80 John Maxwell Quotes for Successful Leadership
John Calvin Maxwell is an American author, speaker, and pastor who has written many books, primarily focusing on leadership. John Maxwell is widely considered to be one of the world’s top leadership thinkers. Here are the best John Maxwell Quotes to inspire you.
John Maxwell Quotes
- “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” – John Maxwell
- “Learn to say ‘no’ to the good so you can say ‘yes’ to the best.” – John Maxwell
- “The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.” – John Maxwell
- “You don’t overcome challenges by making them smaller but by making yourself bigger.” – John Maxwell
- “If you start today to do the right thing, you are already a success even if it doesn’t show yet.” – John Maxwell
- “The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.” – John Maxwell
- “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
- “Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.” – John Maxwell
- “Growth inside fuels growth outside.” – John Maxwell
- “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.”– John Maxwell
John Maxwell Quotes about Leadership
- “Failing forward” is the ability to get back up after you’ve been knocked down, learn from your mistake, and move forward in a better direction.” – John Maxwell
- “Leadership is influence.” – John Maxwell
- “If you wouldn’t follow yourself, why should anyone else?” – John Maxwell
- “People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.” – John Maxwell
- “We cannot become what we need by remaining what we are.” – John Maxwell
- “A leader who produces other leaders multiplies their influences.” – John C. Maxwell
- “Success is…knowing your purpose in life, growing to reach your maximum potential, and sowing seeds that benefit others.” – John Maxwell
- “The greatest mistake we make is living in constant fear that we will make one.” – John Maxwell
- “Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” – John Maxwell
- “A difficult time can be more readily endured if we retain the conviction that our existence holds a purpose, a cause to pursue, a person to love, a goal to achieve.” – John Maxwell
Quotes by John Maxwell
- “Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.” – John Maxwell
- “Doing the right thing daily, compounds over time.” – John Maxwell
- “If we are growing we are always going to be outside our comfort zone.” – John Maxwell
- “Talent is a gift, but character is a choice.” – John Maxwell
- “The more seriously you take your growth, the more seriously your people will take you.” – John Maxwell
- “Most People have a desire to look for the exception instead of the desire to become exceptional.” – John Maxwell
- “The timing of your decision is just as important as the decision you make.” – John Maxwell
- “A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.” – John Maxwell
- “A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.” – John Maxwell
- “Happiness simply cannot be relied upon as a measure of success.” – John Maxwell
John Maxwell Quotes about Success
- “Often people fail to start or complete a task because they don’t see any connection between what they’re doing and what they really want to accomplish in life.” – John Maxwell
- “The best leaders are humble enough to realize their victories depend upon their people.” – John Maxwell
- “You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.” – John Maxwell
- “Leaders don’t rise to the pinnacle of success without developing the right set of attitudes and habits; they make every day a masterpiece.” – John Maxwell
- “Reaching the top is a monumental achievement, but remaining there may be the most spectacular feat of all.” – John Maxwell
- “You build trust with others each time you choose integrity over image, truth over convenience, or honor over personal gain.” – John Maxwell
- “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” –John Maxwell
- “Earn the right to be heard by listening to others. Seek to understand a situation before making judgments about it.” – John Maxwell
- “Speak the truth. Transparency breeds legitimacy.” – John Maxwell
- “Make a point to continually search for a better way of doing things, even when things are going well, to ensure that a better alternative has not been overlooked and to keep your creative talents in practice.” – John Maxwell
Inspiring John Maxwell Quotes
- “As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behavior. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to become. Take action on your behavior. Too many people want to feel, then take action. This never works.” – John Maxwell
- “It’s true that charisma can make a person stand out for a moment, but character sets a person apart for a lifetime.” – John Maxwell
- “People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.” – John Maxwell
- “To add value to others, one must first value others.” – John Maxwell
- “Doing the wrong thing daily, compounds over time.” – John Maxwell
- “There are two paths people can take. They can either play now and pay later, or pay now and play later. Regardless of the choice, one thing is certain. Life will demand a payment.” – John Maxwell
- “The unsuccessful person is burdened by learning, and prefers to walk down familiar paths. Their distaste for learning stunts their growth and limits their influence.” – John Maxwell
- “Plan and execute your first failure so that you no longer have to fear it.” – John Maxwell
- “Success is due to our stretching to the challenges of life. Failure comes when we shrink from them.” – John Maxwell
- “Everything begins with a decision. Then, we have to manage that decision for the rest of your life.” – John Maxwell
John Maxwell Quotes
- “The only guarantee for failure is to stop trying” – John Maxwell
- “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.” – John Maxwell
- “The measure of a leader is not the number of people who serve him but the number of people he serves.” – John Maxwell
- “The bottom line in leadership isn’t how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others.” – John Maxwel
- “Creative leaders inherently know when rules need to be challenged, and they can see when a more flexible approach should be taken.” – John Maxwell
- “Although it’s admirable to be ambitious and hard-working, it’s more desirable to be smart-working.” – John Maxwell
- “Leaders never outgrow the need to change.” – John Maxwell
- “If you don’t have peace, it isn’t because someone took it from you; you gave it away. You cannot always control what happens to you, but you can control what happens in you.” – John Maxwell
- “Stay focused instead of getting offended or off track by others.” – John Maxwell
- “A successful person finds the right place for himself. But a successful leader finds the right place for others.” – John Maxwell
Best John Maxwell Quotes
- “If you really want to be an uncommon leader, you’re going to have to find a way to get much of your vision seen, implemented, and added to by others.” – John C. Maxwell
- “Managers work with processes-leaders work with people.” – John C. Maxwell
- “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” – John C. Maxwell
- “Good leaders know when to display emotions and when to delay them.” – John C. Maxwell
- “Real leadership is being the person others will gladly and confidently follow.” – John C. Maxwell
- “When the leader lacks confidence, the followers lack commitment.” – John C. Maxwell
- “Great leaders always seem to embody two seemingly disparate qualities. They are both highly visionary and highly practical.” – John C. Maxwell
- “The higher you want to climb, the more you need leadership. The greater the impact you want to make, the greater your influence needs to be.” –John C. Maxwell
- “If you can’t influence people, then they will not follow you. And if people won’t follow, you are not a leader. That’s the Law of Influence.” – John C. Maxwell
- “Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course. Leaders who are good navigators are capable of taking their people just about anywhere.” – John C. Maxwell
Quotes by John C. Maxwell
- “If you want to be a leader, the good news is that you can do it. Everyone has the potential, but it isn’t accomplished overnight. It requires perseverance.” – John C. Maxwell
- “Most good leaders want the perspective of people they trust.” – John C. Maxwell
- “All true leaders have learned to say no to the good in order to say yes to the best.” – John C. Maxwell
- “It’s not the position that makes the leader; it’s the leader that makes the position.” – John C. Maxwell
- “When leaders fail to empower others, it is usually due to three main reasons: 1. Desire for Job Security 2. Resistance to Change 3. Lack of Self-Worth.” – John C. Maxwell
- “Leadership has less to do with position than it does disposition.” – John C. Maxwell
- “Success for the leader is a single victory. However, when the protg experiences success, it becomes a double win.” – John C. Maxwell
- “The challenge of leadership is to create change and facilitate growth.” – John C. Maxwell
- “The rewards leaders give are counterbalanced by the results that their people give in return.” – John C. Maxwell
- “A leader with confidence is a leader who brings out positive changes in people.” – John C. Maxwell
