Quotes by Colin Powell

Don't be buffaloed by experts and elites. Experts often possess more data than judgment.

Never neglect details. When everyone's mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant.

Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible.

Always be looking for ways to make your team more productive, more efficient, and more enthusiastic.

The freedom to be your best means nothing unless you are willing to do your best.

Surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard.

The healthiest competition occurs when average people win by putting above average effort.

If a leader doesn't convey passion and intensity, then there will be no passion and intensity within the organization, and they will start to fall down and get depressed.

Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.

You don't know what you can get away with until you try.

Don't take counsel of your fears or naysayers.

When we are debating an issue, loyalty means giving me your honest opinion, whether you think I'll like it or not.

The commander in the field is always right and the rear echelon is wrong, unless proved otherwise.

If you take the pay, earn it. Always do your very best. Even when no one is looking, you always are.

It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.

Don't let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.

The essence of leadership is getting others to want to follow you and to accept your direction.

Effective leaders are made, not born. They learn from trial and error, and from experience.

Don't be afraid to challenge the pros, even in their own backyard.

Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.

The people in the field are closest to the problem, and those people need to be heard and supported.

Keep looking below surface appearances. Don’t shrink from doing so just because you might not like what you find.

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

Never let your ego get so close to your position that when your position goes, your ego goes with it.

Don't bother people for help without first trying to solve the problem yourself.

The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them.

Get mad, then get over it.

The most important thing I learned is that soldiers watch what their leaders do. You can give them classes and lecture them forever, but it is your personal example they will follow.

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.

Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.

Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them.

It ain't as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.