John C. Maxwell Quotes
Quotations and aphorisms by John C. Maxwell:
The best way a mentor can prepare another leader is to expose him or her to other great people.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Pride deafens us to the advice or warnings of those around us.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Remember, man does not live on bread alone: sometimes he needs a little buttering up.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
When a person starts to talk about their dreams, it's as if something bubbles up from within. Their eyes brighten, their face glows, and you can feel the excitement in their words.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Keeping score is for games, not friendships.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
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.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
The greatest mistake we make is living in constant fear that we will make one.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
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.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
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.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
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.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
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.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
If you're lying, you're lying.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Your attitude towards failure determines your altitude after failure.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Self-centered leaders manipulate when they move people for personal benefit. Mature leaders motivate by moving people for mutual benefit.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
To remain a credible leader, I must always work first, hardest, and longest on changing myself. This is neither easy nor natural, but it is essential.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Children astound me with their inquisitive minds. The world is wide and mysterious to them, and as they piece together the puzzle of life, they ask 'Why?' ceaselessly.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Life can be boring unless you put some effort into it.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
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.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
I vividly remember a conversation I had many years ago in 1974, which marked a turning point in my leadership journey. I was sitting at a Holiday Inn with my friend, Kurt Campmeyer, when he asked me if I had a personal growth plan. I didn't. In fact, I didn't even know you were supposed to have one.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
When your dream is bigger than you are, you only have two choices: give up or get help.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
In the end, people are persuaded not by what we say, but by what they understand.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Educators take something simple and make it complicated. Communicators take something complicated and make it simple.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
One of the roles of the Presidency is to lead a political party. Having a President in office is usually a huge advantage to a party because it gives the party a mouthpiece and an advocate at the highest level.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
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.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
The experience of pain or loss can be a formidably motivating force.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
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 C. Maxwell
Link:
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.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
If you are a parent, you have probably already realized that your children are always watching what you do. And just as children watch their parents and emulate their behavior, so do employees who are watching their bosses.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
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 C. Maxwell
Link:
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.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
We don't mature momentarily, but over the long-term.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Family and friendships are two of the greatest facilitators of happiness.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
As you get older, time speeds up but life slows down.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Good executives never put off until tomorrow what they can get someone else to do today.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Whenever a high-profile leader dies, people immediately attempt to summarize that person's life in a sentence. Often, critics and commentators get caught up looking at the leader's style, or which political or philosophical camp they represented.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Talent grips us. We are overtaken by the beauty of Michelangelo's sculpture, riveted by Mariah Carey's angelic voice, doubled over in laughter by the comedy of Robin Williams, and captivated by the on screen performances of Denzel Washington.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
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.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
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.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
To add value to others, one must first value others.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Leaders who fail to prune their pride will meet demise. That's not a guess, it's a guarantee. With pride, it's not a matter of 'if' we will fall, but 'when.' There are no exceptions.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Enjoyment is an incredible energizer to the human spirit.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
We choose what attitudes we have right now. And it's a continuing choice.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Leadership is influence.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
All good leaders are connectors. They relate well and make people feel confident about themselves and their leader.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
A minute of thought is greater than an hour of talk.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Live to learn, and you will really learn to live.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
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.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Ranking among the greatest Christmas movie classics, 'It's a Wonderful Life' tells a beautiful story about the priceless value of relationships.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
The dreams and passions stored within hearts are powerful keys which can unlock a wealth of potential.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
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.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
For more than a decade, I led an organization that put on an elaborate Christmas program each December. It was a big production, with over 250 people participating in more than 20 performances. By the end of the season, everyone who participated was exhausted.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
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.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me. The first person that I should try to change is me.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
How do leaders serve their people? They may pay good wages and treat employees with respect.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
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.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
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.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Everything rises and falls on leadership.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
You will never fulfill your destiny doing work you despise.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Time is more valuable than money, because time is irreplaceable.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Without failure there is no achievement.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
When you are full of pride on the inside, it makes you stiff, stubborn, and creates strife with others.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Good leaders must communicate vision clearly, creatively, and continually. However, the vision doesn't come alive until the leader models it.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Positional leaders ignore the fact that every person has hopes, dreams, desires, and goals of his own. And leaders must bring their vision and the aspirations of the people they lead together in a way that benefits everyone.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Ideas have a short shelf life. You must act on them before the expiration date.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Leaders who are kind of insecure or egocentric, they basically sabotage themselves.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
A lack of realism in the vision today costs credibility tomorrow.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Have the humility to learn from those around you.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Learn to say 'no' to the good so you can say 'yes' to the best.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Most people want to avoid pain, and discipline is usually painful.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Success is due to our stretching to the challenges of life. Failure comes when we shrink from them.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
People who use time wisely spend it on activities that advance their overall purpose in life.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
The most talented do not always end up as celebrities, and those with less talent often do. Upsets are written into our history and occur around us every day.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Good thinkers always prime the pump of ideas. They always look for things to get the thinking process started, because what you put in always impacts what comes out.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
All of the people in my life whom I consider to be close friends or colleagues are good thinkers.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
The first time you say something, it's heard. The second time, it's recognized, and the third time it's learned.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Every person has a longing to be significant; to make a contribution; to be a part of something noble and purposeful.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
We all have done something unethical.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Policies are many, Principles are few, Policies will change, Principles never do.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
It seems the older you get, the more life comes into focus.
~John C. Maxwell
Link:
Share:
Permalink:
Browse: