96+ Best John C. Maxwell Quotes: Exclusive Selection

John Calvin Maxwell is an American author, speaker, and pastor who has written many books, primarily focusing on leadership. He has also developed the 5 levels of leadership, which visualize at which level a leader perform and how she or he can be more influential, respected and successful. Inspirational John C. Maxwell quotes will give you the right mindset for success, leadership, discipline and dreams.

If you’re searching for influential life quotes by well-known figures that perfectly capture what you’d like to say or just want to feel inspired yourself, browse through an amazing collection of powerfully inspiring Zig Ziglar quotes, remarkable Jim Rohn quotes, and life changing Tony Robbins quotes.

Most Famous John C. Maxwell Quotes

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care John Maxwell

A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don’t need it.

A difficult time can be more readily endured if we retain the conviction that our existence holds a purpose, a cause to pursue, a person to love, a goal to achieve. John Maxwell

A celebrity is a person who works hard all of their life to become well known, and then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized.

Growth inside fuels growth outside. John Maxwell

A difficult time can be more readily endured if we retain the conviction that our existence holds a purpose, a cause to pursue, a person to love, a goal to achieve.

You don’t overcome challenges by making them smaller but by making yourself bigger. John Maxwell

A dream becomes a reality as a result of your actions, and your actions are controlled, to a large extent, by your habits.

If you start today to do the right thing, you are already a success even if it doesn’t show yet. John Maxwell

A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.

Change is inevitable. Growth is optional. John Maxwell

A failure is not always a mistake, it may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying.

The greatest mistake we make is living in constant fear that we will make one. John Maxwell

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.

Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another. John Maxwell

A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit.

Doing the right thing daily compounds over time. John Maxwell

A lack of realism in the vision today costs credibility tomorrow.

If we are growing we are always going to be outside our comfort zone. John Maxwell

A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.

The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails. John Maxwell

A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way

Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. John Maxwell

A leader who produces other leaders multiples their influences.

Talent is a gift, but character is a choice. John Maxwell

A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.

Learn to say ‘no’ to the good so you can say ‘yes’ to the best. John Maxwell

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.

We cannot become what we need by remaining what we are. John Maxwell

A minute of thought is greater than an hour of talk.

Failing forward is the ability to get back up after you’ve been knocked down, learn from your mistake, and move forward in a better direction. John Maxwell

A successful person finds the right place for himself. But a successful leader finds the right place for others.

Success is knowing your purpose in life, growing to reach your maximum potential, and sowing seeds that benefit others. John Maxwell

Do not take the agenda that someone else has mapped out for your life.

The more seriously you take your growth, the more seriously your people will take you. John Maxwell

I discovered that great men were willing to share their ideas. And I was learning so much. You can learn only if others are ahead of you.

Most People have a desire to look for the exception instead of the desire to become exceptional. John Maxwell

If we are growing we are always going to be outside our comfort zone.

Speak the truth. Transparency breeds legitimacy. John Maxwell

If you don’t change the direction you are going, then you’re likely to end up where you’re heading

Make a point to continually search for a better way of doing things, even when things are going well, to ensure that a better alternative has not been overlooked and to keep your creative talents in practice. John Maxwell

Learn to say ‘no’ to the good so you can say ‘yes’ to the best.

Creative leaders inherently know when rules need to be challenged, and they can see when a more flexible approach should be taken. John Maxwell

Real leadership is being the person others will gladly and confidently follow.

Although it’s admirable to be ambitious and hard working, it’s more desirable to be smart working. John Maxwell

You will never be able to eliminate a weakness you don’t even know about. The first step to eliminating a negative habit is to become aware of it.

The timing of your decision is just as important as the decision you make. John Maxwell

The measure of a leader is not the number of people who serve him but the number of people he serves. John C. Maxwell

Happiness simply cannot be relied upon as a measure of success John Maxwell

When I teach and mentor leaders, I remind them that if they stop learning, they stop leading. John C. Maxwell

Often people fail to start or complete a task because they don’t see any connection between what they’re doing and what they really want to accomplish in life. John Maxwell

If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then realize that you are its author. Every day you have the chance to write a new page in that story. I want to encourage you to fill those pages with responsibility to others and yourself. If you do, in the end you will not be disappointed. John C. Maxwell

You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything  John Maxwell

You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine. John C. Maxwell

Leaders don’t rise to the pinnacle of success without developing the right set of attitudes and habits; they make every day a masterpiece. John Maxwell

If you start today to do the right thing, you are already a success even if it doesn’t show yet. John C. Maxwell

Reaching the top is a monumental achievement, but remaining there may be the most spectacular feat of all. John Maxwell

Growth is the great separator between those who succeed and those who don’t. John C. Maxwell

You build trust with others each time you choose integrity over image, truth over convenience, or honor over personal gain. John Maxwell

There are two paths people can take. They can either play now and pay later, or pay now and play later. Regardless of the choice, one thing is certain. Life will demand a payment. John C. Maxwell

Earn the right to be heard by listening to others. Seek to understand a situation before making judgments about it. John Maxwell

The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails. John C. Maxwell

Leaders never outgrow the need to change. John Maxwell

Time management is an oxymoron. Time is beyond our control, and the clock keeps ticking regardless of how we lead our lives. Priority management is the answer to maximizing the time we have. John C. Maxwell

If you don’t have peace, it isn’t because someone took it from you; you gave it away. You cannot always control what happens to you, but you can control what happens in you. John Maxwell

It’s true that charisma can make a person stand out for a moment, but character sets a person apart for a lifetime. John C. Maxwell

Plan and execute your first failure so that you no longer have to fear it. John Maxwell

The only guarantee for failure is to stop trying. John C. Maxwell

The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That’s the day we truly grow up. John Maxwell

The toughest thing about success is that you’ve got to keep on being a success. Talent is only a starting point in business. You’ve got to keep working that talent. John C. Maxwell

Stay focused instead of getting offended or off track by others. John Maxwell

Success is due to our stretching to the challenges of life. Failure comes when we shrink from them. John C. Maxwell

To add value to others, one must first value others. John Maxwell

As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me. The first person I should try to change is me. John C. Maxwell

Doing the wrong thing daily, compounds over time. John Maxwell

We cannot become what we need by remaining what we are John C. Maxwell

There are two paths people can take. They can either play now and pay later, or pay now and play later. Regardless of the choice, one thing is certain. Life will demand a payment. John Maxwell

If we’re growing, we’re always going to be out of our comfort zone. John C. Maxwell

The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure. John Maxwell

All true leaders have learned to say no to the good in order to say yes to the best. John C. Maxwell

As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behavior. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to become. Take action on your behavior. Too many people want to feel, then take action. This never works. John Maxwell

Growth inside fuels growth outside. John C. Maxwell

It’s true that charisma can make a person stand out for a moment, but character sets a person apart for a lifetime. John Maxwell

The way you live your life today is preparing you for tomorrow. The question is what are you preparing for? John C. Maxwell

Everything begins with a decision. Then, we have to manage that decision for the rest of your life. John Maxwell

The bottom line in leadership isn’t how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others. John C. Maxwell

If you don’t change the direction you are going, then you’re likely to end up where you’re heading John Maxwell

What you are going to be tomorrow, you are today. John C. Maxwell

People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude. John Maxwell

Doing the right thing daily, compounds over time. John C. Maxwell

The unsuccessful person is burdened by learning, and prefers to walk down familiar paths. Their distaste for learning stunts their growth and limits their influence. John Maxwell

The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure. John C. Maxwell

Success is due to our stretching to the challenges of life. Failure comes when we shrink from them. John Maxwell

A leader is great, not because of his or her power, but because of his or her ability to empower others. John C. Maxwell