Simon Sinek’s book “Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action” is a must-read for anyone who wants to be a leader.
As per “Start With Why,” the world’s most powerful leaders all think, act, and communicate in a way that is completely different from how everyone else does.
We have made a list of the most popular quotes from ‘Start with Why’ book for you.
Best Start with Why Quotes by Simon Sinek
“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“The role of a leader is not to come up with all the great ideas. The role of a leader is to create an environment in which great ideas can happen.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“Leadership requires two things: a vision of the world that does not yet exist and the ability to communicate it.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why)
“That’s the problem with love; we only know when we’ve found it because it “just feels right.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“Leadership is always about people.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“There are many ways to motivate people to do things, but loyalty comes from the ability to inspire people.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“There are leaders and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or influence. Those who lead inspire us.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“When you compete against everyone else, no one wants to help you. But when you compete against yourself, everyone wants to help you.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“Average companies give their people something to work on. In contrast, the most innovative organizations give their people something to work toward.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
Also read: Limitless by Jim Kwik and Think Like A Monk By Jay Shetty.
Start with Why Quotes by Simon Sinek
“Henry Ford summed it up best. “If I had asked people what they wanted,” he said, “they would have said a faster horse.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“Working hard for something we do not care about is called stress, working hard for something we love is called passion.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“Two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“Great companies don’t hire skilled people and motivate them, they hire already motivated people and inspire them.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“You don’t hire for skills, you hire for attitude. You can always teach skills.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“Great leaders and great organizations are good at seeing what most of us can’t see. They are good at giving us things we would never think of asking for.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“Some in management positions operate as if they are in a tree of monkeys. They make sure that everyone at the top of the tree looking down sees only smiles. But all too often, those at the bottom looking up see only asses.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
Top Start with Why Quotes by Simon Sinek
“Charisma has nothing to do with energy; it comes from a clarity of WHY. It comes from absolute conviction in an ideal bigger than oneself. Energy, in contrast, comes from a good night’s sleep or lots of caffeine. Energy can excite. But only charisma can inspire. Charisma commands loyalty. Energy does not.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“Great companies don’t hire skilled people and motivate them, they hire already motivated people and inspire them. People are either motivated or they are not. Unless you give motivated people something to believe in, something bigger than their job to work toward, they will motivate themselves to find a new job and you’ll be stuck with whoever’s left.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“Put bluntly, the struggle that so many companies have to differentiate or communicate their true value to the outside world is not a business problem, it’s a biology problem. And just like a person struggling to put her emotions into words, we rely on metaphors, imagery and analogies in an attempt to communicate how we feel. Absent the proper language to share our deep emotions, our purpose, cause or belief, we tell stories. We use symbols. We create tangible things for those who believe what we believe to point to and say, “That’s why I’m inspired.” If done properly, that’s what marketing, branding and products and services become; a way for organizations to communicate to the outside world. Communicate clearly and you shall be understood.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“Regardless of WHAT we do in our lives, our WHY—our driving purpose, cause or belief—never changes.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“All organizations start with WHY, but only the great ones keep their WHY clear year after year. Those who forget WHY they were founded show up to the race every day to outdo someone else instead of to outdo themselves. The pursuit, for those who lose sight of WHY they are running the race, is for the medal or to beat someone else.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“Passion alone can’t cut it. For passion to survive it needs structure. A why without how has little probability of success.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“Being the leader means you hold the highest rank, either by earning it, good fortune or navigating internal politics. Leading, however, means that others willingly follow you—not because they have to, not because they are paid to, but because they want to.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
Wise Start with Why Quotes by Simon Sinek
“This is important because our behavior is affected by our assumptions or our perceived truths. We make decisions based on what we think we know.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“Innovation is not born from the dream, innovation is born from the struggle.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“Great leaders are those who trust their gut. They are those who understand the art before the science. They win hearts before minds. They are the ones who start with WHY.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why)
“Instead of asking, “WHAT should we do to compete?” the questions must be asked, “WHY did we start doing WHAT we’re doing in the first place, and WHAT can we do to bring our cause to life considering all the technologies and market opportunities available today?” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why)
“If the leader of the organization can’t clearly articulate WHY the organization exists in terms beyond its products or services, then how does he expect the employees to know WHY to come to work?” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“When we tell people to do their jobs, we get workers. When we trust people to get the job done, we get leaders.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why)
“Studies show that over 80 percent of Americans do not have their dream job. If more knew how to build organizations that inspire, we could live in a world in which that statistic was the reverse – a world in which over 80 percent of people loved their jobs. People who love going to work are more productive and more creative. They go home happier and have happier families. They treat their colleagues and clients and customers better. Inspired employees make for stronger companies and stronger economies.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“As anyone who starts a business knows, it is a fantastic race. There is a statistic that hangs over your head – over 90 percent of all new businesses fail in the first three years. For anyone with even a bit of competitive spirit in them, especially for someone who defines himself or herself as an entrepreneur, these overwhelming odds of failure are not intimidating, they only add fuel to the fire. The foolishness of thinking that you’re a part of the small minority of those who actually will make it past three years and defy the odds is part of what makes entrepreneurs who they are, driven by passion and completely irrational.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
Powerful Start with Why Quotes by Simon Sinek
“For great leaders, The Golden Circle is in balance. They are in pursuit of WHY, they hold themselves accountable to HOW they do it and WHAT they do serves as the tangible proof of what they believe.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“Great leaders, in contrast, are able to inspire people to act. Those who are able to inspire give people a sense of purpose or belonging that has little to do with any external incentive or benefit to be gained. Those who truly lead are able to create a following of people who act not because they were swayed, but because they were inspired. For those who are inspired, the motivation to act is deeply personal. They are less likely to be swayed by incentives. Those who are inspired are willing to pay a premium or endure inconvenience, even personal suffering. Those who are able to inspire will create a following of people—supporters, voters, customers, workers—who act for the good of the whole not because they have to, but because they want to.” – Simon Sinek, (Start With Why).
“Our need to belong is not rational, but it is a constant that exists across all people in all cultures.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“If they had started their sales pitch with WHY the product existed in the first place, the product itself would have become the proof of the higher cause—proof of WHY.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“He gave the “I Have a Dream” speech, not the “I Have a Plan” speech.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why)
“There’s barely a product or service on the market today that customers can’t buy from someone else for about the same price, about the same quality, about the same level of service and about the same features. If you truly have a first-mover’s advantage, it’s probably lost in a matter of months. If you offer something truly novel, someone else will soon come up with something similar and maybe even better. But if you ask most businesses why their customers are their customers, most will tell you it’s because of superior quality, features, price or service. In other words, most companies have no clue why their customers are their customers. This is a fascinating realization.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
Amazing Start with Why Quotes by Simon Sinek
“Our visions are the world we imagine, the tangible results of what the world would look like if we spent every day in pursuit of our WHY.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“Great companies don’t hire skilled people and motivate them, they hire already motivated people and inspire them.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why)
“The farther right you go on the curve, the more you will encounter the clients and customers who may need what you have, but don’t necessarily believe what you believe. As clients, they are the ones for whom, no matter how hard you work, it’s never enough. Everything usually boils down to price with them. They are rarely loyal. They rarely give referrals and sometimes you may even wonder out loud why you still do business with them. “They just don’t get it,” our gut tells us. The importance of identifying this group is so that you can avoid doing business with them.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why)
“Finding WHY is a process of discovery, not invention.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why)
“For values or guiding principles to be truly effective they have to be verbs. It’s not “integrity,” it’s “always do the right thing.” It’s not “innovation,” it’s “look at the problem from a different angle.” Articulating our values as verbs gives us a clear idea … we” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“The only way people will know what you believe is by the things you say and do, and if you’re not consistent in the things you say and do, no one will know what you believe.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why)
“We are drawn to leaders and organizations that are good at communicating what they believe. Their ability to make us feel like we belong, to make us feel special, safe and not alone is part of what gives them the ability to inspire us.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why)
“WHY: Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. When I say WHY, I don’t mean to make money—that’s a result. By WHY I mean what is your purpose, cause or belief? WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care?” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“We say WHAT we do, we sometimes say HOW we do it, but we rarely say WHY we do WHAT we do.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why)
“The lack of a clear set of values and beliefs, along with the weak culture that resulted, created the conditions for an every-man-for-himself environment, the long-term impact of which could yield little else than disaster. This is caveman stuff.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“Even with objective metrics in hand, the argument about which is better or which is worse without first establishing a common standard creates nothing more than debate.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why)
“Every company, organization or group with the ability to inspire starts with a person or small group of people who were inspired to do something bigger than themselves. Gaining clarity of WHY, ironically, is not the hard part. It is the discipline to trust one’s gut, to stay true to one’s purpose, cause or beliefs. Remaining completely in balance and authentic is the most difficult part.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“It’s not Bill Gates’s passion for computers that inspires us, it’s his undying optimism that even the most complicated problems can be solved.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“If the people aren’t looking out for the community, then the benefits of a community erode. Many companies have star employees and star salesmen and so on, but few have a culture that produces great people as a rule and not an exception.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why)
Great Start with Why Quotes by Simon Sinek
“Greatness is not born from one success. Greatness is born from persevering through the countless failed attempts that preceded.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why)
“We are drawn to leaders and organizations that are good at communicating what they believe. Their ability to make us feel like we belong, to make us feel special, safe and not alone is part of what gives them the ability to inspire us. Those whom we consider great leaders all have an ability to draw us close and to command our loyalty. And we feel a strong bond with those who are also drawn to the same leaders and organizations.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“A company is a culture. A group of people brought together around a common set of values and beliefs. It’s not products or services that bind a company together. It’s not size and might that make a company strong, it’s the culture—the strong sense of beliefs and values that everyone, from the CEO to the receptionist, all share. So the logic follows, the goal is not to hire people who simply have a skill set you need, the goal is to hire people who believe what you believe.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why)
“Trust does not emerge simply because a seller makes a rational case why the customer should buy a product or service, or because an executive promises change. Trust is not a checklist. Fulfilling all your responsibilities does not create trust. Trust is a feeling, not a rational experience. We trust some people and companies even when things go wrong, and we don’t trust others even though everything might have gone exactly as it should have. A completed checklist does not guarantee trust. Trust begins to emerge when we have a sense that another person or organization is driven by things other than their own self-gain. With trust comes a sense of value—real value, not just value equated with money. Value, by definition, is the transference of trust. You can’t convince someone you have value, just as you can’t convince someone to trust you. You have to earn trust by communicating and demonstrating that you share the same values and beliefs. You have to talk about your WHY and prove it with WHAT you do.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why).
“When you start with WHY, those who believe what you believe are drawn to you for very personal reasons. It is those who share your values and beliefs, not the quality of your products that will cause the system to tip.” – Simon Sinek, (Start with Why)
“Successful succession is more than selecting someone with an appropriate skill set—it’s about finding someone who is in lockstep with the original cause around which the company was founded. Great second or third CEOs don’t take the helm to implement their own vision of the future; they pick up the original banner and lead the company into the next generation. That’s why we call it succession, not replacement. There is a continuity of vision.” – Simon Sinek, (Start With Why).
