90+ Leadership Quotes: Inspiring Words for Future Leaders

Leadership and success go hand in hand, as great leaders possess the power and courage to envision a better future and inspire others to achieve great heights. Over the years, many great leaders have shared their valuable insights on leadership in the form of quotes.

These leadership quotes not only provide a source of motivation but also offer valuable lessons that can help you grow as an individual and as a team player. In the next sections, we’ll dive deeper into some of the best quotes that touch upon various aspects of leadership, such as vision, power, courage, and the ability to inspire others.

So, as you continue on your path to success, let these leadership quotes serve as a source of guidance and encouragement, helping you become the best version of yourself.

In this section, you’ll find a variety of leadership quotes from various well-known figures. This list is designed to inspire and motivate you in your leadership journey.

Remember, these quotes come from influential people like Lao Tzu, Rosalynn Carter, Steve Jobs, Eleanor Roosevelt, Warren Bennis, Jim Rohn, and John Quincy Adams.

So, here are some thought-provoking leadership quotes:

1. The best leaders are those their followers hardly know exist. The next best is a leader, who is loved and praised. Next comes the one who is feared. The worst one is the leader that is despised. – Lao Tzu

2. 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

3. Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. – Steve Jobs

4. Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. – Eleanor Roosevelt

5. Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple and it is also that difficult. – Warren Bennis

6. The challenge of leadership is to be strong but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly. – Jim Rohn

7. If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. – John Quincy Adams

Feel free to contemplate these quotes and apply their wisdom to your own leadership style. The key is to internalize their meaning and embrace the qualities of great leaders.

1. A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit. – Arnold H. Glasow
2. A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus. – Martin Luther King, Jr.
3. To be a great teacher, be the student your class needs. – Anonymous
4. A boss has the title, a leader has the people. – Simon Sinek
5. Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. – Steve Jobs
6. Great leaders are willing to sacrifice their own personal interests for the good of the team. – John C. Maxwell
7. What you do has far greater impact than what you say. – Stephen Covey
8. The only way to do great work is to love what you do. – Steve Jobs
9. A leader’s job is not to do the work for others, it’s to help others figure out how to do it themselves, to get things done, and to succeed beyond what they thought possible. – Simon Sinek
10. Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

The following quotes emphasize the importance of acknowledging reality, leveraging one’s strengths, and finding solutions in the face of challenges.

11. The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. – Ralph Nader
12. Leaders think and talk about the solutions. Followers think and talk about the problems. – Brian Tracy
13. 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. – Ronald Reagan
14. 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 C. Maxwell
15. Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. – Arnold Schwarzenegger

16. To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart. – Eleanor Roosevelt
17. A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. – John C. Maxwell
18. The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been. – Henry Kissinger
19. A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position. – John C. Maxwell
20. The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart. – Helen Keller
21. The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves. – Ray Kroc
22. Don’t be afraid of new ideas. Be afraid of old ideas. They keep you where you are and stop you from growing and moving forward. – Robert Kiyosaki
23. The superior man is modest in his speech but exceeds in his actions. – Confucius
24. Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them. – John C. Maxwell
25. The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. – William Arthur Ward

Embrace these quotes to guide your leadership journey and inspire those around you!

51. Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. —Jack Welch

52. The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. —William Arthur Ward

53. Great leaders are not defined by the absence of weakness, but rather by the presence of clear strengths. —John Zenger

54. The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. —Ralph Nader

55. To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart. —Eleanor Roosevelt

56. Integrity is the most valuable and respected quality of leadership. Always keep your word.

57. Leadership is the ability to get extraordinary achievement from ordinary people.

58. Great leaders harness personal courage, capture the hearts and minds of others, and empower new leaders to make the world a better place.

59. A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.

60. Your heart should always be your guiding compass when you lead others.

61. The best way to predict the future is to create it.

62. Control is not leadership; management is not leadership; leadership is_leadership_. If you seek to lead, invest at least 50% of your time leading yourself–your own purpose, ethics, principles, motivation, conduct.

63. *Focus on integrity, and your followers will come._

64. Don’t be afraid to be bold, and have confidence in your decisions.

65. *Some leadership styles cultivate success, while other approaches can be detrimental to the growth and success of an organization._

66. Accept the fact that we have to treat almost anybody as a volunteer.

67. *Your work is to discover your work, and then with all your heart to give yourself to it._

68. *To succeed, a leader must focus on the needs and goals of their team._

69. *To be a good leader, never leave doubt about what you want and what you will do to achieve it._

70. *Motivation is often one of the most important aspects of leadership._

71. *To be successful,one must appreciate and accept both the highs and lows of leadership._

72. *The true measure of a leader is not by the number of followers, but the influence they have on the lives and success of those they lead._

73. *The most effective leaders not only guide others towards achieving their goals but also inspire them to dream, learn, and grow._

74. *The heart and soul of a good leader is their passion for what they do and a willingness to put the needs of their team first._

75. *As a leader, trust that your team will rise to the occasion and follow your lead.

76. Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. – Steve Jobs

77. To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart. – Eleanor Roosevelt

78. The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. – William Arthur Ward

79. The speed of the leader is the speed of the group. – John C. Maxwell

80. Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person. – Mother Teresa

81. 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. – Ronald Reagan

82. As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others. – Bill Gates

83. Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. – John F. Kennedy

84. The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. – Nelson Mandela

85. The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership. – Harvey S. Firestone

86. A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. – John Maxwell

87. Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success. – Dale Carnegie

88. Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. – Warren Bennis

89. The best leaders are those most interested in surrounding themselves with assistants and associates smarter than they are. – John C. Maxwell

90. The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. – Ralph Nader

91. You can never know enough or learn enough to stop aiming for personal growth. – Tony Blair

92. A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus. – Martin Luther King Jr.

93. You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. – Maya Angelou

94. Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge. – Simon Sinek

95. Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in. – Bill Bradley

96. 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. – Lao Tzu

97. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. – Martin Luther King Jr.

98. Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools. – Napoleon Bonaparte

99. The only way to do great work is to love what you do. – Steve Jobs

100. The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be. – Socrates

As you explore these quotes, remember to stay open to new perspectives and learning opportunities.

Embrace your responsibilities as a leader and strive for progress and innovation, while always keeping your team’s well-being and growth in mind.