Top 70 Colin Powell Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “There are no secrets to success: don’t waste time looking for them. Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty to those for whom you work, and persistence.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Success Quotes, Persistence Quotes, Failure Quotes, Motivational Quotes for Work, Motivational Quotes for Success

2. “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Motivational Quotes, Persistence Quotes, Positive Inspirational Quotes, Inspirational Quotes for Work, Encouragement Quotes

3. “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Positive Quotes, Inspirational Quotes, Leadership Quotes, Short Motivational Quotes, Optimistic Quotes

4. “The day the soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Leadership Quotes, Quality Quotes, Military Quotes

5. “The best method of overcoming obstacles is the team method.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Positive Work Quotes, Teamwork Quotes

6. “Effective leaders are made, not born. They learn from trial and error, and from experience.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Leadership Quotes, Learning Quotes, Experience Quotes, Career Development Quotes, Military Quotes

7. “If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Inspirational Quotes for Work, Mindset Quotes, Excellence Quotes, Career Development Quotes, Intelligent Quotes

8. “Always focus on the front windshield and not the rearview mirror.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Inspirational Quotes for Work, Journey Quotes, Quotes for Better Decisions, Vision Quotes

9. “When we are debating an issue, loyalty means giving me your honest opinion, whether you think I’ll like it or not. Disagreement, at this state, stimulates me. But once a decision is made, the debate ends. From that point on, loyalty means executing the decision as if it were your own.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Leadership Quotes, Loyalty Quotes

10. “Surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Positive Motivation Quotes, Positive Work Quotes, Positive Short Quotes, Quotes About Work, Quotes About People

11. “Get mad, then get over it.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Short Quotes, Moving On Quotes, Wise Quotes

12. “Have a vision. Be demanding.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Positive Work Quotes, Goal Setting Quotes, Good Morning Motivational Quotes, Freedom Quotes, Vision Quotes

13. “Don’t just show kindness in passing or to be courteous. Show it in depth, show it with passion, and expect nothing in return. Kindness is not just about being nice; it’s about recognizing another human being who deserves care and respect.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Passion Quotes, Kindness Quotes

14. “Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Excellence Quotes, Quotes About Trying, Hate Quotes

15. “You know you’re a good leader when people follow you out of curiosity.”

— Colin Powell

16. “Luck tends to come to people who are prepared.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Luck Quotes

17. “Look for intelligence and judgment and, most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high energy drive, a balanced ego and the drive to get things done.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Integrity Quotes, Inspirational Quotes for Work, Quotes About Skills, Ego Quotes

18. “The most important thing I learned is that soldiers watch what their leaders do. You can give them classes and lecture them forever, but it is your personal example they will follow.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Military Quotes, Influence Quotes, Actions Speak Louder Than Words Quotes

19. “The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity. An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Toxic People Quotes

20. “Always show more kindness than seems necessary, because the person receiving it needs it more than you will ever know.”

— Colin Powell

21. “None of us can change our yesterdays but all of us can change our tomorrows.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: New Beginnings Quotes

22. “Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off.”

— Colin Powell

23. “Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible.”

— Colin Powell

24. “The freedom to do your best means nothing unless you are willing to do your best.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Uplifting Quotes

25. “If a leader doesn’t convey passion and intensity then there will be no passion and intensity within the organization and they’ll start to fall down and get depressed.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Passion Quotes

26. “Respect for leaders by followers can’t be mandated; it must be earned. It has to be given to leaders by their followers.”

— Colin Powell

27. “Don’t bother people for help without first trying to solve the problem yourself.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Quotes About Trying, Problem-Solving Quotes, Firsts Quotes

28. “You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Be Yourself Quotes, Choices Quotes, Decision-Making Quotes

29. “You don’t know what you can get away with until you try.”

— Colin Powell

30. “Be careful what you choose. You may get it.”

— Colin Powell

31. “Bad news isn’t wine. It doesn’t improve with age.”

— Colin Powell

32. “Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Quotes for Better Decisions, Quotes About Facts

33. “Don’t be afraid to challenge the pros, even in their own backyard.”

— Colin Powell

34. “It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Monday Morning Quotes, Good Morning Quotes, Good Night Quotes

35. “Every organization should tolerate rebels who tell the emperor he has no clothes.”

— Colin Powell

36. “Don’t let your ego get too close to your position, so that if your position gets shot down, your ego doesn’t go with it.”

— Colin Powell

37. “Never neglect details. When everyone’s mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Mind Quotes

38. “I think whether you’re having setbacks or not, the role of a leader is to always display a winning attitude.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Attitude Quotes, Winning Quotes, Boss Quotes

39. “Experts often possess more data than judgment.”

— Colin Powell

40. “Organization doesn’t really accomplish anything. Plans don’t accomplish anything, either. Theories of management don’t much matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds.”

— Colin Powell

41. “The healthiest competition occurs when average people win by putting above average effort.”

— Colin Powell

42. “The ties that bind us are stronger than the occasional stresses that separate us.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Stress Quotes

43. “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hardwork, and learning from failure-.”

— Colin Powell

44. “A sense of shame is not a bad moral compass.”

— Colin Powell

45. “Giving back involves a certain amount of giving up.”

— Colin Powell

46. “Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers who can cut through the argument debate and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Leadership Quotes, Positive Work Quotes, Decision-Making Quotes, Problem-Solving Quotes, Simplicity Quotes

47. “Good leaders must know how to reward those who succeed and know when to retrain, move, or fire ineffective staff.”

— Colin Powell

Featured in: Quotes About Fire

48. “Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.”

— Colin Powell

49. “Fit no stereotypes. Don’t chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team’s mission.”

— Colin Powell

50. “Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved.”

— Colin Powell