Born prematurely in 1926, Hilary Hinton “Zig” Ziglar defied the odds from day one.
Raised by his single mother, he attributed his values to her resilience.
Ziglar started as a cookware salesman in 1947, becoming successful after P.C. Merrell’s encouraging words changed his self-perception.
By 1950, he was a divisional supervisor. Ziglar left sales for motivational speaking in 1970, earning the nickname “Zig”.
His first book, “See You at the Top,” sold over 250,000 copies despite multiple rejections from publishers.
In 2001, the National Speakers Association awarded Ziglar the Cavett Award.
Despite retirement in 2010 due to health issues, Ziglar’s impact lived on through his corporation.
Ziglar died in 2012, leaving behind a legacy of resilience, tenacity and the power of self-belief.
See also: Robert Kiyosaki Quotes and Thomas Edison Quotes and Brian Tracy Quotes.
Below you will find some of the top quotes from Zig Ziglar.
Inspiring Zig Ziglar Quotes
1. “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
2. “Attitude, not aptitude, determines altitude.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
3. “Motivation gets you going and habit gets you there.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
4. “You were born to win, but to be a winner you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
5. “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
6. “Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. The best is yet to come.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
7. “Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
8. “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
9. “Make today worth remembering.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
10. “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
11. “When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
12. “F-E-A-R has two meanings: ‘Forget Everything And Run’ or ‘Face Everything And Rise.’ The choice is yours.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
13. “There are no traffic jams on the extra mile.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
14. “Go as far as you can see and you will see further.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
15. “When you are tough on yourself, life is going to be infinitely easier on you.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
16. “Don’t be distracted by criticism. Remember: the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
17. “Until you are happy with who you are, you will never be happy with what you have.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
18. “Failure is an event, not a person.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
19. “Outstanding people have one thing in common: an absolute sense of mission.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
20. “The more you are grateful for what you have the more you will have to be grateful for.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
Inspirational Zig Ziglar Quotes
21. “You are what you are and you are where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You change what you are and you change where you are by changing what goes into your mind.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
22. “Rich people have small TVs and big libraries, and poor people have small libraries and big TVs.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
23. “Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
24. “Ability can take you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
25. “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
26. “The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want right now.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
27. “Success is not a destination, it’s a journey.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
28. “I believe success is achieved by ordinary people with extraordinary determination.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
29. “You can have everything in life that you want if you just give enough other people what they want.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
30. “It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action and discipline that enabled us to follow through.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
31. “There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
32. “Life is a classroom. Only those who are willing to be lifelong learners will move to the head of the class.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
33. “The most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
34. “You don’t build a business – you build people – and then people build the business.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
35. “When you focus on problems, you get more problems. When you focus on possibilities, you have more opportunities.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
36. “It’s not how far you fall, but how high you bounce that counts.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
37. “Among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile, and a grateful heart.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
38. “If people like you they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you they’ll do business with you.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
39. “A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
40. “If you go out looking for friends, you’re going to find they are very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
Best Zig Ziglar Quotes
41. “Repetition is the mother of learning, the father of action, which makes it the architect of accomplishment.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
42. “It’s not going to be easy, it’s going to be worth it.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
43. “Confidence is going after Moby Dick in a rowboat and taking the tartar sauce with you.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
44. “Be strong, but not rude; Be kind, but not weak; Be bold, but not bully; Be humble, but not timid; Be proud, but not arrogant.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
45. “Life is an echo. What you send out comes back. What you sow, you reap. What you give, you get. What you see in others, exists in you.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
46. “You can’t hit a target you cannot see, and you cannot see a target you do not have.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
47. “If you learn from defeat, you haven’t really lost.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
48. “When you make people feel important, you’re going to be ahead of the game.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
49. “Time well spent results in more money to spend, more money to save, and more time to vacation.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
50. “You are free to choose, but the choices you make today will determine what you have, be, and do in the tomorrow of your life.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
51. “It’s not where you start but where you finish that counts.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
52. “Your life is a result of the choices you have made. If you don’t like your life, start making better choices.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
53. “Our children are our only hope for the future, but we are their only hope for their present and their future.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
54. “When your image improves, your performance improves.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
55. “The best way to raise positive children in a negative world is to have positive parents who love them unconditionally and serve as excellent role models.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
56. “What defines us is how well we rise after we fall.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
57. “This morning did you wake up to an alarm clock or an opportunity clock?” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
58. “If you want to achieve your goals, help others achieve theirs.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
59. “Integrity gives you real freedom because you have nothing to fear since you have nothing to hide.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
60. “Your input determines your outlook. Your outlook determines your output, and your output determines your future.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
61. “I opened two gifts this morning. They were my eyes.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
62. “Life is about balance. Be kind, but don’t let people abuse you. Trust, but don’t be deceived. Be content, but never stop improving yourself.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
63. “The most destitute person in the world is the one without a smile.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
64. “Don’t give up just because of what someone said. Use it as motivation to push harder.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
65. “Life is an echo. What you send out comes back.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
66. “Most people stand on the dock of life waiting for their ship to come in when deep down inside they know it has never left port.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
67. “Today be thankful and think how rich you are. Your family is priceless, your time is gold and your health is wealth.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
68. “Don’t let someone who gave up on their dreams talk you out of going after yours.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
69. “A healthy mind breeds a healthy body and vice versa!” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
70. “Beautiful things happen in your life when you distance yourself from the negative things.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
71. “Feed your mind with the good, the clean, the pure, the powerful, and the positive.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
72. “People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
73. “The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
74. “We build our character from the bricks of habit we pile up day by day.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
75. “Selling is essentially transference of feeling.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
Top Zig Ziglar Quotes
76. “Don’t start your day with broken pieces of the past. Yesterday ended last night. Today is a brand new day and it’s yours.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
77. “Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
78. “The first step in solving a problem is to recognize that it does exist.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
79. “It’s not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life; it is how you handle what happens to you.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
80. “For every sale you miss because you’re too enthusiastic, you will miss a hundred because you’re not enthusiastic enough.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
81. “Motivation gets you going and habit gets you there. Make motivation a habit and you will get there more quickly and have more fun on the trip.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
82. “If you don’t see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
83. “When the outlook isn’t good, try the uplook – it’s always good!” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
84. “I have always said that everyone is in sales. Maybe you don’t hold the title of salesperson, but if the business you are in requires you to deal with people, you, my friend, are in sales.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
85. “Live in such a way that if someone should speak badly of you, no one would believe it.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
86. “If you believe your product or service can fulfill a true need, it’s your moral obligation to sell it.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
87. “We cannot start over, but we can begin now, and make a new beginning.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
88. “The first step to getting what you want is to have the courage to get rid of what you don’t.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
89. “What you do today can change all the tomorrow’s of your life.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
90. “Don’t wait until you feel like taking positive action. Take the action and then you will feel like doing it.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
91. “The real opportunity for success lies within the person and not in the job.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
92. “Will what I am about to do, bring me closer to, or take me further from my goals?” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
93. “Most of the problems in life are because of two reasons, we act without thinking or we keep thinking without acting.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
94. “Trust is the byproduct of integrity.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
95. “A true leader produces more leaders.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
96. “When you change your thinking, you change actions, when you change your actions you change your future.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
97. “When the wrong people leave your life, the right things start to happen.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
98. “Always remember that your present situation is not your final destination. The best is yet to come.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
99. “When you look at the possibilities instead of the problems, the future is filled with endless opportunities.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
100. “Don’t let the mistakes and disappointments of the past control and direct your future.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
101. “Good values are easier caught than taught.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
102. “A good life is when you assume nothing, do more, smile often, dream big, laugh a lot and realize how blessed you are for what you have.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
103. “A positive attitude will have positive results because attitudes are contagious.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
104. “Do it, and then you will feel motivated to do it.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
105. “Stop selling. Start helping.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
106. “Discipline yourself to do the things you need to do when you need to do them, and the day will come when you will be able to do the things you want to do when you want to do them!” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
107. “Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
108. “You can’t climb uphill by thinking downhill thoughts.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
109. “You are the most influential person you will talk to all day.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
110. “We miss 100 percent of the sales we don’t ask for.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
111. “A goal properly set is halfway reached.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
Famous Zig Ziglar Quotes
112. “Don’t judge me by my past. I don’t live there anymore.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
113. “Setting goals helps bring your future into your present and the present is the only time we can take action.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
114. “A clear rejection is always better than a fake promise.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
115. “Each failure brings you one step closer to success.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
116. “Surround yourself with those who see greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself!” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
117. “Honesty and integrity are absolutely essential for success in life – all areas of life. The really good news is that anyone can develop both honesty and integrity.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
118. “When we do more than we are paid to do, eventually we will be paid more for what we do.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
119. “Success is in the details.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
120. “Failure doesn’t come from falling down, failure comes from not getting up.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
121. “Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
122. “If you will be hard on yourself, life will be easy on you. But if you insist upon being easy on yourself, life is going to be very hard on you.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
123. “Look Back in forgiveness, forward in hope, down in compassion and up in gratitude.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
124. “When you make a mistake, be excited! Analyze what happened, and learn from it.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
125. “What you feed your mind determines your appetite.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
126. “Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and Start being positive about what could go right.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
127. “When we change the input into our minds, we change the output into our lives.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
128. “Our daily objectives should include an honest effort to improve on yesterday.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
129. “When you have passion for something you find a way to make it happen – this is the panacea to success.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
130. “God will take care of what you go through. You take care of how you go through it.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
131. “Don’t become a wandering generality. Be a meaningful specific.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
132. “Make failure your teacher, not your undertaker.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
133. “Success comes in cans, failure comes in can’ts.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
134. “You don’t drown by falling in water. You only drown if you stay there.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
135. “After every mistake, we need to understand that we can look back and learn-so that we can move forward with confidence and avoid making the same mistake again.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
136. “Honesty and integrity are by far the most important assets of an entrepreneur.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
137. “There is no such thing as a lazy person; he is either sick or uninspired.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
138. “Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
139. “Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
140. “You can start where you are with what you’ve got and go wherever it is you want to go.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
141. “You already have every characteristic necessary for success if you recognize, claim, develop and use them.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
142. “In many ways, effective communication begins with mutual respect, communication that inspires, encourages others to do their best.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
143. “Many marriages would be better if the husband and wife clearly understood that they’re on the same side. ” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
144. “If you are always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you’re in.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
145. “Have an attitude of gratitude and you will have more to be grateful for; have a complaining spirit and you will attract more to complain about.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
Short Zig Ziglar Quotes
146. “I have too many flaws to be perfect. But I have too many blessings to be ungrateful.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
147. “Never blame anyone in your life. Good people give you happiness. Bad people give you experience. Worst people give you a lesson and the best people give you memories.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
148. “Speak in such a way that others love to listen to you. Listen in such a way that others love to speak to you.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
149. “A goal casually set and lightly taken is freely abandoned at the first obstacle.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
150. “Making a big life change is pretty scary. But know what’s even scarier? Regret.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
151. “Goals are dreams we convert to plans and take action to fulfill.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
152. “Motivation is like bathing. You’ve got to do it every single day.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
153. “Motivation is the fuel necessary to keep the human engine running.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
154. “Getting knocked down in life is a given. Getting up and moving forward is a choice.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
155. “It is true that integrity alone won’t make you a leader, but without integrity you will never be one.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
156. “Try to look at your weakness and convert it into your strength. That’s success.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
157. “There is a difference between standard of living and quality of life. Quality of life is more important.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
158. “Put all excuses aside and remember this: YOU are capable.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
159. “Keep trying. It’s only from the valley that the mountain seems high.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
160. “In the blink of an eye everything can change. So forgive often and love with all your heart. You may not have that chance again.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
161. “When you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear. When you do the right things in the right way you have nothing to lose because you have nothing to fear.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
162. “Successful people use their strength by recognizing, developing, and utilizing the talents of others.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
163. “God created man on purpose, and for a purpose.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
164. “If you don’t have daily objectives, you qualify as a dreamer.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
165. “If you want to reach a goal, you must ‘see the reaching’ in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
166. “If you don’t plan your time, someone else will help you waste it.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
167. “Part of your purpose in life is to build strong and fruitful relationships with others, and your work setting is a perfect place to start.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
168. “The greatest source of happiness is the ability to be grateful at all times.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
169. “Where you start is not as important as where you finish.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
170. “Success and happiness are not matters of chance but choice.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
171. “A good relationship is when someone accepts your past, supports your present and encourages your future.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
172. “Individuals score points, but teams win games.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
Motivational Zig Ziglar Quotes
173. “You do not determine your success by comparing yourself to others, rather you determine your success by comparing your accomplishments to your capabilities.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
174. “Success Procedure: Run your day by the clock and your life with a vision.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
175. “The top salesperson in the organization probably missed more sales than 90% of the sales people on the team, but they also made more calls than the others made.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
176. “Don’t count the things you do, do the things that count.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
177. “To respond is positive, to react is negative.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
178. “I read the paper every day and the Bible every day; that way I know what both sides are up to.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
179. “People do not wander around and then find themselves at the top of Mount Everest.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
180. “Timid salesmen have skinny kids.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
181. “Happiness is not something you find, but rather something you create.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
182. “Ability is important in our quest for success, but dependability is critical.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
183. “Every day is a good day, and if you don’t believe me, just try missing one of them.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
184. “If you love to read, you can learn anything you really want to know.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
185. “Happiness is not pleasure, it is victory.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
186. “A positive attitude and personal motivation allow you to remain excited about what you are doing – no matter how difficult the challenges may be day to day.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
187. “Our favorite attitude should be gratitude.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
188. “When you catch a glimpse of your potential, that’s when passion is born.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
189. “Winning is not everything, but the effort to win is.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
190. “With integrity you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide. With integrity you will do the right thing, so you will have no guilt. With fear and guilt removed you are free to be and do your best.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
191. “Success is not measured by what you do compared to what somebody else does. Success is measured by what you do compared to what you are capable of doing.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
192. “Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
193. “It’s easier to explain price once than to apologize for quality forever.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
194. “Responsibility and commitment are key elements in meeting obligations.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
195. “The only thing worse than losing an employee you have trained is keeping an employee you haven’t trained.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
196. “Motivation is like taking a bath; If you stop doing it, you begin to stink!” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
197. “When you make a promise, keep it.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
198. “The greatest of all mistakes is to do nothing because you think you can only do a little.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
199. “Simple smile, a cheerful hello or a word of encouragement. It’s amazing what an impact you will have.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
200. “A second chance doesn’t mean anything if you haven’t learned from your first mistake.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
201. “Happiness is the ability to move forward, knowing the future will be better than the past.” ~ (Zig Ziglar).
