Spiritual Leader Quotes

All religious leaders and spiritual teachers emphasize finding a place within us that is true. People who obsessively follow these leaders instead of their own purpose attach to the spiritual leader and become fanatical and controlling. That's why Jesus tried to tell his followers not to get attached to outward form. ~ Martha Beck

As God commands us men to teach your wife, to teach your children - to be the spiritual leader of your family - you're acting as a priest. Now, unfortunately, unfortunately, in too many Christian homes, the role of the priest is assumed by the wife. ~ Rafael Cruz

Respect those elder to you in years, in knowledge and spiritual attainment and act with love and compassion with those who are younger or less fortunate than you. ~ Radhe Maa

Ner'zhul... Gul'dan. Two of the darkest names ever to sully the history of my people. And yet, Drek'thar tells me that once Ner'zhul was admired, even beloved, and truly cared for the people whos spiritual leader he was. It is hard to reconcile those words with what Ner'zhul has become, but I try. I try because I want to understand.
And yet, try as I might... I do not. ~ Christie Golden

I spent most of my time floating on an inflatable raft in the pristine Mediterranean waters, my big belly curving toward the sun, reading (incongruously) The Autobiography of Malcolm X. It rocked me to my core. Malcolm's story opened a window onto a reality I had ignored. But the greatest revelation the book brought me was the possibility of profound human transformation. I was spellbound by his journey from the doped-up, numbers-running, woman-beating, street-hustling, pimping Malcolm Little to a proud, clean, literate, Muslim Malcolm X who taught that all white people were the Devil incarnate - to his final, spiritual transformation in Mecca. There he met white people from all over the world who received him as a brother, and he realized that "white," as he had been using the word, didn't mean skin color as much as it meant attitudes and actions some whites held toward non-whites - but that not all whites were racist. At the time of his murder, he was anything but the hatemonger portrayed in the American press. Somehow, through the horrors that had been his life, he had become a spiritual leader. How had this been possible? ~ Jane Fonda

Never be proud but show humility towards others, true wisdom lies in being humble. ~ Radhe Maa

Fear exists because we do not have faith. ~ Radhe Maa

Do not return evil for evil ~ Radhe Maa

A natural leader by any measure, Paul became a great spiritual leader when his heart and mind were captured by Jesus Christ. ~ J. Oswald Sanders

To live in a peaceful home is to experience paradise on earth ~ Radhe Maa

Know the one who wants nothing to be the wealthiest. ~ Radhe Maa

Love is the process of melting into the other ~ Radhe Maa

Do not bank on mere mortals. Trust the One who will never fail you ~ Radhe Maa

It is the devotee's job to chant God's name. It is God's business to keep count. ~ Radhe Maa

If you wish to enjoy a position, find ways of being useful, hard working and cooperative with the people whose favour has given you the position ~ Radhe Maa

They should regard me as what I am. I am a spiritual leader and teacher. ~ Louis Farrakhan

It is important to reignite our compassion for others because without it we will be lost in the sea of suffering ~ Radhe Maa

When catering for your spiritual needs make sure that you authenticate the capacity and qualification of the person or people you allow access to your spiritual being. Being careless in this regard is as dangerous as allowing an untrained person to treat you or operate on you to address a medical condition. While the bush-doctor kills your body, the false spiritual leader will destroy body, soul and spirit. Therefore use your belief's spiritual standard, not a merely mental or intellectual standard, to get spiritual help. ~ Archibald Marwizi

He was amazed to find that the Karmapa, an eminent spiritual leader known the world over, treated him as though his visit were one of the most important things that had ever happened to the Karmapa in his life. This treatment did not manifest through grandiose gestures or ceremony, but rather through the simplicity and completeness of the Karmapa's presence, which offered my friend an experience of being completely loved. When I heard this story, I thought about how many conversations I have had during which my attention was halfhearted. I might be thinking about the next thing I had to do or the next person I had to talk to. How unfair that lack of attention now seems! The simple act of being completely present to another person is truly an act of love - no drama is required. ~ Sharon Salzberg

As the spiritual leader of six million people, the Dalai Lama can be credited with a significant renunciation of the authority of tradition - of the conventional politics of national self-interest as well as of religion. ~ Pankaj Mishra

Whether I am believed or not, I will repeat that Vladimir Soloviov, who held that Dostoevsky was a prophet, is wrong, and that N. K. Mikhailovsky, who calls him a cruel talent and a grubber after buried treasure, is right. Dostoevsky grubs after buried treasure no doubt about that. And, therefore, it would be more becoming in the younger generation that still marches under the flag of pious idealism if, instead of choosing him as a spiritual leader, they avoided the old sorcerer, in whom only those gifted with great shortsightedness or lack of experience in life could fail to see the dangerous man. ~ Lev Shestov

Hatred can be cured by love. ~ Radhe Maa

A true leader always leads by example, by demonstrating to others how the work is done. Sri Krishna, being a great spiritual leader of his time, also chose to perform certain worldly activities. Why? He explains, "If ever I cease to be vigilantly engaged in action, then people would follow my footsteps in every way and no one would perform action."28 The life of Krishna is marked by ordinariness. He did the earthly job of cow herding, and also indulged in romancing, dancing and playing the flute. He demonstrated a life for others to emulate. He led a balanced life with his strengths as well as frailties. His life was, therefore, not extraordinary. He was not an epitome of perfection. He showed others how to lead a normal, worldly life by himself performing all the actions and yet drifting away from it by reaching for higher ideals. ~ Nihar Satpathy

The least among the sadhus, saints and monks and other people of God is worthier than you. Never speak ill of them ~ Radhe Maa

No pastor, no spiritual leader, is ever able to take his people any further than he himself has gone with God. ~ W. Phillip Keller

For the greater good, I thought I should be a spiritual leader for people for some reason. ~ Johnny Vegas

The love of Christ comes from simple people who love simple people. Never be fooled by the spiritual leader who knows a lot but doesn't love a lot. ~ Andy Stanley

If a Christian is not willing to rise early and work late, to expend greater effort in diligent study and faithful work, that person will not change a generation. Fatigue is the price of leadership. Mediocrity is the result of never getting tired. ~ J. Oswald Sanders

The wisdom and spirit of Churchill not only saved Britain from the Third Reich but saved Western civilization from a Nazi Dark Ages when no other nation was willing to take up that defense. Churchill was the greatest military, political and spiritual leader of the 20th century. ~ Victor Davis Hanson

Spiritual growth is the only real growth ~ Radhe Maa

Plough your fields, cast your seeds, the rains will come when they please. ~ Radhe Maa

The Christian family is under attack on all fronts. Christian marriages are disintegrating at an alarming rate. Children are not receiving the proper training and modeling from their Christian parents. And, from my perspective, a major contributor to this tragic slide is usually a husband and father who is not fully assuming his God-ordained role as spiritual leader. ~ Jim George

To truly understand the Nazis," Ulmstrom said, leading the way, "you have to stop considering them as a political party. They called themselves Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei - the National Socialist German Workers' Party - but in reality, they were really a cult." "A cult?" Gray asked. "They bore all the trappings, ja? A spiritual leader who could not be questioned, disciples who wore matching clothes, rituals and blood oaths performed in secret, and most important of all, the creation of a potent totem to worship. The Hakenkreuz. The Broken Cross, also called the swastika. A symbol to supplant the crucifix and the Star of David." "Hari krishnas on steroids," Monk mumbled. "Do not joke. The Nazis understood the inherent power of ideas. A power greater than any gun or rocket. They used it to subjugate and brainwash an entire nation. ~ James Rollins

One reason why people are unable to understand great Christian classics is that they are trying to understand without any intention of obeying them. ~ J. Oswald Sanders

Unlike many spiritual leaders, Dalai Lama is never been in a position to just sit on a mountain top handing out wisdom. He's had to live out his principles in the middle of this very complex situation, every day for sixty years or more. I think it's something that moves many people about his example. ~ Pico Iyer

Live every day as if it is a festival. Turn your life into a celebration ~ Radhe Maa

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve ... " Matthew 20:28 Jesus also said, "Yet I am among you as the One who serves" (Luke 22:27). Paul's idea of service was the same as our Lord's - " ... ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake" (2 Corinthians 4:5). We somehow have the idea that a person called to the ministry is called to be different and above other people. But according to Jesus Christ, he is called to be a "doormat" for others - called to be their spiritual leader, but never their superior. ~ Oswald Chambers

Humility is more powerful than egoistic pride. Water is more powerful than the strongest cliff and Love is more powerful than might. ~ Radhe Maa

People all over the world recognize me as a spiritual leader. ~ Steven Seagal

The uncompromising example of Jesus Christ places upon every Christian minister the responsibility to withstand the temptation to align oneself with the secular ruling powers. It is true that it is part of every minister's calling to be a pastor to his or her parishioners, to be a spiritual leader and teacher and a comforter of the sick at heart and those afflicted in mind, soul, spirit, or body. Ministers of the Gospel must comfort the afflicted, but they also have the prophet's duty to afflict the comfortable. ~ Obery M. Hendricks Jr.

The world is a challenging place in terms of wars and peace, basic human rights and freedoms. The Holy Father has a major role to play in global affairs. The pope is more than a spiritual leader. For the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, he is an inspiration of holiness and goodness and, above all, the faithful proclamation of the Gospel. ~ Chris Smith

A mind in the present moment is meditation. ~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

If your aims are lofty, your achievements are bound to be great. ~ Radhe Maa

God and devotee are bound for ever in ropes of love ~ Radhe Maa

Love is God, and the one that believes in love, believes in God. ~ Radhe Maa

It helps certain church leaders identify the fact that they have the spiritual gift of leadership that the Bible talks about in Romans 12:8. Once you understand that God has given a gift, then training becomes more seriously. When you receive better training, you become more effective in the leadership position that God has assigned to you. ~ Bill Hybels

We are all poor in the face of God's majesty. Not all of us realise it. ~ Radhe Maa

The spiritual leader will choose the hidden path of sacrificial service and approval of the Lord over the flamboyant self-advertising of the world. ~ J. Oswald Sanders

There is no such thing as a self made spiritual leader. He is able to influence others spiritually only because the Spirit is able to work in and through him to a greater degree than in those he leads. ~ J. Oswald Sanders

God gives us opportunity to serve him by serving humanity. ~ Radhe Maa

Give and take is business not bhakti ~ Radhe Maa

We exist to serve the Lord ~ Radhe Maa

Self proclamation of authoritative titles is a common phenomenon among religious and/or occult sect leaders. A cursory survey of this primarily 20th century phenomenon will instantly reveal a multitude of self-declared Masters, High Priests, gurus, Ipsissimi, Bhaghwani, etc.. I am pleased that I cannot count myself among such types. Legitimate religious teachers and scholars know that a genuine spiritual leader is one whose calling to lead is first noticed by those outside of him or herself based on certain qualities, abilities, and actions and then must subsequently be accepted by the individual in question as his or her destiny. This contrasts with those whose will to lead is born simply out of the mundane wish to be a leader. In such cases the goal being to reap the rewards a title brings without the hard work and the innate, manifest qualities which validate the position; in short what might be considered a 'false prophet'."

--"From the Eye of the Storm" (Zeena's column for the SLM) Volume II – Winter Issue (2003): "One Year Later... ~ Zeena Schreck

As a spiritual leader, you are here to serve; not to be served. Stop robbing the poor. Jesus came to serve. ~ Felix Wantang

A disciple: I am worried about human suffering all over the world. What is the solution?Spiritual leader: The solution to our miseries lie within central atom of our being, 'I'. Once this central atom transcends to 'WE', human sufferings can be resolved. ~ Santosh Kalwar

Christ was crucified by the Jews who had wanted a temporal ruler to rescue them from the oppressive Roman authorities. Instead God sent them a spiritual leader to rescue them from their sins ... He was not what the Jews had expected so they considered Him a threat. Thus He was put to death. ~ Paul Weyrich

Serve your parents if you expect your children to serve you when you are old ~ Radhe Maa

Worship offered with stale flower and an unclean mind is of no value ~ Radhe Maa

The spiritual leader will not procrastinate when faced with a decision, nor vacillate after making it. A sincere but faulty decision is better than weak-willed "trial balloons" or indecisive overtures. To postpone decision is really to decide for the status quo. In most decisions the key element is not so much knowing what to do but in living with the results. ~ J. Oswald Sanders

Is there no spiritual leader during this decline - no one to chastise the sinners and bring hope to the disheartened? Although ~ Anonymous

The road to spiritual enlightenment is an individual experience. The spiritual leader, guru, master or teacher is only a portion of that journey. Eventually, one must "leave the nest" so that they are not limited by the master/student relationship. True advancement begins when the student gains confidence as a practitioner of self-awareness. This can only be done without the constraints of another's journey, such as the master or teacher. ~ Gary Hopkins

The brighter stars emerge out of the blackest darkness. ~ Radhe Maa

But marrying her would mean a whole lot more. He needed to be a spiritual leader for her, ~ Karen Kingsbury

If you won't improve yourself, who will? ~ Radhe Maa

If a man is known by the company he keeps, so also his character is reflected in the books he reads. ~ J. Oswald Sanders

What can you give God but bhakti bhava? He owns it all anyway. ~ Radhe Maa

Don't wait for the right conditions. All you need for your growth is available to you in this moment ~ Radhe Maa

There are many who wish to be masters over others. Rare indeed is the man who wishes to be master of himself ~ Radhe Maa

This has nothing to do with Marten. You and I would be unequally yoked." He blinked, his confusion apparent. "My faith is what makes me who I am," she said in a shaky voice. "Religion is important to me, and I couldn't be married to a man who did not share that fundamental belief. You would grow to resent my devotion - " "I said you could teach Pieter the Bible," he said tightly. "It's not enough. You would eventually resent the way I lean on my faith. Even now, I can see you getting annoyed, as though if you glower enough it will shake me from this position. And I don't want to be the only spiritual leader in a family. I would want my husband to help, to back me, and I will resent it if you can't do that. ~ Elizabeth Camden

I want to be just a pure spiritual leader. ~ Dalai Lama

Magine a trust in yourself, or another person, or in life itself, that doesn't need to be proved or demonstrated, that is able to contain uncertainty. People sometimes put their trust in a spiritual leader and are terribly betrayed if that person then fails to live up to ideals. But a real trust of faith would be to decide whether to trust someone, knowing that betrayal is inevitable because life and personality are never without shadow. The vulnerability that faith demands could be matched by an equal trust in oneself, the feeling that one can survive the pain of betrayal. ~ Thomas Moore

Spiritual Practice involves being constantly aware ~ Radhe Maa

The pope has been called many things, historic figure, spiritual leader, moral force. But a growing chorus of voices has begun to refer to him as John Paul II the Great, in other words, as a saint. ~ Chris Matthews

The true value of a gift is the sentiment behind the gifting. ~ Radhe Maa

Be contented with the things of the world. Develop greed for God. ~ Radhe Maa

Pope John Paul II not only was a powerful spiritual leader for Catholics but also a world leader of extraordinary consequence during the last quarter-century. ~ Mike Ferguson

Cut the cords of attachment. Expand the circle of love. ~ Radhe Maa

Do not desire a long life or an early death ~ Radhe Maa

To be a great teacher, you can't simply be looking at how to earn your income. And with a priest or spiritual leader - there's another relationship that makes those lives what they are. And in each of these cases you'll find elements of gift exchange thriving, and you'll also find a tension around it. ~ Lewis Hyde

God prepares leaders with a specific place and task in mind. Training methods are adapted to the mission, and natural and spiritual gifts are given with clear purpose. ~ J. Oswald Sanders

When we disrespect a person, we disrespect God ~ Radhe Maa

Being the head of the home isn't the same as controlling," David said. "It means being the spiritual leader. The Scripture you may have heard is from Ephesians: 'Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church.' But for whatever reason, most people don't read the verse before it that says, 'Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ,' and the one after it, 'Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. ~ Beth Wiseman

Do not gossip about monks and speak ill of spiritual teachers ~ Radhe Maa

Praise the one who speaks ill of you. Before long he will become a friend ~ Radhe Maa

To be fully human is to fulfill our spiritual destiny. ~ Kabir Edmund Helminski

Civility (sabhyata,) is the sign of one with the right belief (enlightened view, samkit) and etiquette is the sign of one with a wrong belief (deluded view, bhranti). ~ Dada Bhagwan

A leader must be a good listener. He must be willing to take counsel. He must show a genuine concern and love for those under his stewardship. ~ James E. Faust

Apparently, in the Avesta classical period no one would have dreamed of having a spiritual experience without resort to drugs. ~ Terence McKenna

Is not the beautiful moon, that inspires poets, the same moon which angers the silence of the sea with a terrible roar? ~ Kahlil Gibran

I suppose there is no more counterintuitive spiritual idea than the possibility that God might actually use and find necessary what we fear, avoid, deny, and deem unworthy. This is what I mean by the "integration of the negative." Yet I believe this is the core of Jesus's revolutionary Good News, Paul's deep experience, and the central insight that Francis and Clare lived out with such simple elegance. ~ Richard Rohr

The decisions you make affect a lot of people. You have investors, employees, and customers who all rely on you. Being a leader is a 24-hour-a-day job. ~ Jon Oringer

The saddest symptom about many so-called Christians is the utter absence of anything like conflict and fight against spiritual apathy in their Christianity. They eat, they drink, they dress, they work, they amuse themselves, they get money, they spend money, they go through a brief round of formal religious services once or twice every week. But of the great spiritual warfare - its watchings and strugglings, its agonies and anxieties, its battles and contests - of all things they appear to know nothing at all. Let us take care that this case is not our own. ~ J.C. Ryle

Spiritual learners too slowly graduate like students of normal education. If you are mentally elevated, you can grasp and appreciate complex teachings. ~ Girdhar Joshi

Before knowing the truth, if you depend on your intelligence, you can be misled completely. Intelligence that is without the spiritual insight is your own ego. After Realization, the truth that comes to you is the real, pure truth and is not your ego. ~ Nirmala Srivastava

Ours was the Togetherness Generation. We equated togetherness with salvation, and expected so much from it that it was bound to let us down. Companionship, security, lifelong physical and spiritual and emotional warmth - all were to be had for the twist of a ring and the breathing of a vow. And to be had no other way. ~ Shana Alexander

Make the right choices
For the right reasons
and the right things will happen. ~ Charles F. Glassman

We could not be further from ballooning's established tropes: freedom, spiritual exaltation, human progress. Redon's eternally open eye is deeply unsettling. The eye in the sky; God's security camera. And that lumpish human head invites us to conclude that the colonisation of space doesn't purify the colonisers; all that has happened is that we have brought our sinfulness to a new location. ~ Julian Barnes

If as spiritual practitioners we ignore the discoveries of science, our practice is also impoverished, as this mind-set can lead to fundamentalism. ~ Dalai Lama XIV

And so, it is not our own life that we live, but the lives of the dead, and the soul that dwells within us is no single spiritual entity, making us personal and individual, created for our service, and entering into us for our joy. It is something that has dwelt in fearful places, and in ancient sepulchres has made its abode. It is sick with many maladies, and has memories of curious sins. It is wiser than we are, and its wisdom is bitter. It fills us with impossible desires, and makes us follow what we know we cannot gain. One thing, however, Ernest, it can do for us. It can lead us away from surroundings whose beauty is dimmed to us by the mist of familiarity, or whose ignoble ugliness and sordid claims are marring the perfection of our development. It can help us to leave the age in which we were born, and to pass into other ages, and find ourselves not exiled from their air. It can teach us how to escape from our experience, and to realise the experiences of those who are greater than we are. The pain of Leopardi crying out against life becomes our pain. Theocritus blows on his pipe, and we laugh with the lips of nymph and shepherd. In the wolfskin of Pierre Vidal we flee before the hounds, and in the armour of Lancelot we ride from the bower of the Queen. We have whispered the secret of our love beneath the cowl of Abelard, and in the stained raiment of Villon have put our shame into song. We can see the dawn through Shelley's eyes, and when we wander with Endymion the M ~ Oscar Wilde

To be an effective leader, you must be trustworthy. If people don't trust you, they won't follow you. And if they won't follow you, your organization won't meet its goals. Sandy Allgeier explains that personal credibility comes down to a simple truth: It's not about the type of person you are; it's about the types of things you do. If you want to be a great leader, read The Personal Credibility Factor. ~ Quint Studer