Quotes from John C. Maxwell

When values, thoughts, feelings, and actions are in alignment, a person becomes focused and his character is strengthened. That allows a leader to lead himself successfully.

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.

Everything rises and falls on leadership.

Because as the challenge escalates, the need for teamwork elevates.

A great dream with a bad team is nothing more than a nightmare.

You don't win an Olympic gold medal with a few weeks of intensive training," says (Seth) Godin. "There's no such thing as an overnight opera sensation. Great law firms or design companies don't spring up overnight…every great company, every great brand, and every great career has been built in exactly the same way: bit by bit, step by step, little by little." There is no magic solution to success.

Never "for the sake of peace and quiet" deny your own experience or convictions. —Dag Statesman and Nobel Peace Prize Winner

Most people want to avoid pain, and discipline is often painful. But we need to recognize that there are really two kinds of pain when it comes to our daily conduct. There's the pain of self-discipline and the pain of regret. Most people avoid the pain of self-discipline because it's the easy thing to do. What they may not realize is that the pain of self-discipline is momentary but the pay-off is long lasting.

If you don't like the crop you are reaping, check the seed you are sowing.

Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility . . . In the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have is the ability to take on responsibility.

Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.

If a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live." —Martin Luther King Jr.

most people overrate decision making, and they underrate decision managing.

believe leadership is servanthood. It's my responsibility to make sure my people have what they need to succeed and get their work done.

See the big picture. Your place on the team makes sense only in the context of the big picture. If your only motivation for finding your niche is personal gain, your poor motives may prevent you from discovering what you desire.

When talented teams don't win, examine the leadership.

Priorities shift every day; values once defined, stay same.

German poet Herman Hesse wrote, "If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us." I agree with his viewpoint.

Laughing is the quickest way to get up and get going again when you've been knocked down. Failing Forward

People who lead for selfish reasons seek… Power: They love control and will continue to add value to themselves by reducing the value of others. Position: Titles are their ego food. They continually make sure that others feel their authority and know their rights as a leader. Money: They will use people and sell themselves for financial gain. Prestige: Their looking good is more important to them than their being and doing good.

A person who has a dream knows what he is willing to give up in order to go up.

The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like and do what you'd rather not.

Henry Ford, who said, "Don't find a fault; find a remedy.

Paul the Apostle exhorted, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." 74 Make a mental and emotional commitment to look out for the interests of others.