John C. Maxwell Quotes

A proven leader always has a proven track record.

Change the leader, change the organization.

Connecting is the key to Influence. Influence is the key to Leading. Leading is the key to Success!

Nothing is more difficult to accomplish than changing outward actions without changing inward feelings.

Each person we meet has the potential to teach us something.

If you embrace possibility thinking, your dreams will go from molehill to mountain size, and because you believe in possibilities, you put yourself in position to achieve them.

In the book [Today Matters] I talk about successful people make important decisions early in their life, and then they manage those decisions the rest of their life.

I say, make the decision, and as soon as you make the decision, the rest of your life you just manage that decision on a daily basis.

By far the hardest decision I've had to manage [was about my health]. Because I had 51 years of doing it wrong.

I had a horrible life habit that I had to change. And I think it's very true, the later we make decisions in life that are important, the harder it is to manage those decisions.

I guess I'd rather be loved than respected.

What I find them struggling most isn't with one of the twelve [things from daily list]; I find them struggling with what decisions to make.

Many times when people leave churches we think it's a doctrinal issue, but most of the time it's a leadership issue.

There are pockets of the church that will "give up," and reap a bountiful harvest. They are going to have huge success, like the church has never experienced since the Book of Acts.

The church will not stay the same. It will either blossom because someone understands the season the church is in, or it will wither very quickly.

I thought that because I wasn't a sickly person - I never have been - I thought I was healthy. So I assumed health. I didn't have it.

I think that self-discipline has to be accompanied by passion.

I think passion and discipline are wonderful, complementary things.

I think passion gives you the energy to do what is right, and discipline makes sure you do what is right. So I look at them as kind of cousins maybe.

For many many years, I've taught, not only leadership, but I've taught people that they need a personal growth plan. Growth is not an automatic process for you or me or anybody.

We cannot accomplish as much as we think we can in one day and we can accomplish more than we think we can in a year. Isn't that true?

Vision is something pastors and churches cannot afford to live without.

Anytime a church squabbles over minor things you can be certain they do not have a clear picture of what they need to be.

Pastors need to find their place in the community of believers by spending time with God.

Great visions are cast one on one.

As a pastor I reinforced my vision over lunches.

If the church is going to make a difference, it will need to go through the "big give-up" stage. Churches will need to quit being selfish and become relevant.

There are a lot of pastors who have a vision and have not yet seen it become a reality.

We often wait for the resources before we make a move.

If I'm halfway to the dream, at best, half of my resources are there. Your resources to fulfill the dream will come during the last step of the dream.

I felt the hand and the call of God in my life that I would be doing ministry and trying to serve Him the best that I could.

I started out in the ministry, went to college, started as a pastor, pastored for basically 25 years. That was a good time, I really enjoyed it.

It was while I was pastoring that I began to realize that pastors were not growing churches because they didn't understand leadership because they were not trained, adequate leaders.

I was greatly affected by a guy named Rob Briner, who died about five years ago, who wrote a book called "Roaring Lambs", which is a book on how to be salt and light in the secular community.

In the corporate community the key word is respect. In the corporate community you don't get a relationship until they respect you first.

My potential is what God gives me - that's His gift to me - what I give back to Him is what I do with that potential.

I keep telling people that the secret of their success is discovered in their daily agenda. What they do daily is going to determine their success.

I tried to write the book [Today Matters] with integrity and say, health is one of my daily dozen, and I work on it, but I don't have this right.

I want to always be viewed by my readers as a friend and not as an authority or an expert.

I think the hardest thing for a person is to know what those twelve things are that they need to work on that will bring the return of success to their life.

For pastors who have a dream and who are walking in obedience but still don't have the resources they need, don't worry. Keep walking in obedience.

I wrote the book [Today Matters] because I have a passion to help people personally grow. Really what it is, it's a personal growth book.

The rallying call to people is to give them hope. When you have hope, that's huge.

God has never given a dream that could be fulfilled at step one. So start walking, be obedient, and watch God fulfill that dream in your life.

I grew up in the home of a pastor, and my earliest memory is that God really had a plan for my life and that I was special - this is really weird - but I felt that.

Without a vision our community will perish without Christ, but without a vision the church will perish as well.

People are not going to give you a vision, but God can.

Success is...knowing your purpose in life, growing to reach your maximum potential, andsowing seeds that benefit others.

Success is more than just power or not violating the rights of others it is the privilege of contributing to the betterment of others.

As you start your day, are you wondering what you will reap, or are you wondering what you will sow?