True Leader Quotes & Sayings

The duty of the people is to tend to their own affairs.
The duty of government is to help them do it.
This is the pasta of politics.
The inspired leader, the true prince, no matter how great, can only be sauce upon the pasta.
Bombolini — Robert Crichton

The unique ability to take decisive action while maintainign focus on the ultimate mission is what defines a true leader. — Robert Kiyosaki

A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent. — Douglas MacArthur

A true leader is not meant to be greeted with unanimous praise by his people. A leader is meant to be questioned, to be suspect, to be hated. If he is not, then one can easily assume that either he has not challenged his abilities as a leader by making a decision that creates a split between the people, or he is forcing his subjects to bow before him. — Evan Meekins

The stories leaders and others tell, few of which are true, are a lousy foundation on which to base any sort of science, and we know how to accomplish behavioral change and the importance of priming, informational saliency, and social networks. Producing inspiration and other good feelings doesn't last very long. — Jeffrey Pfeffer

The true cost of following your dreams isn't what you sacrifice when you chase them, it's what you lose when you don't — Simon S. Tam

In real life, according to McNamara, the leader first must discover the problem. He or she must figure out what problem needs to be solved before beginning to make decisions. McNamara explained that identifying the true problem facing an organization often proved to be the most difficult challenge that leaders face. In many instances leaders do not spot a threat until far too late. At times, leaders set out to solve the wrong problem. — Michael A. Roberto

Many men may see the King in a Kid but it takes a true leader to nurture it — Bernard Kelvin Clive

A true leader sticks up for his followers. — Auliq Ice

Leaders unify nations by creating an external enemy, and nations make that dream comes true. — M.F. Moonzajer

It is easy to lead from the front when there are no obstacles before you, the true colors of a leader are exposed when placed under fire. — Mark W. Boyer

A thought is truly sought only if it has got, in latent or potent form, the strength of 'WE' which sounds as 'V' that stands for 'VICTORY', and so it reflects the power of a true leader who as writer or speaker involves everyone alike at the same level. — Anuj

True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, or assigned. It comes only from Influence. — John C. Maxwell

Grover?" he murmured. "I'm here, Leneus." Grover was blinking back tears, despite all the horrible things Leneus had said about him. " Did ... did we win?" "Um ... yes," he lied. "Thanks to you, Leneus. We drove the enemy away." "Told you," the old satyr mumbled. "True leader. True ... " He closed his eyes for the last time. — Rick Riordan

The true leader makes each team member twice the person they were before. — Leonard Sweet

The true mark of a leader is the willingness to stick with a bold course of action - an unconventional business strategy, a unique product-development roadmap, a controversial marketing campaign - even as the rest of the world wonders why you're not marching in step with the status quo. — Bill Taylor

Don't be a pleaser of people just because of the fear of the losing your position. You cease to be a true leader when you do so! — Israelmore Ayivor

It is true that some secluded intellectuals in their esoteric circles talk differently. They proclaim the priority of what they call eternal absolute values and feign in their declamations - not in their personal conduct - a disdain of things secular and transitory. But the public ignores such utterances. The main goal of present-day political action is to secure for the respective pressure group memberships the highest material well-being. The only way for a leader to succeed is to instill in people the conviction that his program best serves the attainment of this goal. — Ludwig Von Mises

Great leaders live and leave noble and indelible footprints. Any leader can start something. Any leader can do anything but, the real hallmark and a great measure of a great leader is not necessarily what happens now but, what happens later. The noble works of a true and a great leader stand the test of time and never vanish with time. — Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

All the progress in science can't be used to build a smell receptor as capable as the one that a true leader possesses - to smell trouble or just something fishy. — Pawan Mishra

Leadership is about having principles. A leader must have a vision and principles that will endure for all time and must always be true to these principles, applying them to changing circumstances — Margaret Thatcher

A person, who no matter how desperate the situation, gives others hope, is a true leader. — Daisaku Ikeda

The true value of a gift is the sentiment behind the gifting. — Radhe Maa

A true leader is the one who leaves memorable footprints of nobility. A leader who is decisive enough and have all the guts to take bold and frank decisions regardless of the oppositions and the temporal adverse effect of such decision on the masses, knowing that in the end, the fruits of such decision will be sweeter enough to put joy on the faces of the masses and they shall remember such noble footprints and ponder in humility. — Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

True leaders are born when you find something to die for — Myles Munroe

If Christ Jesus dwells in a man as his friend and noble leader, that man can endure all things, for Christ helps and strengthens us and never abandons us. He is a true friend. — Saint Teresa Of Avila

Upon learning that Washington intended to reject the mantle of emperor, no less an authority than George III allegedly observed, "If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world." True to his word, on December 22, 1783, Washington surrendered his commission to the Congress, then meeting in Annapolis: "Having now finished the work assigned me," he announced, "I now retire from the great theater of action." In so doing, he became the supreme example of the leader who could be trusted with power because he was so ready to give it up. — Joseph J. Ellis

As a contrast to this kind of democracy we have the German democracy, which is a true democracy; for here the leader is freely chosen and is obliged to accept full responsibility for all his actions and omissions. The problems to be dealt with are not put to the vote of the majority; but they are decided upon by the individual, and as a guarantee of responsibility for those decisions he pledges all he has in the world and even his life. — Adolf Hitler

A true leader always feels that it's truly wise to be considered a fool by those who are not actually nice, and actually not nice to be considered a wise by those who are truly fools. — Anuj

True leaders must be willing to suffer for the sake of objectives great enough to demand their wholehearted obedience. — J. Oswald Sanders

The ageless melody, unheard, heals; the healing vision, unseen, leads; the true leaders, immortal, know ... — Khalil Gibran

Generally speaking, followers will not commit themselves for very long to a leader who is not also a pragmatist. As most of us have discovered, dreams are only powerful when we believe they can come true. Pipe dreams belong in the realm of fantasy; leaders' dreams belong in the realm of possibility. — Marlene Caroselli

After Peter came to recognize his own inadequacy, his utter inability to fulfill his destiny apart from obedience to his only true responsibility, he became a rock-solid leader. As his story unfolds in the book of acts, we can clearly see that when Peter kept his eyes on Jesus and followed Him, others followed to. And they followed by the thousands. Needed today: more Peters. — Charles R. Swindoll

In a certain sense, all true leaders are heroes. Heroes are ordinary people who are given being and action by something bigger than themselves ... Each of us must make the personal choice to be a hero or not, to be committed to something bigger than ourselves or not, to go beyond the way we "wound up being" and have the purpose of our lives and our careers be about something that makes a difference or not, in other words, to be a leader or not. — Werner Erhard

When we're trying to decide whether a leader is a good leader or a bad one, the question to ask is: 'Is he with the Ten Commandments or is he against them?' Then you can determine if the leader is a true messiah or another Stalin. — Isaac Bashevis Singer

Your leader is only one man," I heard my voice say. "His strength is no more supernatural than your own, nor is his virtue, and by himself he could never preserve the good things that belong by right to everyone. To govern well, he must have your help - the help of his true, trustworthy friends. You must forever be worthy of his trust, and you must raise up true friends of your own, to help you carry your own burdens. And it is love that must bind all of us together. — Xenophon

[Richard Bedford Bennett] was the richest Prime Minister and the only millionaire to hold office before Pierre Trudeau. His money obviously colored his thinking
colored it true blue
but he did not consider it a political drawback. No leader, he said, could serve the public properly if he was constantly looking over his shoulder at the shadow of debts. This theory is now widely accepted in the United States where it has become practically impossible for a non-millionaire to run for high office without selling pieces of himself like a prize-fighter. Yet the public still suspects a self-made millionaire like Lyndon Johnson while revering the much-richer John F. Kennedy, who got it all from his father. — Gordon Donaldson

He said, one time, that no true leader burdened his followers with a greater load than they could carry, and no true leader sets too fast a pace for his follows to keep up. — Malcolm X

True leadership is measured by what happens after you die. — Myles Munroe

The mob is primarily a group in which the residue of all classes are represented. This makes it so easy to mistake the mob for the people, which also comprises all strata of society. While the people in all great revolutions fight for true representation, the mob always will shout for the "strong man," the "great leader." For the mob hates society from which it is excluded, as well as Parliament where it is not represented. — Hannah Arendt

A true leader invokes the desire to follow in those being led. — Reverend Joaquin R. Larriba

When the Lakota leader Sitting Bull was asked by a white reporter why his people loved and respected him, Sitting Bull replied by asking if it was not true that among white people a man is respected because he has many horses, many houses? When the reporter replied that was indeed true, Sitting Bull then said that his people respected him because he kept nothing for himself. — Joseph Bruchac

A. W. Tozer says, "A true and safe leader is likely one who has no desire to lead, but is forced into a position of leadership by the inward pressure of the Holy Spirit and by the press of the external situation. — Charles R. Swindoll

The speed of the leader is the speed of the gang."
~ Mary Kay — Mary Kay Ash

A true leader leads his people from the front and if he falls into a pit the people will surely not follow. — Amit Abraham

A true leader does not derive power from his position, but from his ethics, from people's love for him, and from his knowledge, education and excellence in his field of work. — Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum

The true leader must submerge himself in the fountain of the people. — Vladimir Lenin

When was the last time you heard an insightful, inspiring piece of oratory from an Australian political leader, an appeal to what is pure and true within humanity: a statement of belief backed by ideas for change betterment, a call to those immutable values wherein lie the potential greatness of people individually and collectively? Such exhortation, such leadership is lamentably scarce. — Michael Short

The right type of [leader] is democratic. He must not consider himself a superior sort of personage. He must actually feel democratic; it is not enough that he try to pose as democratic-he must be democratic, otherwise the veneer, the sheen, would wear off, for you can't fool a body of intelligent American workingmen for very long. He must ring true. — T. Coleman Du Pont

For the first time in a long time, our leaders in Washington understand what Americans of all religious backgrounds have long held to be true: through faith, all things are possible. — John Ashcroft

A person speaks more about his character through his shared images or uploaded profile picture than with his words or deeds, but only a leader who is always true to himself correctly reads them. — Anuj

We leaders are criticized for a lot of things. It's always true after a band gets up there and is recognized by the public. — Glenn Miller

It would just be nice if we had leaders in Washington who could unequivocally take a stand on behalf of democratic movements in other parts of the world. And even this is true for even Brother Barack Obama. — Cornel West

A true leader must have enough backbone to stand alone, even when the crowd wants to take the easy road home. A true leader cannot be dependent on companionship for his or her security, but must learn to trust in God alone. Singleness can give us the kind of backbone - courage, confidence, and leadership skills that an effective Christian must learn. — Leslie Ludy

I had the honor to meet Geraldine Ferraro on a few occasions over the years at the DNC and what struck me was how she managed to be both gutsy and graceful at the same time. Without a doubt she was a trailblazer who not only stepped outside the box but who dared to redefine it. I always left her presence with the sense that she truly knew what she was talking about but that she never felt the need to browbeat you with it - instead she inspired people to listen and then act, and to me thats the hallmark of a true leader. — Adrienne Maloof

It's true that if you're a leader but no-one is following you then you're actually not leading; you're just out for a walk. But it's also true that you're not really a leader unless you go for a walk because you know it's right and you're willing to have no-one come with you. Henry — Craig Hamilton

Sign of a true leader - shares the knowledge with smile ... — Adil Adam Memon

A true leader always keeps an element of surprise up his sleeve, which others cannot grasp but which keeps his public excited and breathless. — Charles De Gaulle

True Leaders do not manipulate others they INSPIRE them. — Myles Munroe

A true leader is not someone who feels fully informed but someone who continuously receives insight and guidance. — Martha Beck

Perhaps the true mark of a leader is that she or he is willing to stand alone. — Laurie Beth Jones

A true leader inspires and empowers others to hope more, dream more, do more, and live more. — Debasish Mridha

These are the days in which a true leader wants to live. These are days when opportunities to change lives and even destinies are nearly endless. You are running the anchor leg of the relay because you were born to lead. You were born for glory. — Sheri L. Dew

A true leader never puts his ego ahead of his assets. — Neal Shusterman

A compassionate government does not need to pay too much attention to those who don't have needs. True leadership is to fulfill a need of the needy. People who have needs need attention indeed! Be a true leader! — Israelmore Ayivor

I've come to learn that leadership is not automatically granted to you because of your position or your salary or the size of your office. Leadership is influence based on trust that you have earned. A leader is not someone who declares what he wants and then gets angry when he doesn't get it. A true leader is someone who is going someplace and taking people with him, a catalyst for elite performance who enables people to achieve things they wouldn't achieve on their own. A leader is someone who earns trust, sets a clear standard, and then equips and inspires people to meet that standard. — Urban Meyer

The true value of a leader is not measured by the work they do. A leader's true value is measured by the work they inspire others to do. — Simon Sinek

The exercise of true leadership is inversely proportional to the exercise of power. — Stephen Covey

It is true that integrity alone won't make you a leader, but without integrity you will never be one. — Zig Ziglar

It's wrong to criticize leaders of the church, even if the criticism is true. — Dallin H. Oaks

True buoyant leaders can never communicate in percentage points, or charts and figures. First and foremost, they must be storytellers, communicating with their hearts, not heads. — Kevin Allen

Wolverine is a world-weary old warrior. His rage issue notwithstanding, I see him as someone with the tortured soul of a poet, but one who has seen too many friends and lovers die. Even with that, he has grown into a leader and a true hero. — Jonathan Maberry

Your character and attitude is what takes the lead in your leadership role and you follow them as a true leader. Poor character and attitude is eventually poor leadership. — Israelmore Ayivor

Authenticity seems like sort of a joke. Actually I believe it was the late comedian George Burns who said, "if you can fake sincerity, you've got it made." People cannot be invariant across situations and roles and, moreover, leaders need to be true not to themselves, but to what others want, need, and expect from them. — Jeffrey Pfeffer

We need a leader able to project his or her personality and present our policies in today's media environment. All this is true - but we also need a leader capable of building a team, inspiring loyalty from colleagues, and one genuinely open to ideas. — Bob Ainsworth

We need people to be taught that they possess a hidden leader on the inside, and to reconnect to that leader, they must reconnect to the Creator who placed that leadership potential in them. They must be reconnected to God, and this is why we should come back to God not really to go to heaven, but to rediscover our true leadership dominion mandate, and then serve that to the world. — Myles Munroe

Leadership is standing with your people. People say you have to live to fight another day, but sometimes you have to show you are a true leader. — Leymah Gbowee

A true leader cannot be dependent on companionship for his or her security, but must learn to trust in God alone. — Eric Ludy

A true Leader asks advice, when he has time to think; but he never asks advice in a crisis. He acts. — Herbert Newton Casson

Leadership is not a matter of authority, it is a matter of influence. A true leader teaches others to understand more, motivates them to be more and inspires them to become more. — Michael Josephson

A true leader helps people focus on their potential, not on their limitations. — Alan Loy McGinnis

You don't become the person you wish to become; you become the person you choose to become. True leadership does not come true wishes; it comes by choices! — Israelmore Ayivor

Without a terrific leader, you're not going to have a Great Group. But it is also true that you're not going to have a great leader without a Great Group. — Warren G. Bennis

A true leader inspires by being among the people,
not above them. — Lynda Cheldelin Fell

A true leader is one who creates a favourable environment to bring out the energy and ability of his team. A great leader creates more great leaders, and does not reduce the institution to a single person. — Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum

He who is the servant of all is their true master. He never becomes a leader in whose love there is a consideration of high or low. He whose love knows no end and never stops to consider high or low has the whole world lying at his feet. — Swami Vivekananda

A true leader is a person whose influence inspires people to do what is expected of them to do. You cease to be a leader when you manipulate with your egos instead of convincing by your inspirations. — Israelmore Ayivor

The Bible's picture of a godly leader also describes the godly home: "A shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock" (Isaiah 32:2). May that be true of your home. — Billy Graham

And is it not true that in like manner a leader of the people who, getting control of a docile mob, does not withhold his hand from the shedding of tribal blood, but by the customary unjust accusations brings a citizen into court and assassinates him, blotting out a human life, and with unhallowed tongue and lips that have tasted kindred blood, banishes and slays and hints at the abolition of debts and the partition of lands. — Plato

For decades, this great leader, often at Dr. King's side, was denied his rightful place in history because he was openly gay. No medal can change that, but today, we honor Bayard Rustin's memory by taking our place in his march towards true equality, no matter who we are or who we love. — Barack Obama

God is not interested in your ability. He is
interested in your availability. When you avail
your ability to God, you become a faithful leader. — Israelmore Ayivor

And I pray that you no longer seek happiness from the past, but rather you set your sails forward, to a land that is pure and wonderful. I pray that you no longer stare into the shallows of empty promises, but that you dive into the depth of an ocean of guarantees. May you feel the winds of hope, and smell the scent of joy, may your heart be alive again as it was meant to be. For you are with a better captain, you are with a true sailor, a true leader; You are sailing with Christ, and He is always sure to lead us home. — T.B. LaBerge

Bill Clinton has been a true leader of the western world. He has been a friend and a counsel to me and other leaders right around the world. — Tony Blair

A true leader will have no desire to lord it over God's heritage. He is rather ready to follow as well as lead. — Aiden Wilson Tozer

A true leader is one who designs the cathedral and then shares the vision that inspires others to build it. — Jan Carlzon

True Leadership always begins with the inner person. — John C. Maxwell

You must see yourself as guardian, somebody who will preserve what is true and pass it on. Be a guardian. We don't need militants or revolutionaries. We need guardians. We need leaders. — Beck

Your true nature doesn't come out. So the gods let you do what you want because free will would be compromised if they showed up at the White House saying, 'Take us to your leader.' — Tarsem Singh

I'm sometimes described as a flamboyant leader and a hip-shooter, a fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants operator. But if that were true, I could never have been successful in this business. — Lee Iacocca

If I were to vote, I would intentionally vote for the goofiest candidate. It is my theory that when the people can outwit the leader, the more respected their voices will be. — Criss Jami