50 Motivational Quotes To Activate You & Your Team

“People say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar

Can you remember the last time you were excited about going to work? About taking on a challenging new project? About serving a client and serving them well? No? Well, you’re not alone. Chances are, your employees are feeling the same way, and that’s not good for business!

At “A Better Leader”, we understand the value of motivation – that’s why it’s one of the four cornerstones of our leadership training program. According to a recent Gallup research poll, nearly 70% of workers describe themselves as “Not Engaged” or “Actively Disengaged” in their work – and the best way to get those workers back on track is to find new ways to motivate them and help them understand the role they play in helping the company reach its goals.

But before you can motivate your team, you must start with yourself. As a leader, if you can’t find your motivation, they won’t be able to find theirs. So, let this blog post be the start of something good – for yourself and for your team! Here, you’ll find our fifty favorite motivational quotes – and while these quotes alone can’t fix your engagement challenges, they can certainly help you set the tone to improve your own personal engagement and by doing so, put you and your employees on the path to a more positive, productive worklife!

2. “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” – Ralph Nader

3. "With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

4. “It’s not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin

5. “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.” – Steve Jobs

6. “If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney

7. “Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” – John Wayne

8. “Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them more.” – Oscar Wilde

9. “I didn’t fail the test. I just found 100 ways to do it wrong.” – Benjamin Franklin

10. “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.” – Norman Schwartzkopf

11. “I don’t think of work as work and play as play. It’s all living” – Richard Branson

12. “Action is the foundational key to all success..” – Pablo Picasso

13. “You can never quit. Winners never quit, and quitters never win.” – Ted Turner

14. “Don’t raise your voice. Improve your argument.” - Unknown

15. “The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.” – Carlos Castaneda

16. “Give them quality. That’s the best kind of advertising.” – Milton Hershey

17. “The first one gets the oyster, the second gets the shell.” – Andrew Carnegie

18. “A goal is a dream with a deadline.” – Napoleon Hill

19. “In this ever-changing society, the most powerful and enduring brands are built from the heart.”– Howard Shultz

20. “Its better to own the racecourse then the race horse.” – Unknown

21. “There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.” - Aristotle

22. “Find your passion, and it’s no longer work.” – L.A. Reid

23. “You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” – Margaret Thatcher

24. “When you cease to dream, you cease to live.” – Malcolm Forbes

25. “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” – Ernest Hemingway

26. “Please think about your legacy, because you are writing it every day.” – Gary Vaynerchuck

27. “The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” – Bruce Lee

28. “Leaders get out in front and stay there by raising the standards by which they judge themselves—and by which they are willing to be judged.” – Frederick W. Smith

29. “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vidal Sassoon

30. “To win big, you sometimes have to take big risks.” – Bill Gates

31. "Brains, like hearts, go where they are appreciated.” – Robert McNamara

32. “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” – Babe Ruth

33. “Your income is directly related to your philosophy, NOT the economy.” – Jim Rohn

34. “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

35. “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” – Will Rogers

36. “Work like there is someone working 24 hours a day to take it away from you.” – Mark Cuban

37. “Morale is a state of mind. It is steadfastness and courage and hope. It is confidence and zeal and loyalty. It is elan and esprit de corps and determination.” – General George Catlett Marshall

38. "Rule No. 1: Never lose money; Rule No. 2: Don’t forget Rule No. 1.” – Warren Buffett

39. “Your problem isn’t the problem. Your reaction is the problem.” – Unknown

40. "You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.” – Michael Jordan

41. “The Hacker Way is an approach to building that involves continuous improvement and iteration. Hackers believe that something can always be better, and that nothing is ever complete." – Mark Zuckerberg

42. “If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to meet it!” – Jonathan Winters

43. “The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.” – Arthur C. Clarke

44. “When employees are happy, they are your very best ambassadors.” – James Sinegal

45. “If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission.” – Unknown

46. “In business, what’s dangerous is to not evolve.” – Jeff Bezos

47. “Not everything needs changing. Some things need protecting. And that can be just as important, challenging and rewarding as changing the world.” – Mary Barra

48. “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” – John D. Rockefeller

49. “You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” – George Lorimer

50. “Life is fragile. We’re not guaranteed a tomorrow, so give it everything you’ve got.” – Tim Cook

Hopefully, these motivational quotes can help you and your team members remember what you're working towards and stay engaged! After all, motivated leaders are better leaders.