“No, none of these things are the key. When it comes right down to it, I know of only one factor that separates those who consistently shine from those who don't: The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure. Nothing else has the same kind of impact on people's ability to achieve and to accomplish whatever their minds and hearts desire.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“If you are interested in success, it’s easy to set your standards in terms of other people’s accomplishments and then let other people measure you by those standards. But the standards you set for yourself are always more important. They should be higher than the standards anyone else would set for you, because in the end you have to live with yourself, and judge yourself, and feel good about yourself. And the best way to do that is to live up to your highest potential. So set your standards high and keep them high, even if you think no one else is looking. Somebody out there will always notice, even if it’s just you.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Improving your abilities in high-priority areas is always a good investment in yourself that will pay off in the long run.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“The greatest problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Leadership isn't about winning. It's about bringing people with you to the finish line.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“If you talk to a man in the language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Years ago, I used to tell new leaders I hired that every person in our organization walked around with two buckets. One bucket contained water, and the other gasoline. As leaders, they would continually come across small fires, and they could pour water or gasoline on a fire. It was their choice.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Ideas have a short shelf life. You must act on them before the expiration date.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Leading with a lack of integrity is choosing to fail before taking your first step.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“You must have a long-range vision to keep you from being frustrated by short-range failures.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“One day when the Raiders were in Oakland, a reporter visited their locker room to talk to Ken Stabler. Stabler really wasn’t known as an intellectual, but he was a good quarterback. This newspaperman read him some English prose: “I would rather be ashes than dust. I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than that it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy, impermanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” After reading this to the quarterback, the reporter asked, “What does this mean to you?” Stabler immediately replied, “Throw deep.” Go after it. Go out to win in life.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“You cannot grow unless you are willing to change. And you will not change unless you change something you do every day.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“what gets rewarded gets done. If you praise and honor the people who epitomize the values of the team, those values get embraced and upheld by other members of the team. There is no better reinforcement.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“It doesn’t matter how much milk you spill as long as you don’t lose your cow!”
―
John C. Maxwell
“wisdom is knowing the right path to take. Integrity is taking it.”
―
John C. Maxwell
