“More than anything else, what keeps a person going in the midst of adversity is having a sense of purpose. It is the fuel that powers persistence.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Recently I took my daughter Elizabeth out to a restaurant for lunch. The waitress, whose job it was to take care of people, made us feel that we were really inconveniencing her. She was grumpy, negative, and unhelpful. All of her customers were aware of the fact that she was having a bad day. Elizabeth looked up at me and said, “Dad, she’s a grump, isn’t she?” I could only agree with a look of disdain. Halfway through our experience I tried to change this woman’s negative attitude. Pulling out a $10 bill, I said, “Could you do me a favor? I’d like some change for this $10 bill because I want to give you a good tip today.” She looked at me, did a double take, and then ran to the cash register. After changing the money, she spent the next fifteen minutes hovering over us. I thanked her for her service, told her how important and helpful she was, and left a good tip. As we left, Elizabeth said, “Daddy, did you see how that lady changed?” Seizing this golden opportunity, I said, “Elizabeth, if you want people to act right toward you, you act right toward them. And many times you’ll change them.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution.”
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John C. Maxwell
“experience alone does not add value to a life. It’s not necessarily experience that is valuable; it’s the insight people gain because of their experience
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John C. Maxwell
“Learn to say 'no' to the good so you can say 'yes' to the best.”
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John C. Maxwell
“The main point is that it’s the speaker’s responsibility to bring energy to the audience and to work to activate them.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Few things build a person up like affirmation. According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, Third College Edition (Simon and Schuster, 1991),
the word affirm comes from ad firmare, which means “to make firm.” So when you affirm people, you make firm within them the things you see about them. Do that often enough, and the belief that solidifies within them will become stronger than the doubts they have about themselves.”
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John C. Maxwell
“most people overrate decision making, and they underrate decision managing.”
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John C. Maxwell
“The challenge of leadership is to create change and facilitate growth.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Successful people think differently than unsuccessful people.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Always touch a person's heart before you ask him for a hand.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Efficiency is the foundation for survival. Effectiveness is the foundation for success. It’s Not How Hard You Work; It’s How Smart You Work”
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John C. Maxwell