Quotes from John C. Maxwell

What most people really want is to be listened to, respected, and understood.

When we are foolish, we want to conquer the world. When we are wise, we want to conquer ourselves. That begins when we do what we should no matter how we feel about it.

As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me. The first person that I should try to change is me.

People today are desperate for leaders, but they want to be influenced only by individuals they can trust, persons of good character.

Failure is an inside job. So is success. If you want to achieve, you have to win the war in your thinking first. You can't let the failure outside you get inside you.

It takes a lot of people to create a success. That's why I say that few leaders are successful unless a lot of people want them to be.

Every new level of growth we hope to experience as leaders calls for a new level of change. You cannot have one without the other. If you want to be a better leader, get ready to make some trades.

You can change your life if you really want to. You can improve it, make it better. And it all starts with changing the way you think.

The truth is that you can spend your life any way you want, but you can spend it only once.

Most people want to avoid pain, and discipline is usually painful.

Tenacious people don't rely on luck, fate, or destiny for their success. And when conditions become difficult, they keep working.

There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. 'Good pride' represents our dignity and self-respect. 'Bad pride' is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance.

Reflective thinking turns experience into insight.

Maturity does not always come with age; sometimes age comes alone.

Generally speaking, there are two kinds of learning: experience, which is gained from your own mistakes, and wisdom, which is learned from the mistakes of others.

The smartest person in the room is never as smart as all the people in the room.

In the end, people are persuaded not by what we say, but by what they understand.

We all have done something unethical.

Most people don't like change. They revolt against it unless they can clearly see the advantage it brings. For that reason, when good leaders prepare to take action or make changes, they take people through a process to get them ready for it.

Preparation + Attitude + Opportunity + Action = Luck.

People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.

Your people are a mirror of your attitude. If you have a poor attitude, you can't expect your people to be upbeat.

Good executives never put off until tomorrow what they can get someone else to do today.

Every worthwhile accomplishment has a price tag attached to it. The question is always whether you are willing to pay the price to attain it - in hard work, sacrifice, patience, faith, and endurance.