John C. Maxwell People Quotations [Page 2]

A leader who develops people adds; a leader who develops leaders multiplies.

If you want to attract people, you need to be like people you enjoy being with.

People say, "John, what's your personal growth?" And ask "How do you grow?" And I tell them. I thought, "Why do I keep telling them, why don't I just write a book on what I call personal growth?" And that's what this [Today Matters] book is.

Often people fail to start or complete a task because they don't see any connection between what they're doing and what they really want to accomplish in life.

For many many years, I've taught, not only leadership, but I've taught people that they need a personal growth plan. Growth is not an automatic process for you or me or anybody.

When I made that statement that the person discovers the secret of their success by their daily agenda, all of a sudden it hit me that if I could teach people to make today count; if I could really teach them what they need to do today to have a good day, that tomorrow would really take care of itself.

Find something you like to do so much that you would gladly do it for nothing; then learn to do it so well that people are happy to pay you for it.

Successful people don't have any fewer problems than unsuccessful people; they just have a different mindset in dealing with them.

There is definitely a connection between finding your passion and reaching your potential. People ask me all the time, 'John, how do I know what I am meant to do in life?' The answer is really simple: Energy and Excellence. When you experience unbounded energy in what you are doing, when you are driven to excellence in your work and love what you do - then you can rest assured that you have found your passion and are definitely in pursuit of your full potential.

If your desire is a 10 but your self-esteem is a 5, you'll never perform at the level of a 10. You'll perform as a 5 or lower. People are ever able to outperform their self-image.

You add value to people when you value them.

Some people want everything to be perfect before they're willing to commit... But commitment always precedes achievement.

I wrote the book [Today Matters] because I have a passion to help people personally grow. Really what it is, it's a personal growth book.

Vision is a picture of a desired future; a picture of something that I don't possess right now, but it is something I want to see and experience, and something I want the people I am leading to experience.

People can open doors for you, but you ... must walk through.

Without a vision people in leadership positions perish. You not only lose your people, you lose the person who is in a leadership position - you lose it all.

Without a vision people and the church become self-centered. People start finding fault with one another and the church self-destructs.

The measure of a leader is not the number of people who serve him, but the number of people he serves.

People of poor character tend to blame their choices on circumstances. Ethical people make good choices regardless of circumstances. If they make enough good choices, they begin to create better conditions for themselves.

You have to live with the people to know their needs, and you have to live with God to know how to solve them.

Why would God send people to our church if we don't have a great dream? Why would God give a multigifted, multitalented, and multifinancially wealthy person to a church if the biggest thing you are going to do is paint the restrooms next year? That's bad stewardship.

Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. How do you gain influence from people? You invest in them. How do you invest in them? It starts with giving them time.

To help [people] understand that what you shortcut today, cannot be made up tomorrow. So it's like, I'm not going to do anything today, and I'm going to do the wrong thing today and somehow tomorrow it will get a lot better."

The best way to help people is to see the best in them.

To be an influencer, you have to love people before you can try to lead them.

If you can learn to understand people how they think, what they feel, what inspires them, how they're likely to act and react in a given situation- then you can motivate and influence them in a positive way.

Most people who decide to grow personally find their first mentors in the pages of books.

The best leaders are humble enough to realize their victories depend upon their people.

For leaders to be effective, they need to connect with people.

The leader is there for the people, not the people for the leader

People must learn how to think well to achieve their dreams and to reach their potential.

Do you value people who won't benefit you or only those who might contribute in some way to your success? Great team players truly value others as people, and they know and relate to what others value.

The best place for a leader isn't always at the top position. It is the place where they can serve the best and add the most value to other people.

Talent allows people to stand out, but their wrong choices make them sit down.

Good people always rise to your level of expectation.

You've got to love your people more than your position.

When you are influential and highly respected, people tend to tell you what you want to hear, not what you need to hear. They are seeking your approval, or they flatter you. Unfortunately, this creates a gap between what you hear and reality. If you find yourself in that situation, you will need to work extra hard to get the people close to you to speak honestly into your life. And you will have to become highly intentional in observing and listening.

A lot of people believe they are successful because they have everything they want. They have added value to themselves. But I believe significance comes when you add value to others and you can't have true success without significance.

If people around you don't believe in you, if they don't encourage you, then you need to find some people who do.

People create success in their lives by focusing on today. It may sound trite, but today is the only time you have. It's too late for yesterday. And you can't depend on tomorrow. That's why today matters. Most of the time we miss that.

I always find the greatest help I receive is from people who have been where I have been, but now they're no longer there.

People have a seed to success within them. Most never find it and therefore fail to reach their potential. Occasionally, a leader discovers it and helps that individual develop it. For both, they now can fulfill the purpose for which they are born.

If you are a leader, the true measure of your success is not getting people to work. It's not getting people to work hard. It is getting people to work hard together. That takes commitment.

People knowledge is much more important than mere product knowledge.

People don't really know whether they are committed to something until they face adversity.

People are training for success when they should be training for failure.

You're only as good as the people you have around you.

As a leader, you will never get ahead until your people are behind you.

The best leaders realize their success depends on their people.

Leaders provide for their people what the people cannot provide for themselves.

God uses people who fail - Cause there aren't any other kind around.

Successful people are willing to do things unsuccessful people will not do.

You can change your tomorrow if you do something today. Few people understand how the way you live today impacts your tomorrow. Today is the only time we have within our grasp, yet many people let it slip through their fingers, recognizing neither its value nor potential. If we want to do something with our lives, then we must make today matter, because that's where tomorrow's success lies.

Leadership deals with people and their dynamics, which are continually changing. The challenge of leadership is to create change and facilitate growth.

Talk to people, not above them.

People tend to become what the most important people in their lives think they will become.

If you want to be a sharp thinker, be around sharp people.

What is your legacy? Are you intentional about the sort of influence you want to have on the world around you? Being aware of how you want to be remembered gives you a perspective on what is truly important. Leadership is influence, and relationships are the foundation of leadership. Nothing is more predictive of your legacy than the quality of people you surround yourself with.

There is no quicker way to earn respect as a leader than being slow to speak. It is called listening and it plays a big role in what I call “The Law of Connection.” How will you know what is important to people unless you ask and listen to the answers? If you prove to be a leader who solicits feedback and pays attention to what’s being said, then you will earn your connection and your followers will respect the guidance you give.

When people respect someone as a person, they admire her. When they respect her as a friend, they love her. When they respect her as a leader, they follow her.

Successful people don't make a daily decision to grow. The decision has already been made and just needs to be fed. To feed success you must ... know your purpose in life, grow daily to reach your maximum potential, and sow seeds that benefit others. Remember, success is not a destination; it's a daily thing.

Mentally strong people are comfortable in their own skin.

The leader finds the dream and then the people. The people find the leader and then the dream.

Making matters worse is people's natural inclination to be easy on themselves, judging themselves according to their good intentions-while holding others to a higher standard and judging them by their worst actions.

People do not give from the top of their purses but from the bottom of their hearts. If you desire to become a more generous person do not change your income. Change your heart.

Everyone you know and all the people you meet have the potential to be someone important in the lives of others.

The ability to understand people is a choice.

One way to overcome our natural self-centeredness is to try to see things from other people's perspectives.

Many people help construct our attitudes at a certain time and place.

People are funny. When they are young, they will spend their health to get wealth. Later, they will gladly pay all they have trying to get their health back.

People may teach what they know, but they reproduce what they are.

What I had been taught all my life was not true: experience is not the best teacher! Some people learn and grow as a result of their experience; some people don't. Everybody has some kind of experience. It's what you do with that experience that matters.

Our days are like identical suitcases. Even though they are all the same size, some people are able to pack more into them then others. The reason? They know what to pack.

It's more important to get along with people than to get ahead of them.

Three reasons problems are inevitable; first, we live in a world of growing complexity and diversity; second, we interact with people; and third, we cannot control all the situation we face.

One of the best ways to cultivate a possibility mind set is to prompt yourself to dream one size bigger than you normally do. Let's face it, most people dream too small, they don't think big enough.

The most successful people in life are the ones who settle their critical issues early and manage them daily.

Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course. Leaders who are good navigators are capable of taking their people just about anywhere.

Most people are not valued. Very few people have someone who believes in them. Very few have others love them unconditionally. Do these things intentionally every day.

If you want to lead people, you have to let them come up close.

People who love life have charisma because they fill the room with positive energy.

COMMITMENT is the first step to every good thing I know, and the only step that matters when it comes to achievement. It inspires and attracts people, shows them you have conviction and goals, that you are focused and determined. And the commitment that is based on values will endure. Any time you make choices based on solid life values, you are in a better position to sustain your level of commitment, because you don't have to continually re-evaluate its importance.

Delegate - work smarter not harder; do what you do best and drop the rest; get control of your calendar; do what you love because it will give you energy; work with people you like so your energy isn't depleted.

The trials and pressures of life--and how we face them--often define us. Confronted by adversity, many people give up while others rise up. How do those who succeed do it? They persevere. They find the benefit to them personally that comes from any trial. And they recognize that the best thing about adversity is coming out on the other side of it. There is a sweetness to overcoming your troubles and finding something good in the process, however small it may be. Giving up when adversity threatens can make a person bitter. Persevering through adversity makes one better.

If I expect great things from my people, they'll go to great lengths to keep from disappointing me.

When you realize that people treat you according to how they see themselves rather than how you really are, you are less likely to be affected by their behavior.

You win people's hearts by helping them grow personally.

If you want to be great, you can't be great by yourself. You gotta to bring people around you. As the the challenge escalates, the need for teamwork elevates. The greater the challenge, the better the team.

Lasting motivation proceeds forth from the heart. People can be temporarily motivated by other people and things around them. Permanent, enduring motivation, however, can only come from within.

Making a difference in your work is not about productivity; it’s about people. When you focus on others and connect with them, you can work together to accomplish great things.

The success of a vision is determined by its ownership by both the leader and the people.

Any leader who asks the right questions of the right people has the potential to discover and develop great ideas.

The greatest detriment to many people's success tomorrow is their thinking today.

What most people really want is to be listened to, respected, and understood.

One person seeking glory doesn't accomplish much. Success is the result of people pulling together to meet common goals.

I've known people who thought that reaching their potential would come from shoring up their weaknesses. But do you know what happens when you spend all your time working on your weaknesses and never developing your strengths? If you work really hard, you might claw your way all the way to mediocrity! But you'll never get beyond it.

With a little faith in themselves people, people can do miraculous things. But without it, they have a really tough time.

It's one thing to communicate to people because you believe you have something of value to say. It's another to communicate with people because you believe they have value.

It takes a lot of people to create a success. That's why I say that few leaders are successful unless a lot of people want them to be.

Are you a thinker, a doer, or a clutch player? The better you are, the greater potential for influence you will have with your people.