Top 25 Quotes To Discover The Leader In You

By David K. Williams

I was inspired by author Dave Kerpen’s recent article that shared his top 25 leadership quotes.  As he aptly noted, great quotes inspire us to change, to grow, and to become our best selves. In that same vein, I’m sharing my own favorite famous and not-so-famous quotes that have inspired me and my leadership team to view ourselves as a championship team.

I have divided and organized my own favorites to align with the 7 Non-Negotiables of Winning that have arisen out of the research and practical use of these themes as I was preparing my book.

Let me know which of these are your favorites, and share the quotes you’ve found to be most inspirational to you that you would add to this list.

Here goes:

Listening

1) “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” —Ernest Hemingway

2) “The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.” —Ralph Nichols

Storytelling

3) ”If you tell me, it’s an essay. If you show me, it’s a story.” —Barbara Greene

4) “You’re writing the story of your life one moment at a time.”—Doc Childre

Authenticity

5) “You can’t talk your way out of that which you behaved yourself into, you must behave your way out.” —My version of Stephen Covey’s famous quote

6) ”Authenticity is the alignment of head, mouth, heart, and feet — thinking, saying, feeling, and doing the same thing — consistently. This builds trust, and followers love leaders they can trust.” —Lance Secretan

Transparency

7) ”As a small businessperson, you have no greater leverage than the truth.” —John Whittier

8) ”There is no persuasiveness more effectual than the transparency of a single heart, of a sincere life.” —Joseph Berber Lightfoot

Team Playing

9) “Individuals play the game, but teams beat the odds.” —SEAL Team saying

10) “In the end, everyone will know that everyone did it.” —Lao Tzu

Responsiveness

11) ”Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it.” —Charles Swindoll

12) ‘”Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” —Bill Gates

Adaptability

13) ”When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” —Benjamin Franklin

14) ”It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” —Charles Darwin

Passion

15) I’ll quit competing when my heart quits beating.” —Michael Jordan

16) ”I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” —Albert Einstein

Surprise and Delight

17) “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” —Mark Twain

18) “Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.” —Boris Pasternak

Simplicity

19) ”Less isn’t more; just enough is more.” —Milton Glaser

20) “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” —Leonardo da Vinci

Gratefulness

21) “How dare you give up now Dad.” —My son, Cameron Williams, spoke these words two days before he passed. We have never given up. The 7 Non-Negotiables of Winning carries on Cam’s work and is dedicated to him

22) “The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.” —Friedrich Nietzsche

Leadership

23) “No, thank you, we don’t need investment money.  We are debt free, we are employee owned, we grow with our own cash, and our exit strategy is death.” —David K. Williams to any potential investor in my company

24) “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” —John Quincy Adams

And for the finale…in the number 25 spot, I would like to share the quotes our team developed for The 7 Non-Negotiables of Winning in the hopes that they may inspire you to dedicate a little time over the coming days to develop your own “non-negotiable” principles and quotes. 

Respect

Seek to understand others before you seek to be understood.

Belief

If you believe in yourself, you can Fail Up and overcome anything.

Trust

Trust is the foundation of healthy relationships and it must be earned.

Loyalty

Promises must be more than words, even if they require sacrifice.

Commitment

Hold nothing back and work like this is your last job.

Courage

Never back down from a challenge; find the strength to soar.

Gratitude

Seek opportunities to express kindness in word and deed.

Now it’s your turn. Which of these quotes speak most to you? What are your favorite leadership quotes? And which qualities make you a likable leader? Let me know in the comments below, and here’s to the leader that lives within each of us.