John C. Maxwell Quotes

Our attitudes cannot stop our feelings, but they can keep our feelings from stopping us.

The dream is free...but the journey will cost you something.

Anyone can follow a path, but only a leader can blaze one.

In the book [Today Matters] I talk about successful people make important decisions early in their life, and then they manage those decisions the rest of their life.

Successful people reject rejection.

If you want leaders, you must become a leader yourself!

Pastors need to find their place in the community of believers by spending time with God.

Leaders should get out of their comfort zone but stay in their strength zone. When their work lies within their natural gifting and strengths, leaders experience the greatest return in productivity and contentment. Life is too short to live in the comfort zone, where growing and accomplishing and achieving your potential takes a back seat. I suggest you refocus if the comfort zone is your leadership priority.

Never underestimate the power of an encouraging word.

I felt the hand and the call of God in my life that I would be doing ministry and trying to serve Him the best that I could.

Failed plans should not be interpreted as a failed vision. Visions don't change, they are only refined. Plans rarely stay the same, and are scrapped or adjusted as needed. Be stubborn about the vision, but flexible with your plan.

Don't worry about yesterday it ended last night at midnight.

I say this in the book [Today Matters], we either spend our day repairing or preparing, and if I haven't taken good care of my today's, they accumulate. So all of a sudden today what I'm doing is I'm going back, I'm repairing bad relationships and wrong decisions, and I'm digging a hole. I'm not making any progress because I'm in a repairing mode, versus if I really make today count that prepares me for tomorrow. Tomorrow really will take care of itself if I do the right thing today.

If we're growing, we're always going to be out of our comfort zone.

Decision-making takes care of goal-setting, but discipline also takes care of goal-getting. Decisions and discipline can't be separated; one is worthless without the other.

The best teacher for a leader is evaluated experience.

He that thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him is only taking a walk.

A difficult time can be more readily endured if we retain the conviction that our existence holds a purpose - a cause to pursue, a person to love, a goal to achieve.

Leaders are less interested in their position and more interested in their positive impact on others.

Progress does not occur without change.

When I made that statement that the person discovers the secret of their success by their daily agenda, all of a sudden it hit me that if I could teach people to make today count; if I could really teach them what they need to do today to have a good day, that tomorrow would really take care of itself.

Leadership ability determines a person's level of effectiveness.

When we trust God, He can make the ordinary extraordinary!

Others are Ahead of me. I am continually Challenged. My focus is Forward. The atmosphere is Affirming. I am often out of my Comfort Zone. I wake up Excited. Failure is not my Enemy. Others are Growing. People desire Change. Growth is Modeled and Expected.

Most people use two totally different sets of criteria for judging themselves versus others. We tend to judge others according to their actions. It's very cut-and-dried. However, we judge ourselves by our intentions. Even if we do the wrong thing, if we believe our motives were good, we let ourselves off the hook. And we are often willing to do that over and over before requiring ourselves to change.

Set the tone for your day be treating people better than you expect to be treated by them. Be the first to smile. Express your appreciation for them. Expect the best out of them. If you act first, you will set yourself up for success.

What is your legacy? Are you intentional about the sort of influence you want to have on the world around you? Being aware of how you want to be remembered gives you a perspective on what is truly important. Leadership is influence, and relationships are the foundation of leadership. Nothing is more predictive of your legacy than the quality of people you surround yourself with.

Losers focus on what they are going through; winners focus on what they are going to.

Good people always rise to your level of expectation.

You can't move people to action unless you first move them with emotion. The heart comes before the head.

A proven leader always has a proven track record.

Good character improves every aspect of a person’s life.

To succeed in life, we must stay within our strength zone but continually move outside our comfort zone.

The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That's the day we truly grow up.

Why would God send people to our church if we don't have a great dream? Why would God give a multigifted, multitalented, and multifinancially wealthy person to a church if the biggest thing you are going to do is paint the restrooms next year? That's bad stewardship.

The key word in the church community is relationships, you know brother and sister in Christ.

There is no quicker way to earn respect as a leader than being slow to speak. It is called listening and it plays a big role in what I call “The Law of Connection.” How will you know what is important to people unless you ask and listen to the answers? If you prove to be a leader who solicits feedback and pays attention to what’s being said, then you will earn your connection and your followers will respect the guidance you give.

I do a lot of conferences, a lot of leadership training. For about six or seven years I've been making this statement - every time I make it, I can see people just kind of - it's just one of those light bulb moments.

Working together precedes winning together...collaboration is multiplication.

Teams make you better than you are, multiply your value, enable you to do what you do best, allow you to help others do their best, give you more time, provide you with companionship, help you fulfill the desires of your heart and compound your vision and effort.

A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.

Great communication depends on two simple skills-context, which attunes a leader to the same frequency as his or her audience, and delivery, which allows a leader to phrase messages in a language the audience can understand.

Strong leaders equal strong organizations.

Leadership development is a lifetime journey, not a quick trip.

Realizing your potential as a leader is your responsibility.

People who add value to others do so intentionally. I say that because to add value, leaders must give of themselves, and that rarely occurs by accident.

The process of achievement comes through repeated failures and the constant struggle to climb to a higher level.

Little did I realize that my desire to add value to others would be the thing that added value to me!