Archive for quotes and illustrations
From my files: Quotes on Potential
Posted by: | CommentsThis week I’m sharing on Twitter some of my favorite quotes on potential. But I’m not always able to include them all. Here are the thoughts of some people, both famous and unknown, on our potential and how we use it:
An unused life is an early death. –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
It is very dangerous to go into eternity with possibilities which one has oneself prevented from becoming realities. A possibility is a hint from God. One must follow it. –Soren Kierkegaard
If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of the potential, for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints, possibility never. –Soren Kierkegaard
The real tragedy is the tragedy of the man who never in his life braces himself for his one supreme effort, who never stretches to his full capacity, never stands up to his full stature. –Arnold Bennett
The real contest is always between what you’ve done and what you’re capable of doing. You measure yourself against yourself and nobody else. –Geoffrey Gaberino, Olympic gold medalist
We throw all our attention on the utterly idle question whether A has done as well as B, when the only question is whether A has done as well as he could. –William Graham Sumner
On our track to success, we have to fight the tendency to look at others and see how far they’ve come. The only thing that counts is how we use the potential we possess and that we run our race to the best of our abilities. –Denis Waitley and Reni L. Witt
We spend most of our 20s discovering all of the hundreds of things that we can be. But, as we mature into our 30s, we begin to discover all of the things we will NEVER be. The challenge for us as we reach our 40s and beyond is to put it all together – to know our capabilities and recognize our limitations – and become the BEST we can be. –Catherine B. Ahles
A man is a good deal like an automobile. You can’t tell how much gas he’s got in his tank by the sound of his horn, and you can’t tell how much horsepower he’s got under the hood by the noise of his exhaust. There’s usually the most noise where there is the least quality. –HP Thompson
What we are is God’s gift to us. What we become is our gift to God. -Eleanor Powell
From my files: Connecting
Posted by: | CommentsI’m in Atlanta this week, preparing for the Chick-fil-A Leadercast on Friday. This event will be broadcast to venues all over the world, and you still have time to find a location near you. Just visit the website for more information.
One of the things I’ll be talking about on Friday is the different levels of leadership. And one key to becoming a better leader can be found in connecting with your followers.
So for today’s post, I’m sharing from my files some of my favorite quotes…
On Connecting
Start where people are before you try to take them to where you want them to go. –Jim Rohn
There is no such thing as a worthless conversation, provided you know what to listen for. –James Nathan Miller
Shooting above people’s heads doesn’t mean you have superior ammunition – it means you are a lousy shot. –Oscar Handlin
The two words information and communication are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through. –Sydney J. Harris
When I’m getting ready to reason with a man, I spend one-third of my time thinking about myself and what I am going to say – and two-thirds thinking about him and what he is going to say. –Abraham Lincoln
Nothing can happen through you until it happens to you, and you can only communicate what you’re in the process of rediscovering. –Lloyd John Ogilvie
Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe. –Winston Churchill
Some leaders feel that by keeping people in the dark, they maintain a measure of control. But that is a leader’s folly and an organization’s failure. Secrecy spawns isolation, not success. Knowledge is power, yes, but what leaders need is collective power, and that requires collective knowledge. I found that the more people knew what the goals were, the better buy-in I got – and the better results we achieved together. –Mike Abrashoff
The true spirit of conversation consists in building on another [person’s] observation, not overturning it. –Edward Bulwer-Lytton
It’s not what you tell your players that counts. It’s what they hear. –Red Auerbach
I hope you found these quotes encouraging and helpful. If you want to learn even more on this subject, take a look at my book, Everyone Communicates, Few Connect.
From my files: Integrity
Posted by: | CommentsGreetings from another hemisphere! As you read this, I’m in South Africa speaking to thousands of people about leadership. (See Events in the sidebar for details.)
For today’s post, I thought I’d do something a little different. Over the years, many people have asked me how I find so much information and material for my teaching. I answer that I’ve been filing it all away since I was a young adult. In case you’re unclear on how old I am, that’s a lot of years that I’ve been filing. (And if you want more info on how I file, read this post.)
At this point in the conversation, the more strategic questioners have one thing to say:
“Wow. I wish I could see those files.”
So this week on the blog, I thought I’d give you a glimpse at what I file. I’m opening up one file drawer and sharing some of my quote collection with you. I hope it inspires and encourages you.
On Integrity
Integrity is: Doing what you said you would do, when you said you would do it, and how you said you would do it. –Byrd Baggett
Always believe what a person does, not what he says. –Fred Smith
One of the primary rules of navigation is this: What’s under the surface should carry more weight than what’s above the surface if the ship is going to make it through storms without capsizing. That’s exactly how it is with integrity. What’s under the surface had better be greater than what you’re showing to the world, or you’re never going to make it through the storms of life. –Pat Williams
Wisdom is knowing the right path to take … Integrity is taking it. –MH McKee
People of integrity expect to be believed. They also know time will prove them right and are willing to wait. –Ann Landers
Watch what direction the feet point, when the mouth stops. You want a consistency between mouth and movement. –James Dignam
Integrity is keeping my commitment even if the circumstances when I made the commitment have changed. –David Jeremiah
Personal integrity is important, not because it gets us what we want, but because it helps us be what we want. –Michael Josephson
A man of character will make himself worthy of any position he is given. –Mahatma Gandhi
Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful. –Samuel Johnson
Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not. –Oprah Winfrey
The time is always right to do what is right. -Martin Luther King, Jr.
Integrity is not a 90% thing, not a 95% thing; either you have it or you don’t. –Peter Scotese
Integrity has no need of rules. –Albert Camus
In order to be a leader a man must have followers. And to have followers, a man must have their confidence. Hence the supreme quality for a leader is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office. If a man’s associates find him guilty of phoniness, if they find that he lacks forthright integrity, he will fail. His teachings and actions must square with each other. –Dwight D Eisenhower
What’s your attitude toward gratitude?
Posted by: | CommentsHere in the United States, this is the time of year when we celebrate Thanksgiving. This Thursday, millions of Americans will pause from work for this holiday. For some, it’s just a day to skip work, eat too much, and watch a lot of sports on TV. But for many, Thanksgiving is a day to remember our blessings and offer thanks to God and others who were there when we needed them.
On Twitter this week, I’m sharing some of my favorite short (140 characters or less) quotes on gratitude. But since so much has been said about thankfulness that doesn’t fit into 140 characters, I’ve had to leave out a number of wonderful quotes and illustrations. So I’ve decided to share them here. Below you’ll find some of my favorite longer quotes on the subject of gratitude. I hope they inspire you to be thankful during this season.
Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues but the mother of all the rest.
-Cicero
Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.
–Charles Dickens
The devil doesn’t have to steal anything from you, all he has to do is make you take it for granted.
–Max Lucado
I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.
–Helen Keller (blind & deaf from an early age)
Spending a little time calculating the number of things that go right is a simple but powerful way to reactivate our sense of wonder and gratitude.
–Richard Carlson
Only a small percentage of people are continually successful over the long run. These outstanding few recognize that every success comes through the assistance of many other people – and they are continually grateful for this support. Conversely, many people whose success stops at some point are in that position because they have cut themselves off from everyone who has helped them. They view themselves as the sole source of their achievements. As they become more self-centered and isolated, they lose their creativity and ability to succeed. Continually acknowledge others’ contributions, and you will automatically create room in your mind and in the world for much greater success. You will be motivated to achieve even more for those who have helped you. Focus on appreciating and thanking others, and the conditions will always grow to support your increasing success.
-Dan Sullivan and Catherine Nomura
From the Talmud: He who gives should never remember; he who receives should never forget.
When a person doesn’t have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity. A person can almost be defined by his or her attitude toward gratitude.
–Elie Wiesel
Silent gratitude isn’t much good to anyone.
-Gladys Bronwyn Stern
What I’ve Been Reading, Fall 2010 Edition
Posted by: | CommentsWell, it’s autumn here in the United States. And as usual, it arrives after a busy summer — spent speaking, traveling, and writing my book for 2011.
But no matter how busy I am, I’m always reading. I thought it might be nice to share what I’ve read in the past few months. As usual, I found and filed quotes and stories according to my system (described in this post). I hope one or more of these books offers you insights that fuel your personal and professional growth.
A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring, by Don Yeager & John Wooden. My copy of this book was covered with notes on nearly every page! And I filed away loads of leadership insights. I’ve already made clear how much I’ve learned from John Wooden. Well, this book with Don Yeager took it to a new level.
Aspire, by Kevin Hall. Some interesting insights into ordinary words, and the power they can have to inspire, heal, hurt, and change someone’s life. I found a few great nuggets of wisdom within this short, easy read.
Do More Great Work by Michael Bungay Stainer. How much of your time is spent on busy work and bureaucracy? Or doing good work: occupying your mind, but hardly moving you forward? Stainer challenges you to do GREAT work that’s innovative, creative and satisfying, and will help you leap forward in achieving your goals.
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. First published in 1995, this book started the conversation about the importance of emotional intelligence in people’s success. It’s packed with information and research, and — in its 10th anniversary edition — still relevant to today’s communicators and leaders.
Leaders Who Last by Dave Kraft. Kraft, the leadership development pastor at Mars Hill Church, has been a leader in ministry for over 40 years, and he’s truly a leader who lasts. This is a book that I marked up and mined for quotes from beginning to end.
Mandela’s Way by Richard Stengel. Richard Stengel, managing editor of Time and collaborator on Mandela’s autobiography (Long Walk to Freedom), spent two years with Mandela, discussing his life and the lessons learned from it. The result is 15 chapters of fascinating leadership wisdom.
