Top 500 John C. Maxwell Quotes (2025 Update)
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51. “Leadership development is a lifetime journey, not a quick trip.”

— John C. Maxwell

52. “Disappointment is the gap that exists between expectation and reality.”

— John C. Maxwell

53. “Your talk talks and your walk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.”

— John C. Maxwell

54. “Wanting to win isn’t enough. You have to go through a process to improve. That takes patience, perseverance, and intentionality.”

— John C. Maxwell

55. “Your core values are the deeply held beliefs that authentically describe your soul.”

— John C. Maxwell

56. “There is no success without failure and losses.”

— John C. Maxwell

57. “The more intentional you are about your leadership growth, the greater your potential for becoming the leader you’re capable of being. Never stop learning.”

— John C. Maxwell

58. “While a good leader sustains momentum, a great leader increases it.”

— John C. Maxwell

59. “One of the greatest values of mentors is the ability to see ahead what others cannot see and to help them navigate a course to their destination.”

— John C. Maxwell

60. “Failing forward is the ability to get back up after you’ve been knocked down, learn from your mistake, and move forward in a better direction.”

— John C. Maxwell

61. “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.”

— John C. Maxwell

62. “Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing. That’s the Law of Consistency. It doesn’t matter how talented you are. It doesn’t matter how many opportunities you receive. If you want to grow, consistency is key.”

— John C. Maxwell

63. “Success is a continuing thing. It is growth and development. It is achieving one thing and using that as a stepping stone to achieve something else.”

— John C. Maxwell

64. “Leadership is taking responsibility while others are making excuses.”

— John C. Maxwell

65. “The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda.”

— John C. Maxwell

66. “Momentum solves 80% of your problems.”

— John C. Maxwell

67. “Be intentional about adding value to every person you meet every day.”

— John C. Maxwell

68. “Leadership is influence.”

— John C. Maxwell

69. “If you do the things you need to do when you need to do them, then someday you can do the things you want do when you want to do them.”

— John C. Maxwell

70. “If you don’t change the direction you are going, then you’re likely to end up where you’re heading.”

— John C. Maxwell

71. “Encouragement is oxygen for the soul.”

— John C. Maxwell

72. “Time management is an oxymoron. Time is beyond our control, and the clock keeps ticking regardless of how we lead our lives. Priority management is the answer to maximizing the time we have.”

— John C. Maxwell

73. “Most People have a desire to look for the exception instead of the desire to become exceptional. ”

— John C. Maxwell

74. “Confidence is a characteristic of a positive attitude. The greatest achievers and leaders remain confident regardless of circumstances.”

— John C. Maxwell

75. “Once a decision is made, you should stop worrying and start working. It’s not always what we know that makes it a good decision. It is what we do to implement and execute it that makes it a good decision.”

— John C. Maxwell

76. “Mistakes are the stepping stones to success.”

— John C. Maxwell

77. “I believe that everyone chooses how to approach life. If you’re proactive, you focus on preparing. If you’re reactive, you end up focusing on repairing.”

— John C. Maxwell

78. “To add value to others, one must first value others.”

— John C. Maxwell

79. “The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm.”

— John C. Maxwell

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

— John C. Maxwell

81. “Profile of a winning team – They play to win. They have a winning attitude. They keep improving. They make their teammates more successful.”

— John C. Maxwell

82. “Your life today is a result of your thinking yesterday. Your life tomorrow will be determined by what you think today.”

— John C. Maxwell

83. “The single biggest way to impact an organization is to focus on leadership development. There is almost no limit to the potential of an organization that recruits good people, raises them up as leaders and continually develops them.”

— John C. Maxwell

84. “Losers focus on what they are going through; winners focus on what they are going to.”

— John C. Maxwell

85. “Failure is an inside job. So is success. If you want to achieve, you have to win the war in your thinking first. You can’t let the failure outside you get inside you.”

— John C. Maxwell

86. “Needless to say, you can love people without leading them, but you cannot lead people without loving them.”

— John C. Maxwell

87. “Think, Act, Talk, and Conduct Yourself Like the Person You Want to Become.”

— John C. Maxwell

88. “People change when they hurt enough that they have to change, learn enough that they want to change, receive enough that they are able to change.”

— John C. Maxwell

89. “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.”

— John C. Maxwell

90. “Do something you hate every day, just for the practice.”

— John C. Maxwell

91. “Leadership is developed daily, not in a day.”

— John C. Maxwell

92. “The longer you wait to do something you should do now, the greater the odds that you will never actually do it.”

— John C. Maxwell

93. “We were created for meaningful work, and one of life’s greatest pleasures is the satisfaction of a job well done.”

— John C. Maxwell

94. “Where there is no hope in the future, there is no power in the present.”

— John C. Maxwell

95. “Always take the high road.”

— John C. Maxwell

96. “When you make a commitment, you create hope. When you keep a commitment you create trust!”

— John C. Maxwell

97. “Nothing of significance was ever achieved by an individual acting alone. Look below the surface and you will find that all seemingly solo acts are really team efforts.”

— John C. Maxwell

98. “Life is now in session. Are you present?”

— John C. Maxwell

99. “If your habits don’t line up with your dream, then you need to either change your habits or change your dream.”

— John C. Maxwell

100. “Becoming a good listener, you are able to connect with others on more levels and develop stronger, deeper relationships.”

— John C. Maxwell