Quotes by Simon Sinek With Free Shareable Pictures

True love is when both people think they have the better half of the deal.

Be the leader you wish you had.

A boss has the title, a leader has the people.

A friend is an emotional bond, just like friendship is a human experience.

There is a difference between listening and waiting for your turn to speak.

The strong bond of friendship is not always a balanced equation; friendship is not always about giving and taking in equal shares. Instead, friendship is grounded in a feeling that you know exactly who will be there for you when you need something, no matter what or when.

The cost of leadership is self-interest.

Leadership is a way of thinking, a way of acting and, most importantly, a way of communicating.

Listening is active. At its most basic level, it's about focus, paying attention.

The U.S. Constitution protects our privacy from the prying eyes of government. It does not, however, protect us from the prying eyes of companies and corporations.

When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.

If we care about the average working American, then Wal-Mart matters. A lot.

Good marketing offers us a view of the world. Bad marketing offers us a product to buy.

If you say your job is something you don't plan on doing forever, then why are you doing it now?

Those who know WHAT they do tend to work harder. Those who know WHY tend to work smarter.

We last longer if we compete against ourselves for the good of others instead of competing against others for the good of ourselves.

The new is threatening to those who have mastered the old.

When you explain to people what you're trying to do, as opposed to just making demands or delegating tasks, you can build instant trust, even if it's just for that short time you're on the phone.

Average companies give their people something to work on. In contrast, the most innovative organizations give their people something to work toward.

Happy employees ensure happy customers. And happy customers ensure happy shareholders in that order.

There are many ways to motivate people to do things, but loyalty comes from the ability to inspire people.

If you're not remarkable, you're invisible.

I look for the hotels that have figured out the comfortable balance -- a modern room that is well designed, and really clean sheets.

Cooperation doesn't mean agreement, it means working together to advance the greater good.

Leave America and you'll find that the consumers in many other countries enjoy watching advertising. Not because the products are better, but because the ads are produced to be entertaining. Sometimes they are funny. Sometimes they are dramatic. Sometimes they are just beautiful.

You can get someone to buy a gym membership with an aspirational message, but to get them to go three days a week requires a bit of inspiration.

The value we provide most to others is the same value we appreciate most from others.

What good is it to have a belly if there's no fire in it? Wake up, drink your passion, light a match and get to work.

The future is only scary if we try to avoid it.

When I present, I cheat. I only talk about things I care about.

Complaining begets more complaints. Anger begets more anger. And optimism begets more optimism.

I'm interested in the left side of the Bell Curve.

If our parents fixed everything for us and did not allow us to do anything on our own, or intervened every single time, we would all grow up to be completely dependent.

Don't complain, contribute.

Great leaders see money as fuel, not a destination.

Trust doesn't develop from always doing the right thing. Trust comes from taking responsibility when we do the wrong thing.

The value of experimentation is not the trying. It's the trying again after the experiment fails.

Givers advance the world.  Takers advance themselves and hold the world back.

The next time someone starts listing all the reasons an idea won't work or can't happen, ask them to give 3 reasons it can.

All organizations start with WHY, but only the great ones keep their WHY clear year after year.

We think leadership is about rank and power, but better to think of leadership as the responsibility for other human beings. That leadership and rank may not go together. So it manifests in this remarkable way.

Reality will always prevail so why help it? Be an idealist and see what happens.

When or if we quote, unquote do not like our work, it is probably because we do not feel safe where we go to work. So when you say, what can we do?, the irony is that the best thing we can do is, well one option, is to quit.

Leadership is like exercise. Do it everyday, the results take time but you will see them. It's the little things.

If we inspire people, they will give us more than we asked for.  If we manipulate them, they will give us exactly what we paid for.

Our goals should serve as markers, measurements of the progress we make in pursuit of something greater than ourselves.

It is not logic or facts but our hopes and dreams, our hearts and our guts, that drive us to try new things.

There is a difference between offering a service and being willing to serve. They may both include giving but only one is generous.

I don't care about convincing the people who think I'm naive or an idiot.

When we are closed to ideas, what we hear is criticism. When we are open to criticism, what we get is advice.

Emails get reactions. Phone calls start conversations.

It's better to do it than to talk about how perfect it could be.

Optimists focus on the place they are going. Pessimists focus on the obstacles along the route. To become an optimist simply look ahead.

We call them leaders because they go first, because they take the risk before anybody else does, because they will choose to sacrifice so their people will be safe and protected.

Profit isn't a purpose, it's a result. To have purpose means the things we do are of real value to others.

The goal of business should not be to do business with anyone who simply wants what you have. It should be to focus on the people who believe what you believe. When we are selective about doing business only with those who believe in our WHY, trust emerges.

Instead of showing up to let everyone know how great we are, show up to find out how great everyone else is.

We pursue exercise even though empirically we see no benefit from the energy we're spending and we're hurting. So empirically we should quit. The why is exactly the same thing. You persist even though there are some short-term stresses and even though there is some uncertainty.

Don't wait for perfection before you start. Start somewhere so you can have something tangible you can work to perfect.

I think most people are inherently interested in how their brain works, in what makes them tick.

It is not the systems that fail but the ability to maintain them.

Managers watch over our numbers, our time and our results. Leaders watch over us.

Stories are attempts to share our values and beliefs. Storytelling is worthwhile when it tells what we stand for.

We should never change our minds about where we are going, but always be curious about different ways to get there.

Leadership is about pointing in the direction, articulating a vision of the world that does not yet exist. Then asking help from others to insure that vision happens.

Make it about them, not about you.

Great communicators don't just hear the words. Great communicators hear the meaning behind the words.

I don't have to convince everybody in the room. I just need a critical mass of the people in the room.

It's always the organizations that are resource constrained that come up with the good ideas to win.

A good leader shares information, even if they don't know the whole story. Without any information, people create their own, which causes fear and paranoia.

TiVo and other digital recording devices have confounded advertisers. The ad industry sees the technology as a threat to their product.

A leader must be inspired by the people before a leader can inspire the people.

If you're looking for a New York Times best-seller, I may or may not give you that.

The irony is that the best thing we can do is, well one option, is to quit job we don't like. You don't always have to quit, and quite frankly, option two is to try to help others solve the problem that you are struggling with.

Believing that your competition is stronger and better than you pushes you to better yourselves.

Changing the world takes more than everything any one person knows, but not more than we know together.

A great leader will never sacrifice the people for the numbers.

I never imagined I'd be working with government, or military or politicians or big companies. None of this stuff I'm doing was on any business plan anywhere ever.

The bad leaders are the ones that push hard so they can gain, who brow beat us so that they can receive the benefit of our hard work, not so we can enjoy the success.

I've been dogmatic to use myself as a case study.

My own career is a case study for what I believe in.

To become an academic expert takes years of studying. Academic experts are experts in how and what others have done. They use case studies and observation to understand a subject.

Disney is one of the best hotel companies in the world. Yet they have never and will never open a casino on the Vegas strip.

I don't consider myself an expert in the why. I don't consider myself an expert in leadership. I consider myself a student of leadership and I consider myself a student of the why. I'm constantly learning and I'm constantly looking for opportunities where it it will fail.

It's better to have a great team than a team of greats.

There are two kinds of experts: academic experts and practical experts. One is not better than the other, but they are very different, and each offers very different value.

Look down from as high as possible. Look ahead as far as you can see. Then decide what to do.

Authenticity is more than speaking; Authenticity is also about doing. Every decision we make says something about who we are.

When you start with why, which decision you make becomes very easy. It is so hard to do when you may suffer a short term loss or you may lose out on some short term gain. But in the long run it's way more powerful and way more stable.

True love exists in business. It's when Employee and Employer are amazingly grateful to have each other. We should all have true love at work.

Leadership is about empowering others to achieve things they did not think possible.

We should never let reality interfere with our dreams. Reality can't see what we can see.

Our vision is only actionable if we share it. Without sharing, it's just a figment of our imagination.

Generosity is doing something for someone else expecting nothing in return.

Outside advice can only tell you how a decision looks. Only you can know how it feels. The best decisions look and feel right.

I put messages out there that start with why and they talk about what I believe. They go on to demonstrate and give examples. If it resonates with others, those with whom it resonates will share it with their friends and say, This inspired me. You should watch it. You should read this.

We'd achieve more if we chase the dream instead of the competition.

It is not the genius at the top giving directions that makes people great. It is great people that make the guy at the top look like a genius.

There is a difference between giving directions and giving direction.

A group of followers has strength because of its numbers.

A following has power because of its beliefs.

Greatness is not born from one success. Greatness is born from persevering through the countless failed attempts that preceded.

Authorities act with themselves in mind. Leaders act with others in mind. Authorities take. Leaders give. Authorities die. Leaders live on.

Any great and inspiring leader or organization that ever existed set out to do something completely unrealistic.

The leaders who get the most out of their people are the leaders who care most about their people.

Great leaders and great organizations are good at seeing what most of us can't see. They are good at giving us things we would never think of asking for.

If you're interested in a book that will steadily grow and sell for a very long time, I promise you I will give you that.

Dr. King gave the I have a dream speech, not the I have a plan speech.

Don't give to get. Give to inspire others to give.

Focus on long term success but be willing to make short term adjustments to get there.

Our struggles are the short term lessons we learn to achieve long term success.

Some in management positions operate as if they are in a tree of monkeys. They make sure that everyone at the top of the tree looking down sees only smiles. But all too often, those at the bottom looking up see only asses.

We can make up for lost money, but we can't make up for lost time.

We are all so preoccupied with ourselves. How can I get happy, how can I find the job I love, how can I become a millionaire, how can lose weight. Yet, the reality is that fulfillment, success and all of these good things comes from trying to help those that we care about to achieve those things.

We must all try to empathize before we criticize. Ask someone what's wrong before telling them they are wrong.

Our ability to trust is not based on our industry. This is human being stuff. Sometimes all we need to do is translate the concepts to fit the cultures in which we work.

Stand for people. Not a product or service or metric or number. If we stand for real, living, breathing people, we will change the world.

When we help ourselves, we find moments of happiness. When we help others, we find lasting fulfillment.

The true price of leadership is the willingness to place the needs of others above your own. Great leaders truly care about those they are privileged to lead and understand that the true cost of the leadership privilege comes at the expense of self-interest.

What I'm doing is obeying the law of diffusion of innovations.

Sometimes we give too much too soon. Sometimes we hold back for too long. This is our beautiful dance. Our imperfect dance. This is the dance that makes us human.

We have no choice, we must all die. How we live, however, is entirely of our choosing.

If you care, do something. If you don't care, please stay out of the way of those who do.

And like all infinite games, in the game of life, the goal is not to win, it is to perpetuate the game.

In an organization, it is the leader's responsibility to take the first risk, to build a Circle of Safety. But then it is up to the employee to take a chance and step into the Circle of Safety.

Unlike resources, which are ultimately limited, we can generate an endless supply of will. For this reason, organizations that choose to operate with a bias for will are ultimately more resilient than those who prioritize resources.

In any game, there are always two currencies required to play -- will and resources.

The best way to drive performance in an organization is to create an environment in which information can flow freely, mistakes can be highlighted and help can be offered and received.

I don't hire any companies or ask any of my friends to write reviews for me on Amazon when I have a book come out so they can drive up my ratings on Amazon. I don't have a publicist.

Of course there are people out there who are helping others find their why. Some are doing a really great job and some are doing a not so great job. I love the fact there are people out there, and consultants out there doing that.

Remaining calm in times of desperation makes way for opportunity.

I cannot tell you on a day to day basis that there's a return on investment. I can tell you if you stick with it, absolutely in a few months things will start to change. It starts to change slowly. Things start to get a little easier. As the momentum builds it becomes bigger and bigger.

The responsibility of leadership is not taken, it is given. Only when others choose to follow us can we truly lead.

We become leaders when we accept the responsibility to protect those in our care.

Curiosity is essential for progress. Only when we look to worlds beyond our own can we really know if there's room for improvement.

Self confidence is the ability to exercise restraint in the face of disrespect and still show respect in response.

Money is a short-term result that incentivizes short-term decision making.

It is like when a player has a slump, we do not trade them, we coach them. It is the same with our employees. The best leaders come to the aid of their people, whose performance is down. Not come down harder on them.

When a player has a slump, we do not trade them, we coach them. It is the same with our employees.

So much of starting a business or affecting change is the confidence and courage to simply try.

Unhealthy cultures create addiction. Healthy cultures create social bonds.

Stress and anxiety at work have less to do with the work we do and more to do with weak management and leadership.

If you hire people just because they can do a job, they'll work for your money, but if they believe what you believe, they'll work for you with blood and sweat and tears.

What's important to me is that I put messages out, whether it's a TED talk, whether it's a book.

Only you can take responsibility for your happiness..but you can't do it alone. It's the great paradox of being human.

Systems and processes are essential to keep the crusade going, but they should not replace the crusade.

Work requires effort. Things we love to do feel effortless. Only do the things you love and you'll never have to work again.

A true friend is someone with whom protocol is no longer necessary.

Good leadership is always human. It takes time and energy. It is hard work. Which is why good leadership is so special when we find it.

Time and energy. Those are the most valuable sacrifices leaders can make.

True #leadership isn't the bastion of a few who sit at the top ... We all need to step up, take the risk and put our interests second-not always-but when it counts.

Inspire people to do the things that inspire them and, together, we can change our world.

Quality effective leaders have the confidence to trust others to try, succeed, and sometimes to fail.

It is better to disappoint people with the truth than to appease them with a lie.

We can teach only if we are willing to learn.

A leader should not take credit when things go right if they are not willing to accept responsibility when things go wrong.

We don't learn much when everything goes right. We learn the most when things go wrong.

Leaders volunteer to go first into danger. Their willingness to sacrifice for us is the reason we're inspired to follow.

Success comes when we wake up every day in that never-ending pursuit of why we do what we do.

The leader's job is to lead and protect. Not have all the answers, not know everything to do, not to micromanage and tell people what to do or how to do it. A leader's job is to lead and protect. That's their job, and it's the people within the organization -- their job is to get the work done.

The goal is not simply to 'work hard, play hard.' The goal is to make our work and our play indistinguishab le.

You have to be careful what you think you know.

I need an army. I need people out there who are either preaching with me to different audiences that I can't get to or who are implementing the work and helping people actually learn their why or practice their why or implement their why because I don't do that.

If you look at the average age of a company on the Dow Jones index, it's something like 35 years or younger. In other words... success is no indication of longevity.

If we were good at everything we would have no need for each other.

Leadership is a choice to protect the person to the left of us, and protect the person to the right of us, and sometimes that may come at a cost. It may cost us our benefits, it may cost us our comfort, it may sometimes cost us our perks, whatever it is, credit.

Leadership is not about being a nice person or not a nice person.

Pure pragmatism can't imagine a bold future. Pure idealism can't get anything done. It is the delicate blend of both that drives innovation.

The ad industry thinks their clients are their customers. They think the companies who pay for the production are the ones they are supposed to serve. So the ads they produce make their clients happy... but infuriate the rest of us.

A company and leaders of the company have the responsibility of the precious lives of all the human beings that work there.

We can rationalize anything and easily quit on ourselves. Leadership is refusing to quit on others.

When we can communicate from the inside out, we're talking directly to the part of the brain that controls behavior, and then we allow people to rationalize it with the tangible things we say and do. This is where gut decisions come from.

Always plan for the fact that no plan ever goes according to plan.

And when a leader embraces their responsibility to care for people instead of caring for numbers, then people will follow, solve problems and see to it that that leader's vision comes to life the right way, a stable way and not the expedient way.

Simple ideas are easier to understand. Ideas that are easier to understand are repeated. Ideas that are repeated change the world.

Too many people write books because they want to be a New York Times best-seller. They want the glory and the fame.

What we do for others has a direct impact on how we feel about ourselves.

A sour corporate culture can actually make an entire society unhappy. This means that a strong corporate culture can have a positive impact on a society.

I'm building on purpose. I'm building that tipping point. I'm building that law of diffusion of innovation.

Following takes why. Transactions take what. It has to be real. It has to be the same for writing a book.

Safe is good for sidewalks and swimming pools, but life requires risk if we are to get anywhere.

The world is a bell curve. Classroom test scores, employee performance in a company or how many people really, really like you. No matter the population you're studying, they always fit neatly across the standard deviations of the famous bell curve.

Academic experts may not be good at doing what they are experts in themselves, but they are good at explaining the subject matter to others. They write books, teach courses and offer lessons and give steps others can follow.

Entrepreneurs must be practical experts. They needn't set out to be subject matter experts in what they do; they must set out to solve a problem or pursue some cause or purpose greater than themselves.

When you can wake up in the morning and feel successful whether some end goal is realized or not...THAT is true success.

The true value of networking doesn't come from how many people we can meet but rather how many people we can introduce to others.

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.

If you sell what you do, you're a vendor. If you sell why you do it, you're a brand.

The ability for a group of people to do remarkable things hinges on how well those people can pull together as a team.

A poor leader will tell you how many people work for them. A great leader will tell you how many people they work for.

It's better to go slowly in the right direction than go speeding off in the wrong direction.

Work hard to seem infallible and others will work to find our flaws. Admit our shortcomings and others will work to help us be infallible.