Empowering Business Quotes, Everyone needs a little inspiration now and then, especially in a professional setting. Your job as a leader is to motivate your team members through empowering actions and statements.
Whether you’re looking to energize a brainstorming meeting or want to start the week with a positive message, consider these business quotes from successful leaders around the world.
From Steve Jobs to Arianna Huffington, take a look at these 39 inspirational quotes to share with your teammates.
Quotes to help you start a business
Starting a business is a difficult endeavor—and one that doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and devotion to turn your business into what you’ve always dreamed it would be. These quotes will give you the drive to build something that you’ll be proud of.
1. “Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”
2. “A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well.”
— Jeff Bezos, Founder and executive chairman of Amazon
3. “Risk-taking is the cornerstone of empires.”
— Estée Lauder, Businesswoman and co-founder of Estée Lauder
4. “In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.”
— Seth Godin, Author and former business executive
5. “Effectively, change is almost impossible without industry-wide collaboration, cooperation and consensus.”
— Simon Mainwaring, Global keynote speaker, CEO of We First, and best-selling author
6. “I think a simple rule of business is, if you do the things that are easier first, then you can actually make a lot of progress.”
— Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and co-founder of Facebook
7. “In the past a leader was a boss. Today’s leaders must be partners with their people… they no longer can lead solely based on positional power.”
— Ken Blanchard, Author and motivational speaker
8. “Feeling confident—or pretending that you feel confident—is necessary to reach for opportunities. It’s a cliché, but opportunities are rarely offered; they’re seized.”
— Sheryl Sandberg, Business executive and COO of Facebook
Quotes to improve self development
Part of growing your skills is about developing your emotional intelligence in order to be the best leader you can be. The quotes below will keep you mindful of your habits and help you become the ideal version of yourself.
9. “Embrace what you don’t know, especially in the beginning, because what you don’t know can become your greatest asset. It ensures that you will absolutely be doing things different from everybody else.”
— Sara Blakely, Businesswoman and founder of Spanx
10. “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”
— Stephen Covey, Educator and author
11. “Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don’t fight them. Just find a new way to stand.”
— Oprah Winfrey, Talk show host and media magnate
12. “I have a theory and I really believe it. I think your worst weakness can become your greatest single strength.”
— Barbara Corcoran, Businesswoman and Shark on ABC’s reality series
13. “Patience is the art of concealing your impatience.”
— Guy Kawasaki, Marketing leader and Silicon Valley venture capitalist
14. “If you start thinking that only your biggest and shiniest moments count, you’re setting yourself up to feel like a failure most of the time.”
15. “Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.”
— Steve Jobs, Business magnate and co-founder of Apple
16. “Your willingness to look at your darkness is what empowers you to change.”
— Iyanla Vanzant, Inspirational speaker and lawyer
17. “Wisdom is always an overmatch for strength.”
— Phil Jackson, Former professional basketball player and coach
18. “Learning from each mistake requires self-awareness and humility, but it can be one of the biggest keys to reaching your full potential.”
— Amy Morin, Psychotherapist and mental strength trainer
19. “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”
— Bill Gates, Business magnate and co-founder of Microsoft
20. “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
— Henry Ford, Industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company
21. “You renew yourself every day. Sometimes you’re successful, sometimes you’re not, but it’s the average that counts.”
— Satya Nadella, Business executive and CEO of Microsoft
22. “People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt, Political figure and former First Lady
Quotes to help you achieve success
Success isn’t obtained overnight. It takes hard work and dedication to achieve your dreams. However, success comes in many forms. Whether it be your business, your work, your family, or something completely different, these quotes will guide you through finding success.
23. “Success is very much the intersection of luck and hard work.”
— Dustin Moskovitz, Co-founder and CEO of AsanaRead: Asana CEO Dustin Moskovitz shares his lessons on leadership
24. “Don’t worry about failure; you only have to be right once.”
— Drew Houston, Entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Dropbox
25. “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”
— Helen Keller, Author and disability rights advocate
26. “We think, mistakenly, that success is the result of the amount of time we put in at work, instead of the quality of time we put in.”
— Arianna Huffington, Businesswoman and CEO of Thrive Global
