15 John Maxwell Quotes Never to Forget

Having written over 60 books, John Maxwell is a successful author who focuses on leadership and business.

In addition to writing books, John Maxwell is also a motivational speaker and inspirational leadership coach. He hosts events and offers one on one coaching, helping people to achieve success.

He strives to motivate and encourage others in their leadership journey. Sharing his wealth of information is essential to him, and he continues to serve others in this way.

Some of the books written by John Maxwell have been featured on the New York Times Best Seller Lists. Other books he has written have sold over one million copies. With these great achievements, it’s no so many others look to him for advice and tips.

Through his quotes, he shares what it takes to be great. No matter what point you are at in your life, you’ll find wisdom and guidance through the words of John Maxwell. Remember these quotes so that you can recall them when you need them the most.

John Maxwell Quotes

1. “A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.”

It’s essential to admit your mistakes when you recognize them. It’s also important to correct them and try to profit from them. Mistakes are learning opportunities, and if you keep pushing through, the next time will be better.

2. “The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.”

If you’ve failed at something, you can’t give up, or you’ll only be able to hope to be an average person. Achieving people, however, don’t give up when they’ve failed at something. They keep going and trying again until they get it right.

3. “Learn to say ‘no’ to the good so you can say ‘yes’ to the best.”

You can’t say ‘yes’ to every opportunity that comes your way. Turning down, some of the excellent opportunities is essential. Otherwise, you won’t have the time or energy for anything better.

If you want to be the best and be successful at what you do, you have to say ‘no’ sometimes. This decisiveness will allow room for better opportunities when they come along.

4. “Look at our society. Everyone wants to be thin, but nobody wants to diet. Everyone wants to live long, but few will exercise. Everybody wants money, yet seldom will anyone budget or control their spending.”

In our society today, people want things to come quickly. Most people don’t want to work for what they want or for what they think they deserve.

You have to be willing to sacrifice and work hard to achieve what you are after. Being hopeful, wishing, and dreaming will never get you to your goals. Only hard work, change, and sacrifice can get you there.

5. “People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.”

It doesn’t matter what you say if your attitude doesn’t reflect your words. People can pick up on your vibes, no matter how well you try to hide them. If you want people to do as you say, you’ll have to portray a matching attitude.

So, if you are feeling a negative way, take some deep breaths and refocus before addressing others. This way, you can get in the right attitude to reflect your words.

6. “If you are a leader, you should never forget that everyone needs encouragement. And everyone who receives it – young or old, successful or less-than-successful, unknown or famous – is changed by it.”

A good leader understands that their team needs encouragement. It doesn’t matter their age or background, because everyone needs this positivity sometimes. Encouragement helps them see that they are capable and appreciated, which will make them keep trying harder.

7. “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.”

As the previous quote explained, everyone needs encouragement at times. Being encouraged can be life-changing for anyone. It can make all the difference no matter what part of life they need support.

The point is to help others reach their full potential. If you want them to be the best they can be and achieve great things, encouragement is necessary.

8. “Growth demands a temporary surrender of security. It may mean giving up familiar but limiting patterns, safe but unrewarding work, values no longer believed in, and relationships that have lost their meaning.”

If you want to feel comfortable at all times in your life, you will never grow. To grow, you need to give up that comfort so that you can explore new paths. You may have to make sacrifices, but it’ll all be worth it once you achieve your goals.

9. “There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. ‘Good pride’ represents our dignity and self-respect. ‘Bad pride’ is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance.”

Pride is often considered to be a bad quality to have. This statement isn’t entirely true, however, because good pride can be a positive force. As John Maxwell explains, it can reinforce your dignity and self-respect.

Bad pride, on the other hand, is just as negative as we’ve always been made to believe. It represents conceit and arrogance and can make others feel like you aren’t sincere.

10. “Failed plans should not be interpreted as a failed vision. Visions don’t change. They are only refined. Plans rarely stay the same and are scrapped or adjusted as needed. Be stubborn about the vision but flexible with your plan.”

Plans don’t always work out exactly as planned. This is why you should always have more than one method, because you may need to try a different idea.

Visions, however, shouldn’t ever change. If you are passionate about your dreams and goals, the view won’t change even when the plan does. You’ll just formulate a program that will help you reach the vision you’ve been dreaming of.

Don’t let anyone convince you to change your vision because your plan didn’t work out. Keep striving to be what you’ve always dreamed of despite the number of times you’ve failed in your pursuit.

11. “Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.”

To be a good leader, you have to be able to relate to those around you. It’s equally important to remember that you aren’t their peer. You have to be ahead of them at all times so that you can motivate them for what’s yet to come.

If you aren’t ahead, you won’t know what’s coming. Without that knowledge, you won’t be able to motivate others because you haven’t been there yet.

12. “As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me. The first person that I should try to change is me.”

While you may think that a leader’s primary goal is to lead and change others, this isn’t the case. You first have to drive yourself to get ahead of the rest. Then, you have to change yourself to be the leader that you need to be.

No matter what the change is, it will always start with you—trying to lead others when you aren’t ahead or when you haven’t made the necessary changes won’t work. You still have to start with yourself before you can begin on others.

13. “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.”

If you are continually blaming your attitude on other people or events, you have some work to do. You are responsible for your perspective, whether it is negative or positive. When you realize this, you’ll be happier, more successful, and more grown-up than before.

14. “The unsuccessful person is burdened by learning and prefers to walk down familiar paths. Their distaste for learning stunts their growth and limits their influence.”

It’s easy to take a leisurely, well-known path in life. To grow, however, you have to learn and explore new options. If you don’t want to learn and try something new, you won’t grow, and you have limited yourself.

15. “Good leaders must communicate vision clearly, creatively, and continually. However, the vision doesn’t come alive until the leader models it.”

Communicating your expectations and visions to your team is essential when you are a leader. You also have to model it. Your team won’t get the necessary work done if they don’t see you shaping your vision.

Final Thoughts on John Maxwell Quotes Never to Forget

As a successful author and businessman, John Maxwell offers sound advice through his quotes. He provides motivation, ideas, and tips to help you along your journey.

You can apply these quotes to any areas of your life, and it will help you be better and achieve success. Before you know it, you’ll be leading others and motivating them in the same way these quotes helped you.