“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Nothing is easier than saying words. Nothing is harder than living them day after day.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“A great team with no bench eventually collapses. The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Charles Schwab: Be friends with everybody. When you have friends you will know there is somebody who will stand by you. You know the old saying, that if you have a single enemy you will find him everywhere. It doesn’t pay to make enemies. Lead the life that will make you kind and friendly to everyone about you, and you will be surprised what a happy life you will live.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Connect emotionally through facial expressions, laughter, and tears.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Recently I took my daughter Elizabeth out to a restaurant for lunch. The waitress, whose job it was to take care of people, made us feel that we were really inconveniencing her. She was grumpy, negative, and unhelpful. All of her customers were aware of the fact that she was having a bad day. Elizabeth looked up at me and said, “Dad, she’s a grump, isn’t she?” I could only agree with a look of disdain. Halfway through our experience I tried to change this woman’s negative attitude. Pulling out a $10 bill, I said, “Could you do me a favor? I’d like some change for this $10 bill because I want to give you a good tip today.” She looked at me, did a double take, and then ran to the cash register. After changing the money, she spent the next fifteen minutes hovering over us. I thanked her for her service, told her how important and helpful she was, and left a good tip. As we left, Elizabeth said, “Daddy, did you see how that lady changed?” Seizing this golden opportunity, I said, “Elizabeth, if you want people to act right toward you, you act right toward them. And many times you’ll change them.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Major barriers to successful planning are fear of change, ignorance, uncertainty about the future, and lack of imagination.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“One of the most striking scenes of the 1970s was Hubert Humphrey’s funeral. Seated next to Hubert’s beloved wife was former President Richard M. Nixon, a long-time political adversary of Humphrey, and a man disgraced by Watergate. Humphrey himself had asked Nixon to have that place of honor. Three days before Senator Humphrey died, Jesse Jackson visited him in the hospital. Humphrey told Jackson that he had just called Nixon. Reverend Jackson, knowing their past relationship, asked Humphrey why. Here is what Hubert Humphrey had to say, From this vantage point, with the sun setting in my life, all of the speeches, the political conventions, the crowds, and the great fights are behind me. At a time like this you are forced to deal with your irreducible essence, forced to grapple with that which is really important. And what I have concluded about life is that when all is said and done, we must forgive each other, redeem each other, and move on. Do”
―
John C. Maxwell
“The vision of the leader becomes the aspiration of the people. The impact is incredible.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“We must stop assuming that a thing which has never been done before probably cannot be done at all.” —Donald M. Nelson”
―
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
“Advice is what we ask for when we already knew the answer but wish we didn't.”
―
John C. Maxwell
