Desire

“Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish.”

– Michelangelo, painter, sculptor

I would rather fail in a cause that will ultimately triumph than to triumph in a cause that will ultimately fail.

– Woodrow Wilson, 28th US president

Wisdom

Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.

– Albert Einstein, physicist

Choices

In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.

– Eleanor Roosevelt, first lady

Opportunity

Opportunity’s favorite disguise is trouble.

– English proverb

Learning

“Learning is not compulsory, but neither is survival.”

– W. Edwards Deming, management consultant

The Little Matters

“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.”

– Colin Powell, statesman

Luck

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

– Seneca, Roman philosopher

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

– Nelson Mandela, statesman

People of Accomplishment

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”

– Elinor Smith, aviator

Genius

“Genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains.”

– Jane Ellis Hopkins, writer

Are You Bored With Life?

“Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart. Live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours.”

– Dale Carnegie, writer

Do Something Wonderful

“Do something wonderful; people may imitate it.”

– Albert Schweitzer, theologian, physician

Fear of losing

“Every time you win, it diminishes the fear a little bit. You never really cancel the fear of losing; you keep challenging it.”

– Arthur Ashe, tennis player

Inspiring Others

"The truly successful person inspires others to do more than they have thought possible for themselves."

- Denis Waitley

Status Vs Ambition

"Its status that kills you off in the end, not ambition."

-Bono, U2

Solitude

"Wise pastoral leaders understand that solitude is an antidote for, and not a cause of, loneliness."

- L. Gregory Jones and Kevin R. Armstrong, Resurrecting Excellence in Ministry (2006)

"Some churches, for certain, abandon many of the cardinal truths of the faith in their quest to be relevant to the community they serve. But even more churches are woefully unaware of the realities, hope, and pains of those around us. Failure to be true to the doctrines of the Christian faith leads to apostasy. Failure to understand the world in which we live and serve leads to irrelevancy."

- Thom Rainer, president of Lifeway Christian Resources, in Outreach magazine

What's the most important thing you've learned about business over the years?

"To be a successful businessperson, you've got to have total passion for what you do. You have to think about it not just a couple hours a day, but all the time. It can get very boring for some people, but you've got to have this kind of focus."

- Charles Schwab, CEO of Charles Schwab Corporation as quoted on SmartMoney.com (June 13, 2006)

"A leader is one who influences a specific group of people to move in a God-given direction."
- J. Robert Clinton

"The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already."
- John Buchan

"Control is not leadership; management is not leadership; leadership is leadership. If you seek to lead, invest at least 50% of your time in leading yourself—your own purpose, ethics, principles, motivation, conduct. Invest at least 20% leading those with authority over you and 15% leading your peers."
- Dee Hock
Founder and CEO Emeritus, Visa

"Leadership is not about hierarchy. If you're thinking posiition, you don't understand leadership."
- Michael McKinney

Goals

"An unwritten want is a wish, a dream, a never-happen. The day you put your goal in writing is the day it becomes a commitment that will change your life. Are you ready?"
- Tom Hopkins

Communication

"Effective communication is the cement that binds an organization together. It is the foundation upon which successful teamwork and good customer relationships are built."
- Connie Podesta

Leadership

Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.
-Dwight Eisenhower