Explore popular quotes and sayings by an American priest John C. Maxwell.
Last updated on September 10, 2024.
John Calvin Maxwell is an American author, speaker, and pastor who has written many books, primarily focusing on leadership. Titles include The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. His books have sold millions of copies, with some on the New York Times Best Seller List.
Every person has a longing to be significant; to make a contribution; to be a part of something noble and purposeful.
Policies are many, Principles are few, Policies will change, Principles never do.
Success is due to our stretching to the challenges of life. Failure comes when we shrink from them.
As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me. The first person that I should try to change is me.
Good leaders must communicate vision clearly, creatively, and continually. However, the vision doesn't come alive until the leader models it.
Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team.
Success comes to those who have an entire mountain of gold that they continually mine, not those who find one nugget and try to live on it for fifty years.
People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.
Ideas have a short shelf life. You must act on them before the expiration date.
The best way a mentor can prepare another leader is to expose him or her to other great people.
A minute of thought is greater than an hour of talk.
Learn to say 'no' to the good so you can say 'yes' to the best.
Self-centered leaders manipulate when they move people for personal benefit. Mature leaders motivate by moving people for mutual benefit.
How do leaders serve their people? They may pay good wages and treat employees with respect.
The dreams and passions stored within hearts are powerful keys which can unlock a wealth of potential.
Family and friendships are two of the greatest facilitators of happiness.
Leaders who are kind of insecure or egocentric, they basically sabotage themselves.
People who use time wisely spend it on activities that advance their overall purpose in life.
Look at our society. Everyone wants to be thin, but nobody wants to diet. Everyone wants to live long, but few will exercise. Everybody wants money, yet seldom will anyone budget or control their spending.
The greatest mistake we make is living in constant fear that we will make one.
Without failure there is no achievement.
If you want to reach the top, don't run over others. Likely, the only way you'll reach the top is to be carried there by others.
Time management is an oxymoron. Time is beyond our control, and the clock keeps ticking regardless of how we lead our lives. Priority management is the answer to maximizing the time we have.
There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. 'Good pride' represents our dignity and self-respect. 'Bad pride' is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance.
Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.
A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.
If you are a leader, you should never forget that everyone needs encouragement. And everyone who receives it - young or old, successful or less-than-successful, unknown or famous - is changed by it.
Leadership is influence.
The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.
Remember, man does not live on bread alone: sometimes he needs a little buttering up.
Enjoyment is an incredible energizer to the human spirit.
People who add value to others do so intentionally. I say that because to add value, leaders must give of themselves, and that rarely occurs by accident.
The best leaders are readers of people. They have the intuitive ability to understand others by discerning how they feel and recognizing what they sense.
Your attitude towards failure determines your altitude after failure.
Everyone has the potential to become an encourager. You don't have to be rich. You don't have to be a genius. You don't have to have it all together. All you have to do is care about people and initiate.
Dividers seek to make themselves look or feel better by making others feel worse. They damage relationships, fracture teams and organizations, and create havoc in people's lives.
In the end, people are persuaded not by what we say, but by what they understand.
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.
We choose what attitudes we have right now. And it's a continuing choice.
A word of encouragement from a teacher to a child can change a life. A word of encouragement from a spouse can save a marriage. A word of encouragement from a leader can inspire a person to reach her potential.
A lack of realism in the vision today costs credibility tomorrow.
Exceptionally hard decisions can deplete your energy to the point at which you finally cave in. If you mentally crumble and degenerate into negative thinking, you'll magnify the problem to the point where it can haunt you.
Time is more valuable than money, because time is irreplaceable.
A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.
The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda.
Everything rises and falls on leadership.
Most people want to avoid pain, and discipline is usually painful.
Inability to make decisions is one of the principal reasons executives fail. Deficiency in decision-making ranks much higher than lack of specific knowledge or technical know-how as an indicator of leadership failure.
All of the people in my life whom I consider to be close friends or colleagues are good thinkers.
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 first time you say something, it's heard. The second time, it's recognized, and the third time it's learned.
Have the humility to learn from those around you.
When your dream is bigger than you are, you only have two choices: give up or get help.
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.
Growth is the great separator between those who succeed and those who do not. When I see a person beginning to separate themselves from the pack, it's almost always due to personal growth.
People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.
Live to learn, and you will really learn to live.
Educators take something simple and make it complicated. Communicators take something complicated and make it simple.
To add value to others, one must first value others.
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.