Great Leaders Quotes

In these our cowardly times, we deny the grandeur of the Universal, and assert and glorify our local Bigotries, and so we cannot agree on much. In these our degenerate times, men bent on nothing but vainglory and personal gain- hollow, bombastic men for whom nothing is off-limits if it advances their petty cause- will claim to be great leaders and benefactors, acting in the common good, and calling all who oppose them liars, envious, little people, stupid people, stiff, and, in a precise reversal of the truth, dishonest and corrupt. ~ Salman Rushdie

(P58) It is curious how, with his stark Darwinian outlook, his elevation of war to the central place in human history, and his racism, as well as his fixation on "great leaders," Churchill's worldview resembled that of his antagonist, Hitler. ~ Ralph Raico

Leaders stand out. Good leaders succeed. Great leaders make a difference in the world. ~ Cheryl Richardson

Great leaders lead by example, not by making an example of others. ~ Stewart Stafford

If you encountered God as a real person, would you be the same person afterwards? Probably not, people of faith are not always your great leaders or folks with worldly confidence. They are often the glue that keeps things together.They are helping folks out because God is with them. When you take them out, everything falls apart. ~ Phil Mitchell

Great leaders genuinely care for and love the people they lead more than they love leading itself. ~ Rick Warren

Compared to high-profile leaders with big personalities who make headlines and become celebrities, the good-to-great leaders seem to have come from Mars. Self-effacing, quiet, reserved, even shy - these leaders are a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will. They ~ James C. Collins

Eleanor Roosevelt's determination to rise above her personal pain gave the world one of its great leaders. ~ Anne Michaud

The past doesn't equal the future.
All great leaders, all people who have achieved in any area of life,
know the power of continuously pursuing their vision,
even if all the details of how to achieve it aren't yet available ~ Tony Robbins

Great leaders don't play by the existing rules. ~ Mark V. Hurd

And who is the hero of that story? Who slew the dragon [totalitarianism]? Yes, it was the ordinary man, the taxpayer, the grunt who fought and won the wars. Yes, it was America and its allies. Yes, it was the great leaders: FDR, de Gaulle, Adenauer, Truman, John Paul II, Thatcher, Reagan. But above all, victory required one man without whom the fight would have been lost at the beginning. It required Winston Churchill. ~ Charles Krauthammer

I hear people everywhere saying that the trouble with our time is that we have no great leaders any more. If we look back we always had them. But to me it seems there is a very profound reason why there are no great leaders any more. It is because they are no longer needed. The message is clear. You no longer want to be led from the outside. Every man must be his own leader. He now knows enough not to follow other people. He must follow the light that's within himself, and through this light he will create a new community. ~ Laurens Van Der Post

Great leaders build trust from their team because the leader is willing to put his/her people "first." Once the team believes that, they will put their leader, and the company, first as well. ~ Beth Ramsay

The problems we have now in communities and societies are going to be resolved only when we are brought together by a common sense that each of us is a visionary. Each of us must come to the realization that we can function and live at the level of vision rather than following some great leader's vision. Instead of looking for a great leader, we are in an era where each of us needs to find the great leader in ourselves. ~ Werner Erhard

Great leaders don't just know the sweet spots of their people. They tap into and unchain the infinite potential imprisoned within their people... ~ Assegid Habtewold

was an eighth cousin of Churchill, and a sixth cousin, once removed, of FDR - and three of World War II's great leaders were thus linked by American intermarriages. ~ William Manchester

The greatest leaders mobilize others by coalescing people around a shared vision. ~ Ken Blanchard

Great leaders encourage leadership development. By openly developing themselves ~ Marshall Goldsmith

What great leaders have in common is that each truly knows his or her strengths - and can call on the right strength at the right time. ~ Tom Rath

Two of the great leaders of the past - Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass - had White fathers - who deserted them. Now Margo Jefferson, who is hard on me and the fellas, wrote in the Times that she has nocturnal, erotic fantasies about John Wayne. What's up with these feminists? Do you see these double standards these feminists have? They dream about John Wayne, but they're hard on us [Black men]. ~ Ishmael Reed

All great leaders find a sense of balance through their levels of reception. For instance, those who support a leader may soften him, those who ignore him may challenge him, and those who oppose him may stroke his ego. ~ Criss Jami

A true leader is one who creates a favourable environment to bring out the energy and ability of his team. A great leader creates more great leaders, and does not reduce the institution to a single person. ~ Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum

If one has the answers to all the questions - that is the proof that God is not with him. It means that he is a false prophet using religion for himself. The great leaders of the people of God, like Moses, have always left room for doubt. You must leave room for the Lord, not for our certainties; we must be humble. ~ Pope Francis

He [Mikhail Gorbachev] has, as many great leaders have, impressive eyes ... There's a kind of laser-beam stare, a forced quality, you get from Gorbachev that does not come across as something peaceful within himself. It's the look of a kind of human volcano, or he'd probably like to describe it as a human nuclear energy plant. ~ Dan Rather

Inspiration doesn't lie on the sleeves of great leaders, but it is instead hidden in the hearts of the simple souls who seldom show the potential they carry with them. ~ Sanhita Baruah

Good leaders are intelligent;
great leaders are wise.
Good leaders are bold;
great leaders are fearless.
Good leaders are artful;
great leaders are kind.
Good leaders are warriors;
great leaders are servants.
Good leaders are managers;
great leaders are innovators. ~ Matshona Dhliwayo

The world doesn't need more great leaders, it needs more great people who lead. ~ Erwin McManus

I'm from the school that great performers and great leaders create more great leaders. Give people other experiences, other responsibilities. Have them join organizations within the company and outside the company. ~ John Stumpf

We were surprised, shocked really, to discover the type of leadership required for turning a good company into a great one. Compared to high-profile leaders with big personalities who make headlines and become celebrities, the good-to-great leaders seem to have come from Mars. Self-effacing, quiet, reserved, even shy - these leaders are a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will. They are more like Lincoln and Socrates than Patton or Caesar. ~ Jim Collins

Authenticity is about imperfection. And authenticity is a very human quality. To be authentic is to be at peace with your imperfections. The great leaders are not the strongest, they are the ones who are honest about their weaknesses. The great leaders are not the smartest; they are the ones who admit how much they don't know. The great leaders can't do everything; they are the ones who look to others to help them. Great leaders don't see themselves as great; they see themselves as human. ~ Simon Sinek

Why do you think great leaders and great orations are coincident with wars, revolutions, and the founding or ending of governments and states? Common interests then are so clear that speeches are effortlessly drawn, but at present neither the facts nor the consequences are sufficiently clear to make oratory legitimate. This is the kind of war that will wind on and make fools of its partisans and opponents both. ~ Mark Helprin

LEADING LESSONS
There's always an answer.

No problem is ever hopeless--not even when you're facing your enemies with a stiff neck! With every disappointment on the dance floor, I grew to believe this more. Now, instead of feeling overwhelmed, frazzled, or that life is conspiring against me, I hold on and tell myself the answer is just an inch away. Great leaders are great simplifiers. They can cut through the doubt and despair so the solution becomes clear. It may not be instantaneous, but it will be there. Every challenge can be faced in dozens of ways. Sometimes the situation changes, or sometimes you change the way you see the situation. Part of our human condition is that we feel that we have to suffer in order to solve a problem. It doesn't have to be this way. Sometimes surrender is freedom. ~ Derek Hough

Great leaders communicate a vision that captures the imagination and fires the hearts and minds of those around them. ~ Joseph B. Wirthlin

Great leaders create memorable journeys ~ John Stein

People fail 2 ways: 1) don't know what to do 2) don't do what they know; therefore, great leaders must educate and inspire. ~ Orrin Woodward

Since then, I've observed that a charismatic personality who's willing to take risks only for personal gain does not make a good leader. Principle-centered leadership is based on selfless courage, practical wisdom and moral objectives. It's based on honesty and focused on achieving what is best for others, whether they understand it or not. Consequently, great leaders are not always popular, but they are consistent. ~ Kenneth E. Behring

Great leaders and great organizations are good at seeing what most of us can't see. They are good at giving us things we would never think of asking for. ~ Simon Sinek

Great leaders, the research shows, are made as they gradually acquire, in the course of their lives and careers, the competencies that make them so effective. The competencies can be learned by any leader, at any point. ~ Daniel Goleman

Don't follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you. ~ Margaret Thatcher

The ability to stay calm and focused in the midst of change is what distinguishes great leaders from those just collecting a paycheck. ~ Todd Stocker

Holy anger has its roots in genuine love. Both are part of the nature of God. Jesus' love for the man with the withered hand aroused His anger against those who would deny him healing. Jesus' love for God's house made Him angry at the sellers and buyers who had turned the temple into a "den of robbers" (Matthew 21:13). Yet in both these cases and others, it was ultimately Jesus' love for those doing wrong that caused Him to be angry with them. His anger got their attention!
Great leaders -- people who turn the tide and change the direction of events -- have been angry at injustice and abuse that dishonors God and enslaves the weak. William Wilberforce moved heaven and earth to emancipate slaves in England and eliminate the slave trade -- and he was angry! ~ J. Oswald Sanders

Great leaders are pragmatists who can deal with difficult realities but still have the optimism and courage to act. ~ Nitin Nohria

The primary value in value-based leadership is other-centredness - to be more concerned about other people and the organization than oneself. So in other words, the leader's job is to fulfil the agenda, the role, and the vision of the organization, not his personal agenda. All the great leaders in the world are other-centred. The self-centred leader will derail in due course But still, to be other centred is not enough. ~ John Ng

We must not, however, be like the leaders of the great romantic revolt who, in their eagerness to get rid of the husk of convention, disregarded also the humane aspiration. ~ Irving Babbitt

More people can be great leaders than think they can, but they need a purpose greater than themselves. ~ William J. Clinton

The true price of leadership is the willingness to place the needs of others above your own. Great leaders truly care about those they are privileged to lead and understand that the true cost of the leadership privilege comes at the expense of self-interest. ~ Simon Sinek

Good leaders set vision, missions, and goals. Great leaders inspire every follower at every level to internalize their purpose, and to understand that their purpose goes far beyond the mere details of their job. When everyone is united in purpose, a positive purpose that serves not only the organization but also, hopefully, the world beyond it, you have a winning team. ~ Colin Powell

Great leaders possess tremendous long-term clarity about what they're trying to accomplish both personally and in their careers. And it's this long-term perspective that builds character, wisdom, and self-discipline. Long-term thinking is the hallmark of high-performance living, yet it's often neglected in favor of the treadmill of urgent activities of the moment. ~ Tommy Newberry

Great leaders rise out of adversity. ~ Harvard Business School Press

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

I have seen competent leaders who stood in front of a platoon and all they saw was a platoon. But great leaders stand in front of a platoon and see it as 44 individuals, each of whom has aspirations, each of who wants to live, each of whom wants to do good. ~ Norman Schwarzkopf

Great leaders must have two things: a vision of the world that does not yet exist and the ability to communicate that vision clearly. ~ Simon Sinek

Great leaders make leadership look so easy. ~ Pat Heim

Be wary of great leaders. ~ Pete Seeger

It has become a commonplace that aggressiveness also often has its roots in fear. I am inclined to think that this theory has been pushed too far. [ ... ] The type of aggressiveness that is the outcome of timidity is not, I think, that which inspires great leaders; the great leaders, I should say, have an exceptional self-confidence which is not only on the surface, but penetrates deep into the subconscious. ~ Bertrand Russell

Great leaders don't rush to blame. They instinctively look for solutions. ~ Nina Easton

The great leaders have always stage-managed their effects. ~ Charles De Gaulle

The defining qualities that will distinguish great leaders from the rest are stemmed from the mindset level. ~ Pearl Zhu

Great leaders are willing to retire unloved and unpopular as the price for great exertion. ~ Charles Krauthammer

Poor leaders push us towards the goal. Great leaders guide us through the journey. ~ Simon Sinek

Because when a teacher appreciates you, you think "I am something!" In a society where people believe girls are weak, and not capable of anything except cooking and cleaning, you think "I have a talent." When a teacher tells you that all great leaders and scientists were once children, too, you think, "Maybe we can be the great ones tomorrow." In a country where so many people consider it a waste to send girls to school, it is a teacher who helps you believe in your dreams. ~ Malala Yousafzai

A leader does not develop leadership by gaining more followers. Great leaders make more leaders. ~ J.R. Rim

GREAT LEADER'S DIRECTION FLASHES WILL SHOWER EVERY GOAL POME ON OBEISANCE LOINISATION.ANY CHAGRIN POTHER?? ~ Various

Great leaders never accept the world as it was and always work for the world as it should be ~ Condoleezza Rice

He wove those three threads into a talk ranging from annually spending a week at Halloween as a child collecting candy to giving candy to hundreds of children at Halloween as an adult; from childhood assistance he received from adults, particularly after his parents divorced, to saying I challenge you to be a caring adult in someone's life ... Great times call forth great leaders. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Great leaders don't blame the tools they are given. Great leaders work to sharpen them. ~ Simon Sinek

Great obstacles make great leaders. ~ Billy Diamond

Shackleton's unwillingness to succumb to the demands of everyday life & his insatiable excitement w/ unrealistic ventures left him open to the accusation of being basically immature & irresponsible. & very possibly he was-by conventional standards. But the great leaders of historical record-the Napoleons, the Nelsons, the Alexanders-have rarely fitted any conventional mold, & it is perhaps an injustice to evaluate them in ordinary terms. There can be little doubt that Shackleton, in this way, was an extraordinary leader of men. ~ Alfred Lansing

Great leadership is about human experiences, not processes. ~ Lance Secretan

The great leaders of the second world war alliance, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, understood the twin sides of destruction and salvation. Their war aims were not only to defeat fascism, but to create a world of shared prosperity. ~ Jeffrey Sachs

Your organization needs great leaders at all levels, now more than ever. You need to be the best leader you can possibly be. ~ Vince Molinaro

Great leaders are inspired by a challenge, a need, a problem, an issue that needs to be corrected. ~ Del Suggs

Great leaders don't make excuses. They make things better. They are not unrealistic or blind to the difficulties they face. They simply are not discouraged by them. They never lose confidence that the problems can be solved. They maintain a positive attitude. Great leaders don't blame their people for not being where they ought to be; they take their people from where they are to where they need to be. Great leaders never lose faith that this is possible. ~ Henry T. Blackaby

And what an honour to have been chosen. How silly to have been so frightened! Naturally the great leaders of the State would not allow harm to come to an innocent citizen who worked hard and had no black marks on her zapiska. Suddenly she felt immensely grateful to the father-figure that was the State, and proud that she would now have a chance to repay some of her debt. Even the Klebb woman wasn't really so bad after all. ~ Ian Fleming

All great leaders are challengers. Don´t confuse with stubborn. You are not stubborn, but you are challenger. When you are sure what is right, you have to struggle all your best to challenge it. Don´t care with low life people around think abet you; they are in the low level. Go ahead to the point you wish please. I really appreciate you. ~ Khem Veasna

Great leaders live and leave noble and indelible footprints. Any leader can start something. Any leader can do anything but, the real hallmark and a great measure of a great leader is not necessarily what happens now but, what happens later. The noble works of a true and a great leader stand the test of time and never vanish with time. ~ Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

You talk about seeing around corners as an element of success. That's what differentiates the good leader. Not many people have it. Not many people can predict that corner. That would be a characteristic of great leaders. ~ Jack Welch

Great leaders attest to the wisdom and power that may lie within the most unlikely of us. ~ Susan Banfield

The most interesting aspect of leadership is that it cannot be predicted. All great leaders had been quite ordinary in their early years. It was only when they became leaders that people started recognising them as leaders.
It is difficult to identify specific qualities that make a leader. However, when leaders emerge, people are inclined to point out their leadership qualities. Yet, when other people imbibe the same qualities and try to imitate the actions of their leaders, they may fail. ~ Awdhesh Singh

Great leaders always have self-discipline -without exception. ~ John C. Maxwell

If you want to become a great leader, you need to prepare yourself to become a great leader, and the best way to do that is to study great leaders. ~ Bo Schembechler

Great leaders, in contrast, are able to inspire people to act. Those who are able to inspire give people a sense of purpose or belonging that has little to do with any external incentive or benefit to be gained. ~ Simon Sinek

A great leader's courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position. ~ John C. Maxwell

Great leaders create more leaders, not followers. ~ Roy T. Bennett

I was greatly inspired by the Utopian Tamanend Ideals of St. Tammany; the only Native American Saint. St. Tammany continues to inspire great leaders to this day and started the original Peace Movement together with William Penn. Society of St. Tammany(Tammany Hall) ran NYC and world politics up until the 1950s in his name. ~ John Lennon

Great leaders don't try to be perfect. They try to be themselves. And that's what makes them great. ~ Simon Sinek

Great leaders are the first to say, "I was wrong. Let's make a change. ~ Beth Ramsay

Renowned management guru Peter F.Drucker looked back at his 65-year consulting career shortly before he died. He concluded that great leaders could either be 'charismatic or dull' or 'visionary or numbers-orientated,' but the most inspiring and effective managers he knew all had said we rather than I. ~ Robert I. Sutton

In order to succeed we need leaders of inspired idealism, leaders to whom are granted great visions, who dream greatly and strive to make their dreams come true; who can kindle the people with the fire from their own burning souls. The leader for the time being, whoever he may be, is but an instrument, to be used until broken and then to be cast aside; and if he is worth his salt he will care no more when he is broken than a soldier cares when he is sent where his life is forfeit in order that the victory may be won. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

We all know that great leaders can create great successes. ~ Kenneth C. Griffin

Great leaders don't need to act tough. Their confidence and humility serve to underscore their toughness. ~ Simon Sinek

Ordinary leaders move mounds,
good leaders move hills,
but great leaders move mountains. ~ Matshona Dhliwayo

Great leaders create great cultures regardless of the dominant culture in the organization. ~ Bob Anderson

One of the lessons of leadership worth emphasizing is that you want to get to know other great leaders and take their advice. At some point in your development, it's only people who've been in the seat of having to be leaders who can help you in a deep way. ~ Jim Yong Kim

Great leaders are great finishers. ~ Brad Lomenick

Good leaders have vision and inspire others to help them turn vision into reality. Great leaders have vision, share vision, and inspire others to create their own. ~ Roy Bennett

Great leaders take care of their men first, and then worry about their own needs. ~ Bill O'Reilly

Great leaders are comfortable with conflict....not because we enjoy it, but because we are eager to get beyond it. ~ Lana Krumwiede

Great leaders rally people to a better future. ~ Marcus Buckingham

Good leaders teach you how to swim to the shore;
great leaders teach you how to walk on water. ~ Matshona Dhliwayo