Top 90 Tom Rath Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “You cannot be anything you want to be – but you can be a whole lot more of who you already are.”

— Tom Rath

Featured in: Be Yourself Quotes

2. “If you spend your life trying to be good at everything, you will never be great at anything.”

— Tom Rath

3. “Positive words are the glue that holds relationships together.”

— Tom Rath

4. “When we build on our strengths and daily successes – instead of focusing on failures – we simply learn more.”

— Tom Rath

5. “The pursuit of meaning, not happiness, is what makes life worthwhile.”

— Tom Rath

6. “Although individuals need not be well-rounded, teams should be.”

— Tom Rath

7. “Make work a purpose, not just a place.”

— Tom Rath

8. “From the cradle to the cubicle, we devote more time to our shortcomings than to our strengths.”

— Tom Rath

9. “Employees who report receiving recognition and praise within the last seven days show increased productivity, get higher scores from customers, and have better safety records. They’re just more engaged at work.”

— Tom Rath

10. “Followers have a very clear picture of what they want and need from the most influential leaders in their lives: trust, compassion, stability, and hope.”

— Tom Rath

11. “Life is not about you. It’s about what you do for others. The faster you are able to get over yourself, the more you can do for the people who matter most.”

— Tom Rath

12. “Every person has hidden talent waiting to be uncovered.”

— Tom Rath

13. “Perhaps the ultimate test of a leader is not what you are able to do in the here and now – but instead what continues to grow long after you’re gone.”

— Tom Rath

14. “Making better choices takes work. There is a daily give and take, but it is worth the effort.”

— Tom Rath

15. “Figure out what you really love doing and use your strengths on a daily basis.”

— Tom Rath

16. “The essential thing people want in a job today is work that will allow them to create meaning for others.”

— Tom Rath

17. “Instead of aspiring to be anything you want to be, you should aim to be more of who you already are.”

— Tom Rath

18. “There will be plenty of blame to go around but if you take credit for the sunshine, you also get blamed for the rain.”

— Tom Rath

19. “People have several times more potential for growth when they invest energy in developing their strengths instead of correcting their deficiencies.”

— Tom Rath

20. “If you want to improve your life and the lives of those around you, you must take action.”

— Tom Rath

21. “Every human being has talents that are just waiting to be uncovered.”

— Tom Rath

22. “Exercise is not enough. Working out three times a week is not enough. Being active throughout the day is what keeps you healthy.”

— Tom Rath

23. “The things that change people’s lives are usually an accumulation of small acts.”

— Tom Rath

24. “Far too many people spend a lifetime headed in the wrong direction. They go not only from the cradle to the cubicle, but then to the casket, without uncovering their greatest talents and potential.”

— Tom Rath

25. “If we can find short-term incentives that are consistent with our long-term objectives, it is much easier to make the right decisions in the moment.”

— Tom Rath

26. “The most successful people start with dominant talent – and then add skills, knowledge, and practice to the mix. When they do this, the raw talent actually serves as a multiplier.”

— Tom Rath

27. “When you ask people what affects their wellbeing most, they think of health and wealth.”

— Tom Rath

28. “What works for one persons needs is almost always very different from the next.”

— Tom Rath

29. “When we’re able to put most of our energy into developing our natural talents, extraordinary room for growth exists.”

— Tom Rath

30. “The absence of high-quality friendships is bad for your health, spirits, productivity, and longevity.”

— Tom Rath

31. “When you see a rare opportunity, take it. Life is too brief for living with regrets.”

— Tom Rath

32. “The quickest way to be a little bit happier and more engaged in your job is to spend some time thinking about developing closer friendships.”

— Tom Rath

33. “If you focus on people’s weaknesses, they lose confidence.” At a very basic level, it is hard for us to build self-confidence when we are focused on our weaknesses instead of our strengths.”

— Tom Rath

34. “The pursuit of meaning – not happiness – is what makes life worthwhile. Despite Thomas Jefferson including it in the Declaration of Independence, the “pursuit of happiness” is a shortsighted aim. Putting your own well-being before well-doing pulls you in the wrong direction.”

— Tom Rath

35. “The essential thing people want in a job today is work that will allow them to create meaning for others. My research suggests that the odds of being completely engaged in your job increase by more than 250 percent if you spend a lot of time doing meaningful work throughout the day.”

— Tom Rath

36. “If you focus on people’s weaknesses, they lose confidence.”

— Tom Rath

37. “If you want people to understand that you value their contributions and that they are important, the recognition and praise you provide must have meaning that is specific to each individual.”

— Tom Rath

38. “One’s single greatest strength may be uncovering the hidden talents of another person.”

— Tom Rath

39. “Clearly, there aren’t enough positive moments or interactions happening in the workplace. As a result, our economy suffers, companies suffer, and individual relationships suffer.”

— Tom Rath

40. “Don’t worry about breaks every 20 minutes ruining your focus on a task. Contrary to what I might have guessed, taking regular breaks from mental tasks actually improves your creativity and productivity. Skipping breaks, on the other hand, leads to stress and fatigue.”

— Tom Rath

41. “Spending on oneself does not boost wellbeing. However, spending money on others does – and it appears to be as important to people’s happiness as the total amount of money they make.”

— Tom Rath

42. “Even if people just change two or three things that they are able to sustain over time, it makes quite a difference eventually.”

— Tom Rath

43. “When we can see an immediate payoff, we are more likely to change our behavior in the moment. This aligns our daily actions with our long-term interests.”

— Tom Rath

44. “The vast knowledge we have to prevent cancer, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses is staggering.”

— Tom Rath

45. “When I was in kindergarten, I entered a competition and read 52 books in a week.”

— Tom Rath

46. “At its fundamentally flawed core, the aim of almost any learning program is to help us become who we are not.”

— Tom Rath

47. “Buying experience such as going out to dinner or taking a vacation increases our own wellbeing and the wellbeing of others. Experiences last while material purchases fade.”

— Tom Rath

48. “When you focus on other people’s shortcomings, they lose confidence in their abilities. But if you focus on their hard work and successes, you produce a sustainable increase in their self-confidence. What’s more, researchers have discovered that the earlier in life you focus on a person’s daily successes, the greater the gains over time.”

— Tom Rath

49. “Most people perceive their occupation as being a detriment to their overall wellbeing.”

— Tom Rath

50. “When we get at least six hours of daily social time, it increases our wellbeing and minimizes stress and worry. The six hours includes time at work, at home, on the telephone, talking to friends, sending e-mail, and other communication.”

— Tom Rath