John C. Maxwell

Your attitude determines your actions, and your actions determine your accomplishment.

You can't avoid fear. No magic potion will take it away. And you can't wait for motivation to get you going. To conquer fear, you have to feel the fear and take action anyway.

Success is choosing to enter the arena of action, determined to give yourself to the cause that will better humanity and last for eternity.

Nothing is more difficult to accomplish than changing outward actions without changing inward feelings.

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 GREATEST battle you wage against FAILURE occurs on the INSIDE, not the OUTSIDE.

The only thing we can control is what we do in the present. The more we replay yesterday, the further we get from today's opportunities. And the further away we move from opportunities, the tougher the road is to get back. Opportunities never look as good coming as they do going, and they wait for no one. We need to be highly attentive to spot them. And we must be focused on our present capabilities, not past regrets.

A leader can give up anything - except final responsibility.

Leadership is taking responsibility while others are making excuses.

One of the major keys to success is to keep moving forward on the journey, making the best of the detours and interruptions, turning adversity into advantage.

Don't hide bad news. With multiple information channels available, bad news always becomes known. Be candid right from the start.

Failing forward is the ability to get back up after you've been knocked down, learn from your mistake, and move forward in a better direction.

A word of encouragement from a teacher to a child can change a life. A word of encouragement from a spouse can save a marriage. A word of encouragement from a leader can inspire a person to reach her potential.

Life doesn't do anything to you. It only reveals your spirit.

As negative thoughts produce negative actions, so positive thoughts produce positive actions.

A leader's attitude is caught by his or her followers more quickly than his or her actions.

A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them. This sequence is something that all achievers have in common. They do not see a mistake is as their failure; rather it is simply a learning experience. Achievers view a mistake as an opportunity to do something over again and do it right the second time. A mistake is simply the price they pay to achieve success.

If you believe in others and give them a positive reputation to uphold, you can help them to become better than they think they are.

No matter where you are in your leadership journey, never forget that what got you to where you are won't get you to the next level.

Cats do what cats do, ducks do what ducks do, and eagles do what eagles, do. If you take a duck and ask it to do an eagles' job, shame on you. As a leader, your job is to help your ducks to become better ducks and your eagles better eagles - to put individuals in the right places and help them reach their potential.

Your success stops where your character stops. You can never rise above the limitations of your character.