18 Famous Leadership Quotes to Reflect on & Learn from

by Jason Evanish, CEO Get Lighthouse, Inc.

Do you like famous leadership quotes? Do motivational quotes by great leaders inspire you to up your game and do more, too?

If you're like me, you love to learn and build new skills so that you and your team are always getting your best.

Quotes by great leaders are a simple way to learn.

"I apologize for the length of this letter; I didn't have time to make it shorter.” – Mark Twain

Mark Twain was right. It takes a lot of work to make a good point in just a few words. That's part of the beauty of X/Twitter; the character limit forces those sharing thoughts to be concise.

Today, we're sharing some of our favorite famous leadership quotes to reflect on we've found on X over the years. Despite the small character limits, they all give you a lot to think about.

famous leadership quotes can help you learn and grow as a leader. motivational quotes by great leaders can help, too.

18 Motivational Quotes by Great Leaders to Learn from

I've been saving the best tweets I've seen come through my stream for years and this list is a collection of some of my favorite quotes by great leaders and food for thought for leaders over that time. The right one at just the right time can help you think about a problem in a different way, add a crucial new tactic to your tool belt, or feed your curiosity to start learning a new skill.

As you reflect on the tweets, consider retweeting them and following the authors. Many of them are brilliant leaders whose tweets we've been enjoying and learning from on a regular basis.

Leadership Reflection Quotes: Keys to building better companies

What does it take to build a great business? How can you make your workplace more effective? How do you know if a place is a great place to work? These questions and more are answered by these quotes by great leaders below:

https://twitter.com/markccrowley/status/827985236394917888
https://twitter.com/ldavidmarquet/status/835229121559027713
https://twitter.com/sean_a_rose/status/841778286543831041
https://twitter.com/jasonfried/status/1367190718540750848

Asking questions. Focusing on action. Delegating and trusting your people. Allowing people to be themselves.  It all adds up to a better workplace.

Quotes by Great Leaders: Managing and mentoring

Whether you're the leader of a whole organization, or a front line manager, a few key habits can make all the difference in the success of leading your team. These are some great tips any manager can use for those they lead and mentor, as well as getting a mentor of your own.

https://twitter.com/emshort/status/841891670367055872
https://twitter.com/claychristensen/status/826072556918681600
https://twitter.com/Get_Lighthouse/status/846368809950887936
https://twitter.com/AlexHormozi/status/1864540815344980034
https://twitter.com/Fortune500/status/1844852003467329707

With the right mindset of empowering your people, seeking out your own mentors, and supporting your people in the right ways, you can be a great manager, too.

Motivational quotes by great leaders: True leadership habits

The example you set, and the actions you take daily shape who you are as a leader. These approaches and mindsets will put you on the path to being a great leader.

https://twitter.com/ManagersDiary/status/826676577069125633
https://twitter.com/_ericelliott/status/848020857423310848
https://twitter.com/leadershipfreak/status/841907566938529792
https://twitter.com/Get_Lighthouse/status/843982993312141312
https://twitter.com/Evanish/status/1870189742865952784

What a great list. Are you listening to your team? Have you built up your own character before asking of others? It is what leaders consistently do that they can then expect to see in those they lead.

Famous leadership quotes: Winning at Life

Whether you're leading hundreds, or just yourself, these tweets are great reminders of the little things that can add it up to success in life.  While they may first and foremost be about work, they also apply to your personal success.

https://twitter.com/collabfund/status/833816065553612800
https://twitter.com/marieprokopets/status/830544030882619392
https://twitter.com/kwuchu/status/824972550950248448
https://twitter.com/quoteism/status/1462600496166879235

Whether it's simple gratitude to others for their work, or looking for small improvements to make regularly on the hard road to success, the little things add up.

What are your favorite tweets and short quotes for leaders? 

Jason Evanish

Jason Evanish

As the founder and CEO of Get Lighthouse, Inc, Jason and the Lighthouse team have helped managers grow their leadership skills in dozens of countries around the world. They’ve worked with a variety of companies from non-profits to high growth startups, and government organizations to well known, publicly traded companies. Jason has also been featured in publications including NPR, the Wall Street Journal, and Fast Company.

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