Create Yours

Top 20 David Maister Quotes (2025 Update)

David Maister Quote: “Professional is not a label you give yourself – it’s a description you hope others will apply to you.”

1. “Professional is not a label you give yourself – it’s a description you hope others will apply to you.”

— David Maister

Featured in: Friday Quotes for Work

David Maister Quote: “What you do with your billable time determines your current income, but what you do with your non-billable time determines your future.”

2. “What you do with your billable time determines your current income, but what you do with your non-billable time determines your future.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “Believe passionately in what you do, and never knowingly compromise your standards and values. Act like a true professional, aiming for true excellence, and the money will follow.”

3. “Believe passionately in what you do, and never knowingly compromise your standards and values. Act like a true professional, aiming for true excellence, and the money will follow.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “Focus on being the best you can at what you want to do.”

4. “Focus on being the best you can at what you want to do.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “Your task as a leader is to help others to succeed, not to strive only for your own success. If I don’t trust your motives, nothing else will matter -because my primary concern is your integrity.”

5. “Your task as a leader is to help others to succeed, not to strive only for your own success. If I don’t trust your motives, nothing else will matter -because my primary concern is your integrity.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “If your clients aren’t actively telling their friends about you, maybe your work isn’t as great as you think it is.”

6. “If your clients aren’t actively telling their friends about you, maybe your work isn’t as great as you think it is.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “Left untended, knowledge and skill, like all assets, depreciate in value surprisingly quickly.”

7. “Left untended, knowledge and skill, like all assets, depreciate in value surprisingly quickly.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “Truly visionary and successful companies have discovered that there is no conflict between the pursuit of profit and having a pursuit beyond profit.”

8. “Truly visionary and successful companies have discovered that there is no conflict between the pursuit of profit and having a pursuit beyond profit.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “A true professional feels no pressure to run up a client’s bill, knowing that any reduction in revenues caused by being efficient will be more than recompensed by the reputation earned for being honest and trustworthy.”

9. “A true professional feels no pressure to run up a client’s bill, knowing that any reduction in revenues caused by being efficient will be more than recompensed by the reputation earned for being honest and trustworthy.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “Success comes from doing what you enjoy. If you don’t enjoy it, how can it be called success?”

10. “Success comes from doing what you enjoy. If you don’t enjoy it, how can it be called success?”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “When did you feel most fulfilled? When did you impress yourself, or otherwise feel most proud of yourself?”

11. “When did you feel most fulfilled? When did you impress yourself, or otherwise feel most proud of yourself?”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “Don’t get stampeded by what people around you value. The task is to figure out what YOU value – and value highly enough to throw yourself into with unqualified passion.”

12. “Don’t get stampeded by what people around you value. The task is to figure out what YOU value – and value highly enough to throw yourself into with unqualified passion.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “Whether or not your values are operational is crucially determined by whether or not there are consequences for noncompliance.”

13. “Whether or not your values are operational is crucially determined by whether or not there are consequences for noncompliance.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “You cannot and should not try to please everyone. Make sure that the right people like you, and it will be expected that others will not. That’s how the world works.”

14. “You cannot and should not try to please everyone. Make sure that the right people like you, and it will be expected that others will not. That’s how the world works.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “No one can manage you if you don’t give them permission to do so. But if you are interested in accomplishing as much as you are capable of, then I believe there are good reasons to grant that permission.”

15. “No one can manage you if you don’t give them permission to do so. But if you are interested in accomplishing as much as you are capable of, then I believe there are good reasons to grant that permission.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “I will not accept your guidance and critique unless you are supportive and nurturing. On the other hand, you need to be continually demanding.”

16. “I will not accept your guidance and critique unless you are supportive and nurturing. On the other hand, you need to be continually demanding.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “Professionals have to decide on which subjects they are prepared to give nagging rights.”

17. “Professionals have to decide on which subjects they are prepared to give nagging rights.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “Before a leader can be accepted, let alone succeed, autonomous professionals must agree to be influenced by that person.”

18. “Before a leader can be accepted, let alone succeed, autonomous professionals must agree to be influenced by that person.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “What is important is what inspires persistence and determination- in other words what you care about.”

19. “What is important is what inspires persistence and determination- in other words what you care about.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “More than any other factor, it is the people we have to deal with that determine the quality of our work lives.”

20. “More than any other factor, it is the people we have to deal with that determine the quality of our work lives.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “Stop teaching students that they are the best and the brightest.”

21. “Stop teaching students that they are the best and the brightest.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “The noble path does win but only if you are prepared to make the investment over a long period of time.”

22. “The noble path does win but only if you are prepared to make the investment over a long period of time.”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “What do I have to do to earn and deserve the key relationships that are going to get me where I want to go?”

23. “What do I have to do to earn and deserve the key relationships that are going to get me where I want to go?”

— David Maister

David Maister Quote: “The courage to care about your people, your clients, and your career.”

24. “The courage to care about your people, your clients, and your career.”

— David Maister

Friday Quotes for Work

Friday Quotes for Work

Motivational Quotes

Motivational Quotes

Inspirational Entrepreneurship Quotes

Inspirational Entrepreneurship Quotes

Positive Quotes

Positive Quotes

Albert Einstein Quotes

Albert Einstein Quotes

Friday Quotes for Work

Friday Quotes for Work

Motivational Quotes

Motivational Quotes

INSPIRATIONAL SUCCESS MOTIVATIONAL

Inspirational Entrepreneurship Quotes

Inspirational Entrepreneurship Quotes

ENTREPRENEURSHIP BUSINESS INSPIRATIONAL

Positive Quotes

Positive Quotes

Albert Einstein Quotes

Albert Einstein Quotes

ENTREPRENEURSHIP BUSINESS INSPIRATIONAL

Steve Jobs Quotes

Steve Jobs Quotes

ENTREPRENEURSHIP BUSINESS APPLE

Inspirational Quotes

Inspirational Quotes

COURAGE MOTIVATIONAL STRENGTH

INSPIRATIONAL SUCCESS MOTIVATIONAL

Save image...
Permalink
Open in new tab
Copy quote text

Beautiful Wallpapers and Images

We hope you enjoyed our collection of 20 David Maister Quotes.

All the images on this page were created with QuoteFancy Studio.

Use QuoteFancy Studio to create high-quality images for your desktop backgrounds, blog posts, presentations, social media, videos, posters, and more.

Thank you!

Please check your email.