34+ Growth Mindset Quotes for Leaders

New York Times Best-Selling author B.J. Fogg said, “We live in an aspiration-driven culture rooted in instant gratification. We find it difficult to enact or even accept incremental progress.”

In a quote, Fogg summarizes the challenge we all face in embracing a growth mindset: trying something new or a new approach to create personal and professional development isn’t a shortcut to reaching our aspiration but rather a commitment to ‘failing forward’.

It takes time to reach our destination, and many don’t have the patience to get there.

Recently, I wrote about the difference between a Growth Mindset and a Fixed Mindset, and I encourage you to read through this collection of growth mindset quotes to inspire your journey and encourage you to learn new beliefs about your situations and the potential to develop your abilities through dedication, hard work, and resilience. The best leaders are always evolving, and that requires a growth mindset.

“Your mindset determines your success.” – Unknown

Growth Mindset Quotes

Persistence and Overcoming Challenges

A mindset focused on continuous effort, a positive outlook and learning from setbacks.

1. “The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible.” – Charles Kingsleigh
2. “Success is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell
3. “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
4. “If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” – Frank A. Clark
5. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
6. “The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.” – Elbert Hubbard
7. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
8. “Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.” – Samuel Johnson
9. “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Confucius
10. “What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
11. “The mind is just like a muscle – the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets and the more it can expand.” – Idowu Koyenikan

Learning, Growth and Taking Initiative

A mindset focused on continuous improvement, innovation, and taking steps towards goals and aspirations.

1. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle
2. “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” – Nelson Mandela
3. “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” – Albert Einstein
4. “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Ryun
5. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison
6. “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein
7. “Don’t worry about failures. Worry about the chances you miss when you don’t even try.” – Jack Canfield
8. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe
9. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
10. “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker
11. “I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” – Stephen Covey
12. “Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.” – Peter Marshall
13. “Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.” – James Clear
14. “All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger. Roots entrench themselves and branches grow. The task of breaking a bad habit is like uprooting a powerful oak within us. And the task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time.” – James Clear

Reflection and Adaptability

A mindset that values learning from experiences and remaining flexible in the face of change.

1. “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
2. “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” – C.S. Lewis
3. “The road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same.” – Colin R. Davis
4. “Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden
5. “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
6. “You don’t have to be the victim of your environment. You can also be the architect of it.” – James Clear

Confidence, Positivity, and Self-Belief

Encouraging a positive self-image and resilience in pursuing goals.

1. “Having talent isn’t merely about being competent; confidence is actually a part of that talent.” — Katty Kay
2. “Confidence is the purity of action produced by a mind free of doubt.” — Katty Kay
3. “Fake it til you make it… Confidence isn’t about pretending or putting on an act; it springs from genuine accomplishment and work.” — Katty Kay
4. “Gaining confidence means getting outside your comfort zone, experiencing setbacks, and, with determination, picking yourself up again.” — Claire Shipman
5. “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar
6. “Habits are like financial capital – forming one today is an investment that will automatically give out returns for years to come.” – Shawn Achor
7. “Each tiny move toward a more positive mindset can send ripples of positivity through our organizations, our families, and our communities.” – Shawn Achor
8. “Happiness is not the belief that we don’t need to change; it is the realization that we can.” – Shawn Achor
9. “When our brains constantly scan for and focus on the positive, we profit from three of the most important tools available to us: happiness, gratitude, and optimism.” – Shawn Achor
10. “For me, happiness is the joy we feel striving after our potential.” — Shawn Achor
11. “Beating yourself up doesn’t make you stronger—it leaves you bruised. Being kind to yourself isn’t about ignoring your disappointments. We grow by embracing our shortcomings, not by punishing them.” — Adam M. Grant

A growth mindset creates an environment where curiosity and effort lead to continuous improvement. By adopting a growth mindset, leaders can inspire their teams to push beyond their limits, embrace learning from failures, and discover new levels of performance and collaboration.

 

Dave Campanella

David Campanella co-directs the Strategies for Growth practice at Lighthouse NINE in Toronto and joins forces with his L9 colleagues in the areas of Sales Force & Supply Chain Effectiveness, High-Performance Teams, Change Management, Organizational Design, as well as Leadership Development and Executive Coaching.During his 20+ years’ corporate experience, Dave energized commercial efforts by creating highly focused teams as CCO for Smooth Commerce (a SaaS company in the digital commerce and engagement space), VP of Sales at Mars Canada, RVP at Saputo, and also while at the Campbell Soup Company. As a Partner and consultant at Lighthouse NINE, he has been a trusted advisor and business strategist in numerous industries for firms such as ConAgra Brands, SC Johnson, Molson Coors, Smooth Commerce, SNDL, RSA Insurance, Shopper Intelligence, and LEO Pharma and CVRX Medical Devices.Dave is known for crafting effective Go-To-Market strategies by zeroing in on key challenges, envisioning success, and deploying talent to create signature systems that keep teams engaged, accountable, and on track with the company’s goals. He has an engaging enthusiasm to create High Performance Teams – marked by a clear focus on common goals, healthy communication and conflict, and an agility of action.At Lighthouse NINE, extraordinary relationships with clients are built on truly attentive service. Dave and his L9 colleagues stay directly engaged with their clients in all project phases – from initial assessment through to execution. Their unwavering focus is on delivering consistent, lasting results and blowing expectations out of the water.

More posts by the Dave