25 of the Best Leadership Quotes for Students
This collection of leadership quotes is curated specifically for students. The quotes included in this article are like mini leadership lessons. As you review each quote on this page consider what the leadership lesson may be for you.
For example, when you hear Louis Pasteur’s quote, “Chance favors the prepared mind” what are your first thoughts? How can this apply to your mindset? How can it apply to your daily life? Take a moment and capture your thoughts in a journal or on a note app on your phone.
As you read through the next 25 leadership quotes for students, reflect on these two questions and capture your thoughts. You may surprise yourself by the time you finish reviewing this article.
Enjoy!
“Average leaders raise the bar on themselves; good leaders raise the bar for others; great leaders inspire others to raise their own bar.”
Orrin Woodward
“The challenge of leadership is to be strong but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.”
Jim Rohn
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.”
—Mother Teresa
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”
William Arthur Ward
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”
President Ronald Reagan
“Don’t waste your energy trying to educate or change opinions; go over, under, through, and opinions will change organically when you’re the boss. Or they won’t. Who cares? Do your thing, and don’t care if they like it.”
Tina Fey
“I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others. Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men.”
Lao Tzu, Chinese Philosopher
“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”
Jack Welch, former GE chairman and CEO
“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.”
Rosalynn Carter, former First Lady, USA
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”
Lao Tzu, Chinese Philosopher
“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”
Sheryl Sandberg
“I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better. I think that’s the single piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself.”
Elon Musk
“As a leader, I am tough on myself and I raise the standard for everybody; however, I am very caring because I want people to excel at what they are doing so that they can aspire to be me in the future.”
Indra Nooyi
“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.”
Winston Churchill
“Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.”
Will Rogers
“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.”
Og Mandino
“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”
Jimmy Dean
“There is little success where there is little laughter.”
Andrew Carnegie
“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”
-Albert Einstein
“Eighty percent of success is showing up.”
Woody Allen
“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”
President John F. Kennedy
“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.”
Andrew Carnegie
“Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position.”
Brian Tracy
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
President John Quincy Adams
“Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front.”
Nelson Mandela
Thanks for reviewing these quotes. If you invested in yourself by reflecting on how these quotes can influence your mindset and your day-to-day approach to life, you’re a step ahead of your peers.
Which quote resonated most with you? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
To see more quotes for leaders, click here.
Make it a great day!
