John C. Maxwell, born on February 20, 1947, is a globally recognized leadership expert, speaker, pastor and author renowned for his books on leadership.
His upbringing in a leadership-oriented family in Ohio, following a move from Michigan, set the stage for his illustrious career.
Maxwell, an alumnus of Ohio Christian University, Azusa Pacific University and Fuller Theological Seminary, spent over 30 years as a pastor before focusing on his writing and speaking engagements.
He founded The John Maxwell Company, The John Maxwell Team and EQUIP, training over 5 million leaders worldwide through the latter.
With over 25 million copies of his books sold in 50 languages, Maxwell has a significant global impact. Inc. magazine recognized him as the top leadership expert in 2014.
Related: Andy Stanley Quotes from the Inspiring Pastor & Author and Jerry Bridges Quotes from Evangelical Christian Author
Maxwell’s annual audiences include Fortune 500 companies and world leaders, demonstrating his broad appeal and influence.
I have collected a list of powerful quotes from John Maxwell to inspire you.
Best John Maxwell Quotes
1. “Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” ~ (John Maxwell).
2. “Dreams don’t work unless you do.” ~ (John Maxwell).
3. “If we’re growing, we’re always going to be out of our comfort zone.” ~ (John Maxwell).
4. “Remember, man does not live on bread alone: sometimes he needs a little buttering up.” ~ John Maxwell.
5. “We all stand on the shoulders of the past generation.” ~ John Maxwell.
6. “You don’t overcome challenges by making them smaller but by making yourself bigger.” ~ John Maxwell.
7. “Growth inside fuels growth outside.” ~ John Maxwell.
8. “Seven Steps to Success 1) Make a commitment to grow daily. 2) Value the process more than events. 3) Don’t wait for inspiration. 4) Be willing to sacrifice pleasure for opportunity. 5) Dream big. 6) Plan your priorities. 7) Give up to go up.” ~ (John Maxwell).
9. “Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing.” ~ (John Maxwell).
10. “The truth is that teamwork is at the heart of great achievement.” ~ (John Maxwell).
Powerful John Maxwell Quotes
11. “Success is knowing your purpose in life, growing to reach your maximum potential, and sowing seeds that benefit others.” ~ (John Maxwell).
12. “Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.” ~ (John Maxwell).
13. “Image is what people think we are; integrity is what we really are.” ~ (John Maxwell).
14. “When the leader lacks confidence, the followers lack commitment.” ~ (John Maxwell).
15. “A successful person finds the right place for himself. But a successful leader finds the right place for others.” ~ (John Maxwell).
16. “Talent is a gift, but character is a choice.” ~ (John Maxwell).
17. “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” ~ (John Maxwell).
18. “Learn to say ‘no’ to the good so you can say ‘yes’ to the best.” ~ (John Maxwell).
19. “Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.” ~ (John Maxwell).
20. “Fail early, fail often, but always fail forward.” ~ (John Maxwell).
Great John Maxwell Quotes
21. “The only guarantee for failure is to stop trying.” ~ (John Maxwell).
22. “To grow yourself, you must know yourself.” ~ (John Maxwell).
23. “A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.” ~ (John Maxwell).
24. “When was the last time you did something for the first time?” ~ (John Maxwell).
25. “Real leadership is being the person others will gladly and confidently follow.” ~ (John Maxwell).
26. “Goals may give focus, but dreams give power.” ~ (John Maxwell).
27. “Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others.” ~ (John Maxwell).
28. “A leader who produces other leaders multiples their influences.” ~ (John Maxwell).
29. “Live to learn and you will really learn to live.” ~ (John Maxwell).
Famous John Maxwell Quotes
30. “Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.” ~ (John Maxwell).
31. “Collaboration is multiplication.” ~ (John Maxwell).
32. “If we are growing, we are always going to be outside our comfort zone.” ~ (John Maxwell).
33. “We cannot become what we need by remaining what we are.” ~ (John Maxwell).
34. “The whole idea of motivation is a trap. Forget motivation. Just do it. Exercise, lose weight, test your blood sugar, or whatever. Do it without motivation. And then, guess what? After you start doing the thing, that’s when the motivation comes and makes it easy for you to keep on doing it.” ~ (John Maxwell).
35. “The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That’s the day we truly grow up.” ~ (John Maxwell).
36. “The greatest mistake we make is living in constant fear that we will make one.” ~ (John Maxwell).
37. “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” ~ (John Maxwell).
38. “Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team.” ~ (John Maxwell).
Inspiring John Maxwell Quotes
39. “A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.” ~ (John Maxwell).
40. “Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” ~ (John Maxwell).
41. “The true measure of leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less.” ~ (John Maxwell).
42. “Your attitude determines your actions, and your actions determine your accomplishment.” ~ (John Maxwell).
43. “If you don’t have peace, it isn’t because someone took it from you; you gave it away. You cannot always control what happens to you, but you can control what happens in you.” ~ (John Maxwell).
44. “Most people want to avoid pain, and discipline is usually painful.” ~ (John Maxwell).
45. “Teamwork gives you the best opportunity to turn vision into reality.” ~ (John Maxwell).
Inspirational John Maxwell Quotes
46. “Reflective thinking turns experience into insight.” ~ (John Maxwell).
47. “Pay now, play later; play now, pay later.” ~ (John Maxwell).
48. “Everyone is a leader because everyone influences someone.” ~ (John Maxwell).
49. “The only one you should compare yourself to is you. Your mission is to become better today than you were yesterday.” ~ (John Maxwell).
50. “Diligent follow-up and follow-through will set you apart from the crowd and communicate excellence.” ~ (John Maxwell).
51. “Talk to people, not above them.” ~ John Maxwell.
52. “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” ~ John Maxwell.
53. “People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.” ~ John Maxwell.
Motivational John Maxwell Quotes
54. “Relational skills are the most important abilities in leadership.” ~ John Maxwell.
55. “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” ~ (John Maxwell).
56. “If you start today to do the right thing, you are already a success even if it doesn’t show yet.” ~ (John Maxwell).
57. “You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” ~ (John Maxwell).
58. “Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.” ~ (John Maxwell).
59. “You must manage your thought life daily and then you can manage your life.” ~ John Maxwell.
60. “Do not take the agenda that someone else has mapped out for your life.” ~ John Maxwell.
