Leadership Quotes
75 quotes
Leadership
Guidance from history's greatest leaders and visionaries
75 Quotes
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail
— Often attributed to Emerson; closely paraphrased from his essays and lectures
He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command
— The Prince, Chapter XVII
If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking
— Attributed in various speeches and writings
Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower
— Interview with BusinessWeek, 1998
A throne is only a bench covered with velvet
— Attributed in numerous memoirs and letters
Power isn’t control at all—power is strength, and giving that strength to others. A leader isn’t someone who forces others to make him stronger; a leader is someone willing to give his strength to others that they may have the strength to stand on their own
— A Million Suns (novel), 2012
Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge
— TED Talk: 'Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe', 2014
One cannot step twice in the same river
— . Fragment 41, as quoted in Plato’s Cratylus
In the end, more than freedom, they wanted security. They wanted a comfortable life, and they lost it all—security, comfort, and freedom. When the Athenians finally wanted not to give to society but for society to give to them, when the freedom they wished for most was freedom from responsibility, then Athens ceased to be free
— The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 3
The best generals are those who have served in the lowest ranks
— Quoted by Emmanuel de Las Cases in 'Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène'
No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it
— The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie, Chapter 17
I suppose leadership at one time meant muscle; but today it means getting along with people
— Speech to Young India, 1931
Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you
— Television interview, Woman’s Own magazine, 1981
The leader is one who, out of the clutter, brings simplicity... out of discord, harmony... and out of difficulty, opportunity
— Attributed to Einstein in various writings about leadership
To lead the people, walk behind them
— Tao Te Ching, Chapter 66
One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious
— Alchemical Studies
It is absurd that a man should rule others, who cannot rule himself
— Moral Sayings (Sententiae), 1st century BC
When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful
— Speech at the Youth Takeover of the United Nations, 2013
To see what is right and not do it is want of courage
— The Analects, Book II
The measure of a man is what he does with power
— Republic
Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality
— Book: 'On Becoming a Leader' (1989)
Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things
— Book: 'The Essential Drucker' (2001), Chapter 3
Leadership is a series of behaviors rather than a role for heroes
— Leadership and the New Science, 1992
The greatest leader is not the one who does things right, but the one who gets things done right through others
— Often cited in lectures and writings during the late 20th century
Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other
— Speech at Vanderbilt University, May 18, 1963
The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes.
— Speech at the Labor Party Conference, 2002
The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.
— Lecture series, The Art of Exceptional Living
He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander
— Politics, Book IV
A cowardly leader is the most dangerous of men
— Novel 'The Stand', Chapter 6
Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing
— Often attributed in Schweitzer's speeches and writings
The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been
— Quoted in 'Managing the Dream: Leadership in the 21st Century' by Warren Bennis, 1996
Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.
— Winning (2005)
It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit
— Frequently attributed to speeches and correspondence, 1940s
He who cannot put his thoughts on ice should not enter into the heat of dispute
— Human, All Too Human, Aphorism 173
I must follow the people. Am I not their leader?
— Speech at Aylesbury, 1867
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
— From her advocacy work and speeches, widely cited in leadership literature
You take people as far as they will go, not as far as you would like them to go.
— From Les Mains Sales (Dirty Hands), Act 5, Scene 4, 1948.
To command is to serve, nothing more and nothing less.
— Speech on the responsibilities of leadership, 1958.
He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior
— Analects
Experience is the teacher of all things
— Commentarii de Bello Civili (The Civil War), Book II
A leader is a dealer in hope
— Attributed, often cited from conversations recorded by Emmanuel de Las Cases in 'Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte' (1823)
The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.
— Address to Students at the University of Southern California, 1986
Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better
— Speech at the University of California, Berkeley, 1997
A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus
— Speech to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, 1968
It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles
— Discourses on Livy, Book III, Chapter 13
Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity
— War as I Knew It (Memoirs)
The nation will find it very hard to look up to the leaders who are keeping their ears to the ground.
— House of Commons Speech, 1940.
The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it
— Quoted in 'The Home Book of Quotations, Classical and Modern', 1934, p. 1037
An army, like a serpent, moves only as fast as its head
— Quoted in Conversations with Napoleon by Emmanuel Las Cases
Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.
— Public speech in Washington, D.C., 1985.
The strongest of all warriors are these two—Time and Patience
— War and Peace, Book 10, Chapter 16
The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born—that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. That’s nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born
— Book: 'On Becoming a Leader' (1989), Introduction
The signs of outstanding leadership appear primarily among the followers. Are the followers reaching their potential? Are they learning? Serving? Are they achieving the required results?
— Leadership is an Art, Chapter 1
An army of sheep led by a lion is better than an army of lions led by a sheep
— Quoted in Plutarch’s Lives, Life of Alexander
People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives
— Speech in New York, 1916
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.
— Tao Te Ching, Chapter 17
The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet
— Quoted in Time magazine, March 20, 1972
He who learns but does not think, is lost. He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger
— Analects
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader
— Attributed, various speeches and writings
A ruler should be slow to punish and swift to reward
— Ovid’s 'Fasti', Book I
Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.
— Interview, 1991
You have to lead people gently toward what they already know is right
— Quality Without Tears, 1984
You manage things; you lead people.
— Interview, Business Week (1985)
The task of the leader is to get their people from where they are to where they have not been
— Speech at the Harvard Kennedy School, 1972
A leader is a dealer in realities.
— Leadership (1978), Chapter 1.
You don’t lead by hitting people over the head—that’s assault, not leadership
— Remarks to the National Junior Chamber of Commerce, May 1955
Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position
— Book: 'No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline' (2010)
The supreme quality of leadership is integrity
— Speech to the Century Association, New York, January 1955
He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader
— Politics
The price of greatness is responsibility
— Speech to the House of Commons, 12 September 1943
If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then you are an excellent leader
— From a 2009 commencement speech at the University of Tennessee
You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore
— Faulkner in the University (1957)
The higher we are placed, the more humbly we should walk
— Letter to Atticus
To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.
— You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life (1960)
The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.
— As quoted in The Leader of the Future (1996) by Frances Hesselbein & Marshall Goldsmith