400+Top Leadership Quotes Every Leader Should Live By Great Leadership Quotes
Great leadership inspires action, sparks transformation, and drives lasting impact.
Whether you’re leading a team, managing a business, or striving for personal growth, the right words can fuel your motivation and direction.
This curated collection of great leadership quotes provides wisdom from renowned leaders across history and modern times. From powerful female voices to military legends and business icons, these quotes are crafted to empower you and solve your need for daily inspiration.
Explore, reflect, and lead with purpose.
Great Leadership Quotes by Women

π Empowering and insightful words from trailblazing female leaders:
- πͺ Leadership is not about control but about influence and impact β Michelle Obama
- π Speak your mind even if your voice shakes β Maggie Kuhn
- πΌ I raise up my voiceβnot so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard β Malala Yousafzai
- π± Leadership is not a position or title, it is action and example β Cory Booker
- π¬ Women belong in all places where decisions are being made β Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- π€οΈ I am deliberate and afraid of nothing β Audre Lorde
- π The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity β Amelia Earhart
- π If your actions create a legacy that inspires others, you are a great leader β Dolly Parton
- π― Do what you feel in your heart to be right β Eleanor Roosevelt
- π£ I never dreamed about success. I worked for it β EstΓ©e Lauder
- π₯ Success isnβt about how much money you make, itβs about the difference you make β Michelle Obama
- π§ Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules β Anne Sweeney
- π‘οΈ Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen β BrenΓ© Brown
- π Be a first-rate version of yourself, not a second-rate version of someone else β Judy Garland
- ποΈ Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you β Oprah Winfrey
Alexander the Great Leadership Quotes

βοΈ Timeless wisdom from one of historyβs greatest conquerors:
- π‘οΈ I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep
- πΊοΈ There is nothing impossible to him who will try
- πΉ A tomb now suffices him for whom the whole world was not sufficient
- π£ I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well
- ποΈ Remember upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all
- π₯ Glory crowns the deeds of those who dare
- π§ Every light is not the sun
- π― Let us conduct ourselves so that all men wish to be our friends
- π I would rather live a short life of glory than a long one of obscurity
- π With the right attitude, self-imposed limitations vanish
- π My treasure lies in my friends
- βοΈ Upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all
- π‘οΈ I do not steal victory
- β³ An army of sheep led by a lion is better than an army of lions led by a sheep
- π Whatever possession we gain by our sword cannot be sure or lasting
Great Leadership Quotes for Boss

π§βπΌ Inspiring words perfect for appreciating and guiding your boss:
- π
A good leader takes a little more than their share of the blame and a little less of the credit
- π€ A boss has the title, a leader has the people
- π Great leaders donβt set out to be leaders, they set out to make a difference
- π― Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence
- π¬ True leaders always practice the three Rβs: Respect, Responsibility, and Results
- π Leaders create more leaders, not followers
- π§© The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers
- π± Leadership is not in the position, itβs in the purpose
- π A boss says Go, a leader says Letβs go
- π§ The best leaders are readers and learners
- π A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way
- π€οΈ People donβt leave companies, they leave bosses
- π₯ A leader ignites passion, not fear
- π Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it
- π€ Good bosses inspire, great bosses transform
Great Leadership Quotes for Business

π Powerful words to drive business leadership and innovation:
- π Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other
- π§ The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things
- π Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower
- πΌ A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all
- π οΈ Great businesses are built by great leaders
- π€ Business opportunities are like buses, thereβs always another one coming
- π― Success in business requires training and discipline
- π£ Effective leadership is putting first things first
- π§ Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things
- π In business, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield
- π± Good business leaders create a vision, articulate it, and passionately drive it
- π¬ Leadership is about taking responsibility, not making excuses
- π§° The role of leadership is to transform potential into performance
- π Business leaders must learn to live with change
- π Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of great leadership
Great Leadership Quotes About Change
π Motivational quotes about embracing and leading through change:
- πͺοΈ Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past are certain to miss the future
- π The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulenceβit is to act with yesterdayβs logic
- π§ Leaders embrace change because they see opportunity
- π± If you donβt like change, youβll like irrelevance even less
- βοΈ The art of progress is to preserve order amid change
- π οΈ Change almost never fails because itβs too early. It almost always fails because itβs too late
- π§ To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often
- π₯ Progress is impossible without change
- π¬ Change before you have to
- π Be the change you wish to see in leadership
- π§© Leaders are not born, they are made by facing change
- π€οΈ Change starts at the top
- π Strong leadership turns uncertainty into opportunity
- π― Change brings growth if guided by leadership
- β³ Timing and leadership make change successful
With Great Leadership Quotes
π Quotes emphasizing the responsibility and reward of great leadership:
- π§ With great leadership comes great responsibility
- π‘οΈ Great leadership demands courage and integrity
- π Vision without leadership is just a dream
- π¬ With great leadership, even small teams achieve great results
- π Great leadership builds bridges, not walls
- π± With great leadership, growth is inevitable
- π€οΈ Great leadership steers through storms
- π― With great leadership, failure becomes a stepping stone
- π£ Great leadership speaks less and listens more
- π With great leadership comes lasting impact
- π‘ Great leadership turns ideas into reality
- π§ With great leadership, even chaos finds direction
- π Great leadership unlocks human potential
- π With great leadership, the impossible becomes possible
- βοΈ With great leadership comes the power to transform lives
Short Great Leadership Quotes
π Concise and impactful leadership wisdom:
- π― Lead with purpose
- π± Inspire, then act
- π§ Direction is everything
- π₯ Lead with courage
- π£ Vision creates power
- π Leaders rise first
- π‘ Inspire every day
- π€οΈ Greatness follows clarity
- π§ Think, then lead
- π€ Connect to lead
- π Lead with light
- π‘οΈ Serve to lead
- π¬ Speak, act, repeat
- π Grow through others
- π§° Simplicity strengthens leadership
A Great Leadership Quotes
π Quotes that define what makes a leader truly great:
- π€οΈ A great leader leads by example
- π₯ A great leader inspires others to dream more
- π± A great leader creates more leaders
- π§ A great leader navigates through uncertainty
- π€ A great leader listens with empathy
- π£ A great leader communicates clearly
- π A great leader empowers action
- π¬ A great leader values honesty
- π A great leader shares success
- π‘οΈ A great leader protects their people
- π A great leader asks why
- π― A great leader sets clear goals
- π A great leader develops talent
- π‘ A great leader innovates constantly
- π§ A great leader never stops learning
Great Leadership Quotes Military
ποΈ Timeless lessons from the military on strength, strategy, and honor:
- π‘οΈ Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character
- π― No man is a leader until his appointment is ratified in the hearts and minds of his men
- π The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war
- βοΈ Leadership is about taking responsibility, not making excuses
- π§ A leader leads by example, not by force
- π οΈ Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable
- π₯ Discipline is the soul of an army
- π£ A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan next week
- π§ A leaderβs job is to look into the future and see the organization not as it is, but as it can be
- π Soldiers follow leaders they trust
- π Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way
- π Adaptability is essential to military leadership
- ποΈ Good leaders are made, not born
- π¬ Leadership is solving problems
- π A true leader has the confidence to stand alone and the courage to make tough decisions
Conclusion
Leadership isnβt just about giving ordersβit’s about igniting passion, fostering growth, and adapting through change. These great leadership quotes reflect the timeless principles and modern insights that define true leadership across every domain. Whether you’re leading a company, guiding a team, or inspiring others, let these words fuel your path forward.
