“When rewards come from an external source instead of an internal source, they’re unreliable, which means they’re dangerous if you grow to depend on them.”

“Unfortunately, there’s no law against being smart and living stupid, no matter how harmful it may be to you. You can unknowingly ricochet away from your deepest values because you’ve mistakenly come to believe you don’t deserve to live them—and spend much of your life sabotaging what you want most by aiming for just the opposite. This doesn’t mean your values haven’t always been your values. They’re driving you still and they’re waiting for you still. Toss them away as forcefully as you want, then duck: boomerang.”

“Leaders are people who know exactly who they are. They know exactly where they want to go. They’re hell-bent on getting there.”

“Human behavior is only unpredictable and dangerous if you don’t start from humanity in the first place.”

“Being relevant to your customers only when you’re trying to sell something means choosing to be irrelevant to them for the rest of the time.”

“Here’s what you need to know most about leadership: Lead your own life first. The only thing in this world that will dependably happen from the top down is the digging of your grave.”

“Instead of waiting for a leader you can believe in, try this: Become a leader you can believe in.”