Become the type of leader that people would follow voluntarily, even if you had no title or position.” – Brian Tracy
If you want to be a good leader, be the person you would follow, regardless of the person's title.
6.
“The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes.” – Tony Blair
If you want to be a strong leader, you need to learn when to say yes as well as when to say no.
7.
“The nation will find it very hard to look up to the leaders who are keeping their ears to the ground.” – Sir Winston Churchill
If you want to be a leader, demonstrate the actions that you wish your followers to emulate.
8.
“The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” – Theodore Roosevelt
A good leader understands how to delegate to those around him or her.
9.
“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
If you want to be a good leader, you need to do what you think is best, not what you think people want you to do.
10.
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“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” – General Dwight Eisenhower
As a leader, you need to find ways to convince others to do the tasks that need to be accomplished.
11.
“Do what you feel in your heart to be right–for you’ll be criticized anyway.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
To be a great leader, you need to do what you feel is right, even if others disagree with you.
12.
“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.” —Andrew Carnegie
A good leader should deflect the praise to those around him or her but also accept all responsibility and criticism.
13.
“Men make history and not the other way around. 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.” – Harry S. Truman
Remember that it is people who make history, not history books. Be the type of leader who wants to make history.
14.
“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing.” —Benjamin Franklin
If you want to be remembered, be your member for doing something great. Do something that the history books will talk about.
15.
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“The human voice can never reach the distance that is covered by the still, small voice of conscience.” – Mahatma Gandhi
As a strong leader, you need to do what you think is right. Listen to your conscience, and have positive intentions.
16.
“The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive.” – Albert Einstein
What truly makes you valuable as a person is what you have to give to the world, not the other way around.
17.
“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.” – General George Patton
A good leader needs to know when to give people the autonomy to make decisions for themselves. Say what you want done, and let the experts figure out how to do it.
18.
“Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It’s not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it’s when you’ve had everything to do, and you’ve done it.” —Margaret Thatcher
Remember the satisfying feeling of doing everything there is to do. Hold on to it, and pursue it every day.
19.
“A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
If you want to be a strong leader, put a smile on your face, and you will put a smile on the faces of others.
20.
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“Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” – John F. Kennedy
Make sure you are applying your effort in the right direction.
21.
“Never be satisfied with less than your very best effort. If you strive for the top and miss, you'll still ‘beat the pack.'” – Gerald Ford
If you want to be a strong leader, remember to do your best every day.
22.
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time.” – Barack Obama
If there is a positive change that you want to bring to the world, do it now. Now is the best opportunity.
23.
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” —Laozi
A strong leader will never seek to take all the credit for the good that he or she has done.
24.
“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
For people to appreciate you as a leader, you need to be the first to accept blame and the last to accept praise.
25.
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“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
As a leader, your job is to inspire others, and that means convincing others to tackle the biggest challenges.
26.
“Earn your leadership every day.” – Michael Jordan
Being a leader comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility, and you need to earn that title every day.
27.
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” —John Quincy Adams
As a leader, your goal should be to get the most out of everyone who follows you.
28.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret Mead
A small group of determined people can change the world, and as a leader, you should show that that is possible.
29.
“If you have no character to lose, people will have no faith in you.” —Mahatma Gandhi
For people to follow you, they need to follow you as a person before they believe in your ideas.
30.
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“We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” – John F. Kennedy
Even though times might be tough, a leader should still inspire those who follow him or her to action.
31.
“A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit.” – John Maxwell
If you are the first to accept blame, people will respect you more.
32.
“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.
Even if people have differences of opinion, a good leader brings them together.
33.
“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” – John F. Kennedy
A good leader should understand that he or she always has more to learn.
34.
“Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.” – Norman Schwarzkopf
You must have strong character before your ideas will be listened to.
35.
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“The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people.” ―Woodrow Wilson
As a strong leader, you represent those around you, so be sure to listen to what they have to say.
36.
“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” – Bill Gates
A strong leader should empower those around him or her to be successful. Make sure you give those around you an opportunity to have their voices heard.
37.
“Leadership cannot just go along to get along. Leadership must meet the moral challenge of the day.” – Jesse Jackson
As a leader, you are going to be the moral compass of those who follow you. Make sure you take that responsibility seriously.
38.
“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.” —Max DePree
Even though you might lead from the front, you are still at the service of those around you. You must make sure those around you are willing to follow you.
39.
“Never give an order that can’t be obeyed.” – General Douglas MacArthur
A good leader understands how to delegate to those around him or her, but you also need to put those around you in a position to be successful. Do not give an order that other people cannot follow.
40.
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“Whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching.” – Thomas Jefferson
You will have a lot of decisions to make as a leader, so make sure you complete those tasks as though the entire world were watching you.
41.
“Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today.” – Abraham Lincoln
A strong leader should not procrastinate on his or her responsibilities. If there is something that should get done, make sure you do it.
42.
“No man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent.” – Abraham Lincoln
You cannot lead people who do not want to be led. Make sure you have the respect of those around you before you start telling them what to do.
43.
“To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.” – George Washington
As a leader, your job will be to keep the peace, but sometimes the best way to keep that peace is to show that you have overwhelming force.
44.
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” – Henry Ford
A leader always has something more to learn. Just because you are at the front doesn't mean you don't have an opportunity to learn from others.
45.
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“The price of greatness is responsibility.” – Winston Churchill
Even the greatest leaders have significant responsibilities, and those are not responsibilities that you should take lightly.
46.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” – Thomas Jefferson
A good leader understands when to go with the flow and when to stand pat. If you learn the difference, you will be a strong leader.
47.
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
A leader is meant to be a visionary. If you have a vision for greatness, do not let those doubts show.
48.
“If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.” – Maya Angelou
Never underestimate what a great leader can accomplish. If you are willing to work hard, and you can get others to follow you, you can accomplish anything.
49.
“It's amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” – Harry S. Truman
Do not focus on who will get the credit for something great. Focus on the positive impact it might have.
50.
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“Never interrupt your enemy when he’s making a mistake.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
If an enemy is making a mistake, do not tell them. It is your opportunity to seize the competitive advantage.
