50 Inspirational Quotes by Influential Leaders around the World

There have been men of substance, who have brought radical changes in the governance with their might and intellect. Have done stellar work for the development of the nation and for their people.

To honour such thinkers, intellectuals, leaders, and reformers, we bring to you 50 Inspirational Quotes by Influential Leaders around the World. If you want to kick start your day with a heavy dose of motivation, do stick them to your reading desk. Here, have a look:

On Success:

There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed. — Ray Goforth

The starting point of all achievement is desire. — Napolean Hill

The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus. — Bruce Lee

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. — Bill Cosby

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out. — Robert Collier

The road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same. — Colin R. Davis

The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself. — Mark Caine

Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success. — Swami Vivekananda

A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. — David Brinkley

The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what is one’s destiny to do, and then do it. — Henry Ford

The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success. — Bruce Feirstein

On Legacy:

If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing. — Benjamin Franklin

My share of the work may be limited, but the fact that it is work makes it precious. — Helen Keller

On Leadership and Revolution:

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a moulder of consensus. — Martin Luther King, Jr.

Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you. — Margaret Thatcher

Revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall. — Che Guevara

The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance. — Socrates

The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes. — Tony Blair

I always believe that ultimately, if people are paying attention, then we get good government and good leadership. And when we get lazy, as a democracy and civically start taking shortcuts, then it results in bad government and politics. — Barack Obama

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character give him power. — Abraham Lincoln

On Breaking Rules:

I don’t go by the rule book; I lead from the heart, not the head. — Princess Diana

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. — Mark Twain

On Determination and Will:

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. — Helen Keller

I am thankful for all those who said no to me. It’s because of them I’m doing it myself. — Albert Einstein

All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. — Walt Disney

You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it. — Margaret Thatcher

On Courage and Strength:

Our greatest glory is not in ever falling, but in getting up every time we do. — Confucius

Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others. — Robert Louis Stevenson

A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done. — Vince Lombardi

On Change:

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. — John F. Kennedy

What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise. — Oscar Wilde

On Principle and Values:

In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. — Thomas Jefferson

Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value. — Albert Einstein

On Reality and Acceptance:

Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it to be. — Jack Welch

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. — Edith Wharton

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. — Lao Tzu

On Self Doubt:

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. — Eleanor Roosevelt

There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing. — Aristotle

Thinking should become your capital asset, no matter whatever ups and downs you come across in your life. — Dr. APJ Kalam

Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. — John R. Wooden

When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you. — Lolly Daskal

The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves. — Sophocles

On Hard Work:

If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause and say, “here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well. –Martin Luther king, JR.

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. — Thomas A. Edison

Always do more than is required of you. — Georges S. Patton JR.

On the Value of Time:

Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. — Eleanor Roosevelt

If you don’t value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents- start charging for it. — Kim Garst

On Happy Living:

Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. — Nathaniel Hawthorne

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. — Harry S. Truman

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