Quotes from J. Oswald Sanders

An exhausted man easily falls prey to the adversary.

Leadership is the ability to recognize the special abilities and limitations of others, combined with the capacity to fit each one into the job where he will do his best.

Most men are notable for one conspicuous virtue or grace - Moses for meekness, Job for patience, John for love. But, in Jesus you find everything.

When God lays a burden on our hearts and thus keeps us praying, He obviously intends to grant the answer.

Ambition that centers on the glory of God and welfare of the church is a mighty force for good.

Our consciences are not infallible, and they can become warped or weakened if not kept aligned by the infallible Word of God.

Our sense of humor is a gift from God which should be controlled as well as cultivated.

True leadership is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you.

True greatness, true leadership, is achieved not by reducing men to one's service but in giving oneself in selfless service to them.

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

We can lead others only as far along the road as we ourselves have traveled. merely pointing the way is not enough. If we are not walking, then no one can be following, and ware not leading anyone.

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

Desiring to excel is not a sin. It is motivation that determines ambition's character. Our Lord never taught against the urge to high achievement, but He did expose and condemn unworthy motivation.

The secular mind and heart, however gifted and personally charming, has no place in the leadership of the church.

Spiritual leadership is the power to change the atmosphere by one's presence, the unconscious influence that makes Christ and spiritual things real to others.

Are you responsibly optimistic? Pessimism and leadership do not mix. Leaders are positively visionary.

We are not responsible for our endowments or natural abilities, but we are responsible for the strategic use of time.

Our problem is not too little time, but making better use of the time we have. Each of us has as much time as anyone else.

People of vision gauge decisions on the future; the story of the past cannot be rewritten.

Once the joy of intimacy with God has been experienced, life becomes unbearable without it.

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

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.

Fatigue is the price of leadership. Mediocrity is the price of never getting tired.

If those who hold influence over others fail to lead toward the spiritual uplands, then surely the path to the lowlands will be well worn.