124 Moral Leadership Quotes

Following is our list of moral leadership quotations and slogans full of insightful wisdom and perspective about meaningful leadership.

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Famous Moral Leadership Quotes

Character matters; leadership descends from character. — Rush Limbaugh

People will not follow a leader with moral incongruities for long. Every time you compromise character you compromise leadership. The foundation of firm leadership is character. — Bill Hybels

The most powerful moral influence is example. - Huston Smith

The most powerful moral influence is example. — Huston Smith

It is not wise, or even possible, to divorce private behavior from public leadership.... By its very nature, true leadership carries with it the burden of being an example. — Gordon B. Hinckley

Leadership is the sum of those qualities of intellect, human understanding, and moral character that enables a person to inspire and control a group of people successfully. — John A. Lejeune

The consummate leader cultivates the moral law, and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to control success. — Sun Tzu

For Aboriginal leaders, the social and moral obligation that comes with community leadership is life-long. Those who lead, who have authority, must care for and look after those who come behind. — Patrick Dodson

If your leadership is ample, you will be a great example. - Daniel Evans

If your leadership is ample, you will be a great example. — Daniel Evans

The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example. - John Wooden

The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example. — John Wooden

Leadership means firmness, not harshness or bullying; understanding, not weakness; justice, not irresponsible freedom; humaneness, not intolerance; generosity, not selfishness; pride, not egotism. — Omar N. Bradley

(We need) leadership that is tough enough to demand a great deal from everyone, and leadership that is tender enough to encourage the heart. — Thomas J. Sergiovanni

The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office. — Dwight D. Eisenhower

The most important ingredient of leadership is character. Most of the proficiencies can be learned, but what's inside you is something that's difficult to change. — Jesse Robredo

Good moral character is the first essential in a man. — George Washington

Leadership consists not in degrees of technique but in traits of character. — Lewis H. Lapham

Short Moral Leadership Quotes

  • Leadership requires the courage to make decisions that will benefit the next generation. — Alan Autry
  • Leadership is not for the faint of heart — Bill Hybels
  • Moral courage is a more rare commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. — Robert Kennedy
  • The leader sees leadership as responsibility rather than as rank and privilege. — Peter Drucker
  • A leader leads by example not by force. — Sun Tzu
  • Reason and judgment are the qualities of a leader. — Tacitus

Moral Leadership Image Quotes

Moral leadership quote Maturity is learning to walk away from people and situation that threaten your peace of mind, self r
Maturity is learning to walk away from people and situation that threaten your peace of mind, self respect, values, morals and self worth.

What Is Leadership Quotes

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. - Harry S. Truman

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. — Harry S. Truman

What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead. — Nelson Mandela

People who are role models for the principles and values of the organization, who buy in and understand the vision of what the organization is trying to accomplish, and have the personality to inspire other people to the vision. You know, that’s what team chemistry and leadership is all about. — Nick Saban

Moral leadership quote A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compas
A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others.

One of the recurring themes in Marcus' handbook is leadership's responsibility to work intelligently with what it is given and not waste time fantasizing about a world of flawless people and perfect choices. — Marcus Aurelius

The answers to these questions will determine your success or failure. 1) Can people trust me to do what's right? 2) Am I committed to doing my best? 3) Do I care about other people and show it? If the answers to these questions are yes, there is no way you can fail. — Lou Holtz

You can't run a government from one single person. What instead matters is that leadership be about gathering around extraordinary individuals and getting the best out of them. — Justin Trudeau

Moral leadership quote Be a leader by example. Be confident and humble. Love the unloved.
Be a leader by example. Be confident and humble. Love the unloved.

Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful. Leadership and AdversityZig Ziglar

Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right. — Ezra Taft Benson

If you wish to know what a man is, make him king. — Icelandic Proverbs

What distinguishes the greatest leaders of our time it’s that success is very rarely a goal for them; it’s a byproduct of other goals that they have. — Adam Grant

Meaningful Leadership Quotes

There may be no single thing more important in our efforts to achieve meaningful work and fulfilling relationships than to learn to practice the art of communication. — Max De Pree

The great majority of people are “wandering generalities” rather than “meaningful specifics”. The fact is that you can't bit a target that you can't see. If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else. You have to have goals. — Zig Ziglar

Standardized personalization=universal right to meaningful learning. Personalized standardization=flexible access to mandated learning. — Andy Hargreaves

Moral leadership quote Leadership is an action, not a position.
Leadership is an action, not a position.

If you facilitate your subordinates' steady progress in meaningful work, make that progress salient to them, and treat them well, they will experience the emotions, motivations, and perceptions necessary for great performance. — Teresa Amabile

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

My purpose is to help people understand that leadership skills are useful and relevant for pursuing meaningful aspirations in all aspects of life, and that this is a choice, a decision, not a default. — Stewart D. Friedman

Moral leadership quote Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.
Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.

You can only make so much money in life and only enjoy so many creature comforts. The important thing is to do something meaningful-to leave something behind. — Roone Arledge

How do we create beauty in a broken world? How do we create a view of sustainability in an economy that is crashing? How do we reconfigure our lives, how do we pick up the pieces and create a meaningful life? So, yes, we have a different form of leadership but the questions remain the same. — Terry Tempest Williams

Moral Authority Quotes

When plunder becomes a way of life, men create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it. — Frederic Bastiat

Anarchism, to me, means not only the denial of authority, not only a new economy, but a revision of the principles of morality. It means the development of the individual as well as the assertion of the individual. It means self-responsibility, and not leader worship. — Voltairine de Cleyre

To lodge all power in one party and keep it there is to insure bad government and the sure and gradual deterioration of the public morals. — Mark Twain

Moral leadership quote Leadership simply begins with the courage to be yourself. So everyone else can be, too.
Leadership simply begins with the courage to be yourself. So everyone else can be, too.

Undermine their pompous authority, reject their moral standards, make anarchy and disorder your trademarks. Cause as much chaos and disruption as possible but don't let them take you ALIVE. — Sid Vicious

No morality can be founded on authority, even if the authority were divine. — A.J. Ayer

There are two ways to aquire the niceties of life: 1) To produce them or 2) To plunder them. When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time, a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it. — Paul Valery

Wherever morality is based on theology, wherever the right is made dependent on divine authority, the most immoral, unjust, infamous things can be justified and established. — Ludwig Feuerbach

The individual makes a clear effort to define moral values and principles that have validity and application apart from the authority of the groups of persons holding them and apart from the individual's own identification with the group. — Lawrence Kohlberg

Because power corrupts, society's demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases. — John Adams

Rulers who destroy men's freedom commonly begin by trying to retain its forms. ... They cherish the illusion that they can combine the prerogatives of absolute power with the moral authority that comes from popular assent. — Alexis de Tocqueville

Moral Education Quotes

Thought breeds thought; children familiar with great thoughts take as naturally to thinking for themselves as the well-nourished body takes to growing; and we must bear in mind that growth, physical, intellectual, moral, spiritual, is the sole end of education. — Charlotte Mason

There is no god and there is no soul. Hence, there is no need for the props of traditional religion. With dogma and creed excluded, then immutable truth is dead and buried. There is no room for fixed and natural law or permanent moral absolutes. — John Dewey

To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society. — Theodore Roosevelt

His lack of education is more than compensated for by his keenly developed moral bankruptcy. — Woody Allen

We must have moral education in the schools, anti-bullying programs, but this does not mean programs to feminize boys. — Christina Hoff Sommers

Universal education is not only a moral imperative but an economic necessity, to pave the way toward making many more nations self-sufficient and self-sustaining. — Desmond Tutu

Whoever wants to be a leader should educate himself before educating others. Before preaching to others he should first practice himself. Whoever educates himself and improves his own morals is superior to the man who tries to teach and train others. — Ali ibn Abi Talib

The object of basic education is the physical, intellectual and moral development of children through the medium of handicraft. — Mahatma Gandhi

It is a mistake to try to impose Christian beliefs on children and to make them the basis of moral training. The moral education of children is much too important a matter to be built on such foundations. — Margaret E. Knight

It is our moral obligation to give every child the very best education possible. — Desmond Tutu

Moral Growth Quotes

Man's duty is to improve himself; to cultivate his mind; and, when he finds himself going astray, to bring the moral law to bear upon himself. — Immanuel Kant

No culture has yet solved the dilemma each has faced with the growth of a conscious mind: how to live a moral and compassionate existence when one is fully aware of the blood, the horror inherent in all life, when one finds darkness not only in one’s own culture but within oneself. — Barry Lopez

Whatever I contributed to the unique morale of the Cardinals was part of this growth, and so, of course, was my decision to have it out in public with the owners of organized baseball. — Curt Flood

A battle lost or won is easily described, understood, and appreciated, but the moral growth of a great nation requires reflection, as well as observation, to appreciate it. — Frederick Douglass

Punishments erode relationships and moral growth. — Alfie Kohn

Increase of material comforts, it may be generally laid down, does not in any way whatsoever conduce to moral growth. — Mahatma Gandhi

Because morality is a social necessity, the moment faith in god is banished, man's gaze turns from god to man and he becomes socially conscious. Religious belief prevented the growth of a sense of realism. But atheism at once makes man realistic and alive to the needs of morality. — Goparaju Ramachandra Rao

Fear is an acid which is pumped into one's atmosphere. It causes mental, moral and spiritual asphyxiation, and sometimes death; death to energy and all growth. — Horace Fletcher

It is safe to say that no other superstition is so detrimental to growth, so enervating and paralyzing to the minds and hearts of the people, as the superstition of Morality. — Emma Goldman

One of the ways in which parenting is a learning experience and an opportunity for moral growth is that we learn as parents that we don't choose the kind of child that we have. — Michael Sandel

Moral Courage Quotes

Do the right thing because it is right. - Immanuel Kant

Do the right thing because it is right. — Immanuel Kant

It is a tragedy that we live in a world where physical courage is so common, and moral courage is so rare. — Claude Monet

It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world, and moral courage so rare. — Mark Twain

Optimism is the true moral courage - Ernest Shackleton

Optimism is the true moral courage — Ernest Shackleton

We need more men with the guts, with the courage, with the strength, with the moral integrity to break our complicit silence and challenge each other and stand with women and not against them. — Jackson Katz

Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have. — Ronald Reagan

Goodness is about character - integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people. — Dennis Prager

Morale is the state of mind. It is steadfastness and courage and hope. - George C. Marshall

Morale is the state of mind. It is steadfastness and courage and hope. — George C. Marshall

There is too much animal courage in society and not sufficient moral courage. — Mary Baker Eddy

Bravery is not the absence of fear but the forging ahead despite being afraid - Robert Liparulo

Bravery is not the absence of fear but the forging ahead despite being afraid — Robert Liparulo

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More Moral Leadership Quotes

The most valuable "currency" of any organization is the initiative and creativity of its members. Every leader has the solemn moral responsibility to develop these to the maximum in all his people. This is the leader's highest priority. — W. Edwards Deming

Whatever the price of the Chinese Revolution, it has obviously succeeded not only in producing more efficient and dedicated administration, but also in fostering high morale and community of purpose. The social experiment in China under Chairman Mao's leadership is one of the most important and successful in human history. — David Rockefeller

Prime ministers require the hide of a rhinoceros, the morals of St. Francis, the patience of Job, the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the leadership of Napoleon, the magnetism of a Beatle and the subtlety of Machiavelli. — Lester B. Pearson

I don't believe our country will last the way we know it much longer unless there's a change. And we just continue this moral decline going down, and the only hope, I believe, is God. We just hope and pray that maybe he'll hear our prayers and give us some godly leadership. — Franklin Graham

If America ever passes out as a great nation, we ought to put on our tombstone: America died from a delusion she had Moral Leadership. — Will Rogers

The American color bar unless speedily removed will be the rock on which our international Good Neighbor policy and our pious claims to moral leadership will founder. — Charles Hamilton Houston

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. — John Wooden

The Presidency is not merely an administrative office. Thats the least of it. It is more than an engineering job, efficient or inefficient. It is pre-eminently a place of moral leadership. All our great Presidents were leaders of thought at times when certain historic ideas in the life of the nation had to be clarified. — Franklin D. Roosevelt

Organizations endure, however, in proportion to the breadth of the morality by which they are governed. Thus the endurance of organization depends upon the quality of leadership; and that quality derives from the breadth of the morality upon which it rests. — Chester Barnard

In the worst of times the best among us never lose their moral compass, and that is how they emerge relatively unscathed. — Henry Rollins

True Grit is making a decision and standing by it, doing what must be done. No moral man can have peace of mind if he leaves undone what he knows he should have done. — John Wayne

The presidency is not merely an administrative office...It is pre-eminently a place of moral leadership. — Franklin D. Roosevelt

The quality & morale of teachers is absolutely central to the well being of students and their learning. — Andy Hargreaves

What are most people hungry for? I believe it is spiritual and moral leadership. Increases in technology, scientific inventions, and medical miracles have been marvelous and incredible. But we must use them properly to bring us joy, and that requires spiritual and moral leadership. — James E. Faust

True leadership is moral authority, not formal authority. Leadership is a choice, not a position. The choice is to follow universal timeless principles, which will build trust and respect from the entire organization. Those with formal authority alone will lose this trust and respect. — Stephen Covey

Since when do grown men and women, who presume to hold high government office and exercise what they think of as "moral leadership," require ethics officers to tell them whether it is or isn't permissible to grab the secretary's behind or redirect public funds to their own personal advantage? — Meg Greenfield

Educationists should build the capacities of the spirit of inquiry, creativity, entrepreneurial and moral leadership among students and become their role model. — A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Management is formal authority given from above. Leadership is moral authority given from below and all around. — Stephen Covey

Educationists should build the capacities of the spirit of inquiry, creativity, entrepreneurial and moral leadership among students and become their role model. — Abdul Kalam

Leadership consists not in degrees of technique but in traits of character; it requires moral rather than athletic or intellectual effort, and it imposes on both leader and follower alike the burdens of self-restraint. — Lewis H. Lapham

Consistency may be the hobgoblin of little minds, but law, morality and leadership demand it. Without consistency, there is privilege. — Paul Craig Roberts

You just do it one step at a time. — Marian Wright Edelman

The Court's great power is its ability to educate, to provide moral leadership. — William O. Douglas

Decide on what you think is right, and stick to it. — George Eliot

Integrity, a standard of personal morality and ethics, is not relative to the situation you happen to find yourself in and doesn't sell out to expediency. Its short supply is getting shorter - but without it, leadership is a facade. — Denis Waitley

I think America has a responsibility to maintain its leadership in technology and its moral leadership in the world, to explore, to seek knowledge. — Gene Cernan

In fact, the converse is true: At a time when the United States has been called on for a level of moral leadership, vision and inspiration not seen since World War II, we cannot afford to dissemble about crimes against humanity. — Adam Schiff

So [Vladimir] Putin is a mess. He's committed all sort of murderous thuggery, and I am opposed to the way Putin conducts himself in world affairs, and I hope that the president also wants to show moral leadership about this issue. — Benjamin E. Sasse

The Leadership Training Institute of America trains and equips young men and women to be leaders with high standards of personal morality and integrity. — Michael Burgess

Keep true, never be ashamed of doing right. — George Eliot

... the self respect of individuals ought to make them demand of their leaders conformity with an agreed-upon code of ethics and moral conduct. — Mary Barnett Gilson

We need leadership that can elevate religion and morality to their position of paramount importance and thus eliminate growing selfishness, immorality and materialism. — George W. Romney

The Leadership Training Institute of America trains and equips young men and women to be leaders with high standards of personal morality and integrity. — Michael C. Burgess

Ethics must begin at the top of an organization. It is a leadership issue and the chief executive must set the example. — Edward F. Hennessey

Widespread intellectual and moral docility may be convenient for leaders in the short term, but it is suicidal for nations in the long term. One of the criteria for national leadership should therefore be a talent for understanding, encouraging, and making constructive use of vigorous criticism. — Carl Sagan

Morality is a leadership quality which cannot be mechanized, mass-produced and marshaled at will by any institution. — Bryant H. McGill

From 4 to 6 percent of the presidential office is not in administration but in morals, politics, and spiritual leadership . He has to guide a people in the greatest adventure ever undertaken on the planet. — William Allen White

I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts. I'm not a member of any organized political party, I'm a Democrat! If we ever pass out as a great nation we ought to put on our tombstone 'America died from a delusion that she had moral leadership.' — Will Rogers

Under the leadership of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, the United States has given up the moral high ground that we used to occupy as an international leader. — Marty Meehan

The foundation of leadership is your own moral compass. I think the best quality leaders really know where their moral compass is. They get it out when they are making decisions. It's their guide. But not only do you have to have a moral compass and take it out of your pocket, it has to have a true north. — Les Wexner

I am a humanist because I think humanity can, with constant moral guidance, create reasonably decent societies. I think that young people who want to understand the world can profit from the works of Plato and Socrates, the behaviour of the three Thomases, Aquinas, More and Jefferson - the austere analyses of Immanuel Kant and the political leadership of Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt. — James A. Michener

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