“A young concert violinist was asked the secret of her success. She replied, “Planned neglect.” Then she explained, “When I was in school, there were many things that demanded my time. When I went to my room after breakfast, I made my bed, straightened the room, dusted the floor, and did whatever else came to my attention. Then I hurried to my violin practice. I found I wasn’t progressing as I thought I should, so I reversed things. Until my practice period was completed, I deliberately neglected everything else. That program of planned neglect, I believe, accounts for my success.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“The way people see others is a reflection of themselves: If I am a trusting person, I will see others as trustworthy. If I am a critical person, I will see others as critical. If I am a caring person, I will see others as compassionate. If you change yourself and become the kind of person you desire to be, you will begin to view others in a whole new light. And that will change the way you interact in all of your relationships.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Nobody achieves anything great by giving the minimum. No teams win championships without making sacrifices and giving their best.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Vision isn’t enough—it must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps; we must step up the stairs.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Forty-two percent of college graduates never read a book after college.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“People don’t expect their leaders to be perfect, but they do expect them to be honest.
―
John C. Maxwell
“The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance. It is the illusion of knowledge.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“The great men and women of history were not great because of what they earned and owned, but rather for what they gave their lives to accomplish.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Today Matters People create success in their lives by focusing on today. It may sound trite, but today is the only time you have. It’s too late for yesterday. And you can’t depend on tomorrow. That’s why today matters.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Few things build a person up like affirmation. According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, Third College Edition (Simon and Schuster, 1991),
the word affirm comes from ad firmare, which means “to make firm.” So when you affirm people, you make firm within them the things you see about them. Do that often enough, and the belief that solidifies within them will become stronger than the doubts they have about themselves.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“As Michel de Montaigne observed, “No wind favors him who has no destined port.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Mark Twain said, “We should be careful to get out of an experience all the wisdom that is in it—not like the cat that sits down on a hot stove lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove lid again—and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Speak up TODAY and say something positive. Even a tombstone will say something good about people when they are dead.”
―
John C. Maxwell
