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Simon Sinek

Simon Sinek Quotes

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Simon Sinek (born October 9, 1973) is a British-American author, motivational speaker, and leadership consultant. He is best known for popularizing the 'Golden Circle' theory, which emphasizes starting with 'Why' to inspire action. His TED Talk 'How Great Leaders Inspire Action' is one of the most-viewed of all time. Sinek has authored bestsellers like 'Start with Why' and 'The Infinite Game', focusing on leadership, teamwork, and organizational culture. His work has influenced businesses and leaders worldwide.

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All People Leader Ifs Knows Giving Believe Company Helping Want World

Famous Simon Sinek Quotes

“More information is always better than less. When people know the reason things are happening, even if it's bad news, they can adjust their expectations and react accordingly. Keeping people in the dark only serves to stir negative emotions.”

People Ifs Knows Reason Dark Emotion Information News Happenings Expectations Negative Bad News Negative Emotions

Author:Simon Sinek

“The most effective leaders are actually better at guarding against danger when they acknowledge it that it exists. Cowards, in contrast, cling to the hope that failure will never happen and may be sloppy in the face of danger - not because they don't acknowledge that it exists, but because they are just too afraid of it to look it in the eye.”

Looks May Happens Eye Faces Leader Danger Acknowledge Coward Contrast Sloppy Guarding

Author:Simon Sinek

“We live in times of high stress. Messages that are simple, messages that are inspiring, messages that are life-affirming, are a welcome break from our real lives.”

Real Simple Break Messages Stress Real Life Welcome Affirming Life Affirming

Author:Simon Sinek

“A five minute call replaces the time it takes to read and reply to the original email and read and reply to their reply... or replies. And I no longer spend 20+ minutes crafting the perfect email - no need to.”

Needs Perfect Five Minutes Originals Email Five Minutes

Author:Simon Sinek

“Academic experts may not be good at doing what they are experts in themselves, but they are good at explaining the subject matter to others. They write books, teach courses and offer lessons and give steps others can follow.”

Giving Writing May Book Matter Courses Steps Teach Subjects Lessons Offers Be Good Experts Academic Explaining Subject Matter

Author:Simon Sinek

“Any parent who tells their kids that they can't attend a school play or go to a soccer match because they have to work is kidding themselves. It's OK to miss a game or two or a performance here and there, but it's not all right to miss the majority of them.”

Two Play Kids School Games Parent Missing Performances Majority Soccer Here And There School Plays

Author:Simon Sinek

“Entrepreneurs must be practical experts. They needn't set out to be subject matter experts in what they do; they must set out to solve a problem or pursue some cause or purpose greater than themselves.”

Matter Problem Purpose Causes Greater Subjects Entrepreneur Solve Practicals Pursue Experts Subject Matter

Author:Simon Sinek

“Entrepreneurs see the thing they want or need, then try to figure out a process of how to get it. People who shouldn't be entrepreneurs see the standard process they need to go through to get the thing they want or need then decide if they want to go through that process.”

People Ifs Want Needs Trying Process Figures Standards Entrepreneur

Author:Simon Sinek

“I couldn't understand why my productivity went down when I had deliberately made more time available to write. Then I realized it was because I wasn't flying as much.”

Writing Made Available Productivity I Realized Flying More Time

Author:Simon Sinek

“I like stories of the classic hero, of good versus evil, the ones in which the good guys wear white and the bad guys wear black... and I love a good sword fight.”

Stories Guy Fighting Evil Black White Hero Classic Versus Bad Guys Good Guy

Author:Simon Sinek

“I never imagined working with CEOs, congressmen or the military, yet I make regular visits to the Pentagon, stop by the Capitol now and then and sit down with leaders of all kinds of companies.”

Kind Company Leader Military All Kinds Now And Then Ceo Congressman Capitol Pentagon

Author:Simon Sinek

“If you hire people just because they can do a job, they'll work for your money, but if they believe what you believe, they'll work for you with blood and sweat and tears.”

People Ifs Believe Jobs Can Do Leadership Blood Tears Sweat Sweat And Tears Blood Sweat And Tears

Author:Simon Sinek

“If you look at the average age of a company on the Dow Jones index, it's something like 35 years or younger. In other words... success is no indication of longevity.”

Ifs Years Looks Age Company Average Longevity Indication Dow Jones

Author:Simon Sinek

“In the 1980s America reacted to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. We supported a war that left a nation torn to pieces. And as the last Soviet tank left the country, so did we.”

War Country Lasts America Left Nations Pieces Unions Afghanistan Soviet Torn Soviet Union Invasion Tanks

Author:Simon Sinek

“In the military, they give medals for people who are willing to sacrifice themselves so that others may survive. In business, we give bonuses to people who sacrifice others.”

People Giving May Sacrifice Military Willing Medal Bonus

Author:Simon Sinek

“In this age of omniconnectedness, words like 'network,' 'community' and even 'friends' no longer mean what they used to. Networks don't exist on LinkedIn. A community is not something that happens on a blog or on Twitter. And a friend is more than someone whose online status you check.”

Mean Happens Age Used Community Checks Online Blogs Linkedin

Author:Simon Sinek

“It is only from the people I've had the good fortune to meet that I am learning the lessons to guide me. Baz Luhrmann, director of 'Moulin Rouge,' for example, has a childlike curiosity about the world. He doesn't pretend to know all the answers - quite the opposite, in fact. He asks loads of questions of everyone.”

People Knows World Facts Asks Answers Example Lessons Directors Opposites Fortune Curiosity Guides Load Good Fortune Childlike Guide Me Rouge

Author:Simon Sinek

“It's important to slow down, every now and then, for no other reason than to call someone to say 'Hi.' It doesn't have to be a long conversation. Just calling out of the blue does more to let someone know you still care about them than nearly anything else.”

Knows Long Doe Stills Important Reason Care Calling Conversation Blue Now And Then Slow Down Long Conversations

Author:Simon Sinek

“Leave America and you'll find that the consumers in many other countries enjoy watching advertising. Not because the products are better, but because the ads are produced to be entertaining. Sometimes they are funny. Sometimes they are dramatic. Sometimes they are just beautiful.”

Country Sometimes America Beautiful Enjoy Products Advertising Consumers Dramatic Ads Entertaining Other Countries

Author:Simon Sinek

“Mergers are like marriages. They are the bringing together of two individuals. If you wouldn't marry someone for the 'operational efficiencies' they offer in the running of a household, then why would you combine two companies with unique cultures and identities for that reason?”

Ifs Two Reason Running Together Culture Individual Company Identity Offers Unique Household Efficiency Mergers

Author:Simon Sinek

“Multi-millionaires who pay half or less than half of the percentage of tax the rest of us pay justify their actions by saying they pay what the law requires. Though true, the fact is they found ways within the law to beat the purpose of the law - which, in the case of taxes, is that we all pay our fair share.”

Way Facts Action Law Purpose Found Pay Half Cases Share Taxes Beats Fairs Justify Percentages Millionaire Fair Share

Author:Simon Sinek

“My concern is that we live in an economy in which stabbing someone and waiting for them to complain before we remove the knife has become the normal way of doing business. When did we lose sight of the fact that it's not nice to stab people in the first place?”

People Way Firsts Facts Waiting Loses Economy Nice Normal Concern Sight Complaining Remove Knives Stabbing

Author:Simon Sinek

“My sister made certain choices about the life she wanted. Those choices include a steady job, a husband and children. But balance and stability come at a cost. It is harder for her to be spontaneous. It is harder to just up and leave.”

Children Made Wanted Jobs Certain Choices Balance Cost Husband Harder Stability My Sister Steady Spontaneous Be Spontaneous

Author:Simon Sinek

“No matter how many or how few people you have reporting to you, you must remember that as you climb higher in the ranks, your words will be taken as commands even if you're just thinking out loud.”

People Ifs Thinking Matter Remember Taken Higher Command Loud Climbs

Author:Simon Sinek

“Notoriously outspoken, his sentences always punctuated with profanities, General George S. Patton was the epitome of what a leader should be like - or so he thought. Patton believed a leader should look and act tough, so he cultivated his image and his personality to match his philosophy.”

Should Looks Philosophy Leader Personality Tough Sentences Profanity Outspoken Epitome

Author:Simon Sinek

“Offer someone the opportunity to rebuild a company or reinvent an industry as the primary incentive, and it will attract those drawn to the challenge first and the money second.”

Firsts Opportunity Challenges Company Industry Offers Primaries Incentives

Author:Simon Sinek

“One of the best paradoxes of leadership is a leader's need to be both stubborn and open-minded. A leader must insist on sticking to the vision and stay on course to the destination. But he must be open-minded during the process.”

Needs Courses Process Leader Vision Paradox Destination Stubborn Open Minded

Author:Simon Sinek

“Pilots have their names painted just beneath the canopy of their aircraft. This gives the pilot a sense of ownership for his or her jet. What's more, like cars, each aircraft has its own personality, so it's important for a pilot to get to know and love his aircraft.”

Knows Giving Important Names Car Personality And Love Pilots Ownership Jet Aircraft Canopy

Author:Simon Sinek

“Pilots, to a large degree, are like salesmen. They have to be confident to be good at their jobs. They have to practice relentlessly and plan out all the scenarios of the things that could happen when they're out there. Nothing is more important than preparation. They are also mighty competitive, both as individuals and as squadrons.”

Important Happens Jobs Individual Practice Plans Degrees Be Good Preparation Pilots Scenarios Salesman Be Confident

Author:Simon Sinek

“Starbucks was founded around the experience and the environment of their stores. Starbucks was about a space with comfortable chairs, lots of power outlets, tables and desks at which we could work and the option to spend as much time in their stores as we wanted without any pressure to buy. The coffee was incidental.”

Wanted Space Environment Comfortable Pressure Tables Stores Coffee Chairs Desks Outlets Starbucks

Author:Simon Sinek

“The ad industry thinks their clients are their customers. They think the companies who pay for the production are the ones they are supposed to serve. So the ads they produce make their clients happy... but infuriate the rest of us.”

Thinking Pay Company Produce Industry Productions Customers Ads Clients

Author:Simon Sinek

“The irony is, the advertising industry knows everyone hates what they produce. This is why they keep looking for new ways to force people to stay tuned.”

People Knows Way Hate Force Produce Industry Advertising Irony New Ways Advertising Industry

Author:Simon Sinek

“The only time I waste is time I spend doing something that, in my gut, I know I shouldn't. If I choose to spend time playing video games or sleeping in, then it's time well spent, because I chose to do it. I did it for a reason - to relax, to decompress or to feel good, and that was what I wanted to do.”

Ifs Knows Feels Wells Reason Wanted Games Sleep Waste Video Feel Good Guts Relax Only Time Spend Time Sleeping In Time Well Spent Playing Video Games

Author:Simon Sinek

“The U.S. Constitution protects our privacy from the prying eyes of government. It does not, however, protect us from the prying eyes of companies and corporations.”

Doe Government Eye Company Protect Constitution Corporations Privacy

Author:Simon Sinek

“The world is a bell curve. Classroom test scores, employee performance in a company or how many people really, really like you. No matter the population you're studying, they always fit neatly across the standard deviations of the famous bell curve.”

People World Matter Company Study Like You Fit Standards Tests Performances Population Employee Score Classroom Bells Curves Deviation Test Scores Really Like You

Author:Simon Sinek

“There are two kinds of experts: academic experts and practical experts. One is not better than the other, but they are very different, and each offers very different value.”

Kind Two Different Values Offers Practicals Experts Academic Different Values

Author:Simon Sinek

“To become an academic expert takes years of studying. Academic experts are experts in how and what others have done. They use case studies and observation to understand a subject.”

Years Done Use Cases Study Subjects Observation Experts Academic Case Studies

Author:Simon Sinek

“To operate based on conviction and belief requires an acceptance that your actions could get you fired. This is different from pig-headed bravado, and it is different from putting the company at risk.”

Different Action Belief Company Risk Acceptance Conviction Pigs Bravado

Author:Simon Sinek

“To spend more money, you have to have more money, but time is fixed and we all have the same amount to spare. How we choose to spend it can make a significant difference on the impact we have in our careers or in the world.”

World Differences Careers Amount Impact Significant Fixed More Money Spares

Author:Simon Sinek

“Wal-Mart's size and scale is so vast they literally have the ability to change the face of the entire country. If Wal-Mart were to make a decision tomorrow to refuse to sell a single product made with partially hydrogenated oils, for example, we'd probably see rates from heart disease decline a few years later. That's how powerful Wal-Mart is.”

Ifs Years Heart Made Country Faces Ability Decision Powerful Example Products Tomorrow Disease Sells Rate Size Refuse Oil Scales Decline Heart Disease Ability To Change

Author:Simon Sinek

“We can't all be good at everything. This is partly the logic behind having a team in the first place, so each role can be filled with the person best suited for that role and together, every job and every strength is covered.”

Firsts Persons Together Jobs Behinds Roles Team Logic Filled Be Good Covered

Author:Simon Sinek

“When I was a kid, I was a bit of a space geek. I loved the space program and all things NASA. I would read books about our solar system; I had pictures of the Space Shuttle on my bedroom wall. And yes, I even went to Space Camp.”

Book Kids Bits Space Wall Program All Things Camps Bedroom Geek Nasa Solar System Space Program Space Shuttle Bedroom Wall Shuttle Program

Author:Simon Sinek

“When I was in college, my school newspaper accepted an ad from a Holocaust revisionist organization. This would have been offensive on most college campuses across the country, but I went to a school with a very large Jewish population, so the ad, as you might expect, stirred absolute outrage.”

Has Beens Country Might School College Organization Absolutes Population Accepted Newspapers Ads Holocaust Offensive Outrage Campus College Campus

Author:Simon Sinek

“When we can communicate from the inside out, we're talking directly to the part of the brain that controls behavior, and then we allow people to rationalize it with the tangible things we say and do. This is where gut decisions come from.”

People Decision Brain Talking Behavior Communicate Guts Tangible Rationalize

Author:Simon Sinek

“You'll never see the president carry his own luggage, and why? Because even though we know he has luggage, it would reduce his stature if he was too much like us. We need to think of our leaders as being above us, even though they must still relate to us.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Needs Stills President Leader Too Much Relate Stature Luggage

Author:Simon Sinek

“A boss wants to pay for results, an employee wants recognition for effort. If a boss recognizes effort, they will get even better results.”

Ifs Want Results Effort Pay Recognition Employee Boss

Author:Simon Sinek

“People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it and what you do simply proves what you believe.”

People Life Believe Prove

Author:Simon Sinek

“A star wants to see himself rise to the top. A leader wants to see those around him rise to the top.”

Want Stars Leader

Author:Simon Sinek

“Don't freak yourself out by what other people have. They don't have what you've got.”

People Meaningful Freak Meaningful Work

Author:Simon Sinek

“Working hard for something we don't care about is called stress; working hard for somthing we love is called passion.”

Inspirational Hard Motivational Care Passion Love Is Stress Don't Care

Author:Simon Sinek

About the Author

Born: October 9, 1973
Known for: Author
Quotes: 554

Related Topics

People Leader Ifs Knows Giving Believe Company Helping Want World

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take ActionRelated source material

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don'tRelated source material

Leaders Eat Last Deluxe: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don'tRelated source material

The Infinite GameRelated source material

Together Is BetterRelated source material

Find Your Why / Start With Why / The 7 Habits of Highly Effective PeopleRelated source material

Start with WhyRelated source material

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