Leadership Quotes

What separates leaders from the crowd? These words from history's most influential figures reveal the answer.

30104 quotes

"The measure of a man is what he does with power."
Diogenes Laërtius
H
"When she entered the lecture room, everyone rose in respect."
Hypatia
P
"The wise man is a servant of truth."
Porphyry
S
"Leadership demands both knowledge and humility."
Strabo
S
"The wise govern themselves before governing others."
Strabo
S
"Leadership is service to something greater than oneself."
Strabo
P
"A true leader serves, not commands."
Petronius
P
"Leadership is service."
Petronius
"Leadership is service disguised as authority."
Diogenes Laërtius
D
"The great are always known to have a certain solemnity of spirit."
Desiderius Erasmus
D
"The mind of the wise man is his kingdom."
Desiderius Erasmus
D
"Princes are like gods, and their counsellors should speak with god-like wisdom."
Desiderius Erasmus
P
"The measure of a person is what they do with power."
Plutarch
P
"If you wish to be out front, then act as if you were behind."
Plutarch
P
"Nothing more enhances authority than silence."
Plutarch
P
"A good ruler is one who works alongside his people."
Plutarch
M
"The best government is the one that teaches its people to govern themselves."
Michel de Montaigne
M
"There is nothing noble about superiority unless it is used to uplift others."
Michel de Montaigne
M
"True greatness consists not in being great, but in becoming small enough to serve others."
Michel de Montaigne
H
"To teach a student is to plant seeds whose fruit you may never harvest."
Hypatia
H
"The greatest gift a mentor can give is not answers, but the courage to seek them."
Hypatia
P
"In times of crisis, those with inner peace are the truest leaders."
Porphyry
S
"The greatest empires rise where geography permits."
Strabo
S
"Those who understand geography understand power itself."
Strabo
P
"Leadership is the burden of seeing what others cannot yet see."
Petronius
P
"The true leader serves those he leads, not himself."
Petronius
A
"I praise the man who is willing to join in alliance with me, but only with his personal consent."
Apuleius
"Leadership is not the art of commanding others, but of inspiring them."
Diogenes Laërtius
"Leadership is the privilege of serving those you lead."
Diogenes Laërtius
J
"Nobility is based on virtue, not on birth."
Juvenal