75 Inspiring Leadership Quotes by Great Leaders

Even if you’re not in a formal leadership position, you are still in charge of your own life and career. So, to match the theme of mastering your inner leader, we have gathered quotes on leaders and leadership. These quotes showcase the essence of leadership, and what it takes to be a great leader.

Some of these quotes have formed the cornerstones of our culture at SurveySparrow. They inspire us every day, and we hope they resonate with you as well.

Click to jump to the section you’re interested in. And, we're also including a free leadership assessment questionnaire at the end - check it out.

Unique Leadership Quotes
Quotes on Leadership Qualities
Quotes on Leadership Philosophy
Quotes on Leadership and Management
Quotes on Coaching and Leadership
Quotes About Change and Leadership
Quotes on Education and Leadership
Quotes About Leadership and Influence
Quotes about Compassionate Leadership
Quotes About Communication and Leadership
Quotes on Leadership and Vision
Quotes on Integrity and Leadership
Accountability in Leadership Quotes
Quotes About Humility In Leadership
Leadership Development Quotes

Unique Leadership Quotes

Great leaders have a unique mix of qualities that set them apart from the crowd. These quotes give us a glimpse into the minds of some of the world's most influential figures.

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John C. Maxwell

“Leadership is a series of behaviors rather than a role for heroes.” - Margaret Wheatley

“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” – Ronald Reagan

“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” - Sheryl Sandberg

“Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.” – Simon Sinek

Quotes on Outstanding Leadership Qualities

Through the words of these leaders, we get an insight into some of the traits of effective leadership. Whether you're a leader-in-the making or simply interested in human psychology, you're going to find these quotes inspiring.

"The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves." – Ray Kroc

"The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it." – Theodore Roosevelt

"The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly." – Jim Rohn

"True leadership lies in guiding others to success." – Bill Owens

"I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse." – Florence Nightingale

Quotes on Leadership Philosophy

Leadership philosophy is a set of core values and beliefs that drive a leader's actions. It shapes their approach to their duties and the way they interact with others. Let's take a look at some quotes.

"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." – Peter Drucker

"To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart." – Eleanor Roosevelt

"Leaders aren't born, they are made." – Vince Lombardi

"Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it." – Marian Anderson

"Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and actions." – Harold S. Geneen

Quotes on Leadership And Management

Both involve guiding and directing others. However, leadership focuses on inspiring and motivating individuals, while management emphasizes planning, organizing, and controlling resources. Great leaders have a blend of both skills.

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader." – John Quincy Adams

"The key to successful leadership is influence, not authority." – Kenneth H. Blanchard

“Leadership is not about titles. It's about action. It's about making a difference. It's about inspiring others to be their best selves.” - Indra Nooyi

"The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes." – Tony Blair

"A good leader is someone who can make a person feel important by making them feel included." - Margaret Thatcher

Quotes on Coaching And Leadership

Coaching and leadership are closely connected. In fact, coaches often play a a vital role in developing strong leaders, and the best coaches are people who are in positions of leadership themselves.

"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other." – John F. Kennedy

"A coach is someone who tells you what you don't want to hear, who has to see what you don't want to see, so you can be who you always knew you could be." – Tom Landry

"Successful people become great leaders when they learn to shift the focus from themselves to others." – Marshall Goldsmith

"Coaching is not about giving advice. It's about empowering individuals to find their own solutions."- Tony Robbins

"Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others." — Jack Welch

Quotes About Change and Leadership

Nobody accepts change willingly. But a great leader can inspire and motivate people to embrace change, navigate challenges, and adapt to new circumstances.

"Change is the end result of all true learning." – Leo F. Buscaglia

"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new." – Socrates

"The greatest leaders are those who inspire people to exceed their own expectations." - Dave Ramsey

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time." – Barack Obama

"If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less." - General Eric Shinseki

Quotes on Education and Leadership

Great leaders never stop learning. That's why education plays a crucial role in developing effective leaders. Through education, individuals can acquire the knowledge, skills, and critical thinking that are essential for leadership.

"Educate yourself, because no one can take away your knowledge." - Bob Marley

"The best leaders are those most interested in surrounding themselves with assistants and associates smarter than they are." – John C. Maxwell

"Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today." - Malcolm X

"The best leaders are those who empower others. They don't build monuments to themselves, they build an army of leaders." - Colin Powell

"Leadership is the ability to inspire others to achieve their potential." - John Quincy Adams

Quotes About Leadership and Influence

The number of books written about leadership and influence is proof that to be a great leader, you need to be able to influence people. Leaders possess the ability to build relationships around a shared sense of purpose.

"Influence is the currency of leadership." - Unknown

"You don’t lead by pointing and telling people some place to go. You lead by going to that place and making a case." – Ken Kesey

"What makes leadership is the ability to get people to do what they don’t want to do and like it." – Harry Truman

"Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them." – John C. Maxwell

"Leadership is the ability to influence others to achieve a common goal." - Unknown

Quotes About Compassionate Leadership

Compassionate leadership is an approach that involves caring for the people you lead, and helping them reach their full potential. In other words, it's the art of doing hard things in a human way.

"People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care." – Unknown

"Compassionate leadership is about being able to connect with others and understand their needs." – Maya Angelou

"The greatest gift you can give your team is your time." – Unknown

"Leadership is not about being in charge. It's about taking care of those in your charge." - Abigail Adams

“Being human and doing what needs to be done are not mutually exclusive.” - Rasmus Hougaard, ‎Jacqueline Carter

Quotes About Communication and Leadership

Communication is the tool leaders use to articulate their ideas, build trust, build collaboration, motivate their teams, and navigate challenges effectively. Here's what some of the world's greatest minds have to say about it.

"The art of communication is the language of leadership." – James Humes

"Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership." – Gilbert Amelio

"To lead you must first listen with an understanding heart and then act with a decisive mind." - Shannon Peel

"Effective communication helps to keep the team working on the right projects with the right attitude." – Alex Langer

“We are stronger when we listen, and smarter when we share.” - Rania Al-Abdullah

Quotes on Leadership and Vision

It's impossible to lead without a goal in sight. Great leaders have a clear and compelling vision that inspires others to follow them—and a plan to follow through.

"Vision without execution is hallucination." – Thomas Edison

"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality." — Warren Bennis

"The best way to predict the future is to create it." – Peter Drucker

"The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet." – Theodore Hesburgh

“Rarely are opportunities presented to you in a perfect way. In a nice little box with a yellow bow on top. 'Here, open it, it's perfect. You'll love it.' Opportunities – the good ones – are messy, confusing and hard to recognize. They're risky. They challenge you.”- Susan Wojcicki

Quotes on Integrity and Leadership

For their team members to feel secure, a leader has to be seen as reliable. For this, they need to show integrity and ethics. Integrity builds trust, credibility, and respect, which is essential for effective leadership.

"Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching." – C.S. Lewis

"In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you." – Warren Buffett

"The glue that holds all relationships together – including the relationship between the leader and the led – is trust, and trust is based on integrity." – Brian Tracy

"You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him." – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"If you tell the truth, you do not need a good memory!" – Mark Twain

Quotes on Accountability in Leadership

What are the signs of a leader who values accountability? They set clear goals, are open in their communication, own up to their mistakes, and prioritize consistent feedback. These quotes provide more insights.

"Leaders inspire accountability through their ability to accept responsibility before they place blame." – Courtney Lynch

"It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable." – Moliere

"The first and foremost responsibility of a leader is to create an environment in which everyone can take accountability for their actions." – Jocko Willink

"A leader who takes accountability for their mistakes earns the respect of their team." – Peter Drucker

"True leaders accept responsibility for the outcomes of their decisions and actions." – John Wooden

Quotes About Humility In Leadership

Humility is often overlooked as a leadership quality. But it's essential—humble leaders are open to feedback, willing to learn, and recognize the contributions of others.

"Humility is a great quality of leadership which derives respect and not just fear or hatred." – Yousef Munayye

“It’s okay to admit what you don’t know. It’s okay to ask for help. And it’s more than okay to listen to the people you lead – in fact, it’s essential.” - Mary Barra

“Lead from the back and let others believe they are in front.” - Nelson Mandela

“To build a strong team, you must see someone else’s strength as a complement to your weakness and not a threat to your position or authority.” - Christine Cain

"We need to accept that we won't always make the right decisions, that we'll screw up royally sometimes - understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it's part of success."- Arianna Huffington

Leadership Development Quotes

Leadership is not a position or even a destination. It's a lifelong journey. Great leaders constantly seek to improve their skills and knowledge, and these leadership development quotes are a source of inspiration.

“As a leader, it’s a major responsibility on your shoulders to practice the behavior you want others to follow.” - Himanshu Bhatia

“Great leaders encourage leadership development by openly developing themselves.” - Marshall Goldsmith

"You don’t build a business—you build people—and people build the business." – Zig Ziglar

“Growth and comfort do not coexist.” - Ginni Rometty

"An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage." – Jack Welch

How We Turn Talented Teams into Top Leaders

Leadership development is at the heart of SurveySparrow’s employee experience program.

We achieve this with our 360 degree feedback software. It gives in-depth insights into an employee’s key skills, weaknesses, hidden talents and blind spots.

Here’s a free Leadership Skills Assessment Questionnaire that you can customize. Start now:

Leadership Skills Assessment Questionnaire Template