50 Boss Quotes to Inspire You to Be a Great Leader

1. "People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives." - Theodore Roosevelt

2. "The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm." - John C. Maxwell

3. "Leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders." - Tom Peters

4. "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." - John C. Maxwell

5. "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams

6. "A leader leads by example not by force." - Sun Tzu

7. "The best executive is one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it." - Theodore Roosevelt

8. "The real leader has no need to lead - he is content to point the way." - Henry Miller

9. "The boss says 'I'; the leader, 'we'." - Harry Gordon Selfridge

10. "The boss drives people; The leader coaches them." - Harry Gordon Selfridge

11. "Bosses and leaders everywhere should cherish the people who bring them bad news, disappointing data or hard problems." - Margaret Heffernan

12. "Leaders need to be optimists. Their vision is beyond the present." - Rudy Giuliani

13. "The boss depends on authority; the leader on goodwill." - Harry Gordon Selfridge

14. "Leaders are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds against them." - Robert Jarvik

15. "A leader is one who sees more than others see, who sees farther than others see, and who sees before others do." - John C. Maxwell

1. "The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly." - Jim Rohn

2. "Nothing so conclusively proves a man's ability to lead others as what he does from day to day to lead himself." - Thomas J. Watson

3. "You can't lead anyone else further than you have gone yourself." - Gene Mauch

4. "Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity." - George S. Patton

5. "Leadership is no longer about your position. It's now more about your passion for excellence and making a difference. You can lead without a title" - Robin Sharma

6. ""Leaders think and talk about the solutions. Followers think and talk about the problems." - Brian Tracy

7. "I have a different vision of leadership. A leadership is someone who brings people together." - George W. Bush

8. "Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it." -Marian Anderson

9. "How can you motivate yourself to continue to follow a leader when he appears to be going around in circles?" - Andy Grove

10. "A leader should demonstrate his thoughts and opinions through his actions, not through his words." - Jack Weatherford

11. "A leader should demonstrate his thoughts and opinions through his actions, not through his words." - Jack Weatherford

12. "The essence of leadership is making up your own mind and then being able to take other people with you." - Eva Cox

13. "The essence of leadership is making up your own mind and then being able to take other people with you." - Eva Cox

14. "Leadership is found in the action to defeat that which would defeat you… You are made by the struggles you choose." - C. T. Vivian

15. "The roots of effective leadership lie in simple things, one of which is listening. Listening to someone demonstrates respect; it shows that you value their ideas and are willing to hear them." - John Baldoni

1. "A good leader can't get too far ahead of his followers." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

2. "Remember the difference between a boss and a leader. A boss says, Go! A leader says, Let's go!" - George E. M. Kelly

3. "The difference between a good leader and a great leader is humility." - James C. Collins

4. "A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader, a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves." - Eleanor Roosevelt

5. "A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent." - Douglas MacArthur

6. "A good leader is always looking for people smarter and more experienced than they are. If you are the smartest one in the room, then you are stupid." - Robert Kiyosaki

7. "A real leader uses every issue, no matter how serious and sensitive, to ensure that at the end of the debate we should emerge stronger and more united than ever before." - Nelson Mandela

8. "True Leaders do not manipulate others they INSPIRE them" - Myles Munroe

9. "Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position." - Brian Tracy

10. "A great leader's courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position." - John C. Maxwell

11. "A good general not only sees the way to victory; he also knows when victory is impossible." - Polybius

12. "Good leaders must first become good servants." - Robert K. Greenleaf

13. "The genius of a good leader is to leave behind him a situation which common sense, without the grace of genius, can deal with successfully." - Walter Lippmann

14. "He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader." - Aristotle

15. "A good leader remains focused. Controlling your destination is better than being controlled by it." - Jack Welch

16. "Good leaders understand that they are stewards. They must find the best people they can, giving them the opportunity to join in the journey developing them, and encouraging them to reach their potential. But they must hold on to people lightly. Those who start with you seldom finish with you." - John C. Maxwell

17. "Good leaders need a positive agenda, not just an agenda of dealing with crisis." - Michael Porter

18. "A good leader takes care of those in their charge. A bad leader takes charge of those in their care." - Simon Sinek

19. "Lead by listening - to be a good leader you have to be a great listener." - Richard Branson

20. "Good leaders set vision, missions, and goals. Great leaders inspire every follower at every level to internalize their purpose, and to understand that their purpose goes far beyond the mere details of their job. When everyone is united in purpose, a positive purpose that serves not only the organization but also, hopefully, the world beyond it, you have a winning team." - Colin Powell