Vince Lombardi, beloved American football player, coach and executive, once said, “Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything, through hard work.” A great leader takes perseverance, integrity, strength and selflessness; it is an ongoing growth process that one must continually work hard towards achieving. Steve Jobs and Maya Angelou were all inspiring leaders who left a mark in history with their incredible actions and like anyone who is trying to achieve a goal, taking the inspiring words from some of the greats is a useful motivator. Here are 15 leadership quotes from some of history’s most respected leaders that will help motivate you to work towards an equally successful future.

• “As we look ahead, leaders will be those who empower others.” – Bill Gates
• “Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it.” – Marian Anderson
• “One of the huge mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest on themselves. You don’t choose your passion; your passions choose you.” – Jeff Bezos

• “The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” – Mark Zuckerberg
• “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you’re a leader” – John Quincy Adams
• “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets people to do the greatest things.” – Ronald Reagan
• “Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you’ll be criticized anyway.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
• “The price of greatness is responsibility.” – Winston Churchill
• “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

• “You manage things; you lead people.” – Murray Hopper
• “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizen can change the world. Indeed it is the only that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
• “The supreme quality of leadership is integrity” – Dwight Eisenhower
• “It’s better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” – Nelson Mandela
• “Education is the mother of leadership.” – Wendell Willkie