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Powerful Quotes for your PowerPoint Presentations

07.24.20   •  #powerpointtips.

One of the most powerful ways to begin a presentation is to start by sharing a influential and morable quote that relates to the message of your talk. This can loosen up the beginning, consciously encourage important things while speaking or end the presentation with a meaningful conclusion and underline the main topic again.

This will bring liveliness and power to your presentation and create a more pleasant environment for your audience!

Quotes can be funny, inspirational, profound, successful, motivational, meaningless or basically everything! The most important thing is that they fit the today´s topic, correspond to the situation. This means, that they are appropriate and reinforce the actual theme.

If you are looking for great lines you can use in your PowerPoint or other presentations, you are perfectly right here! Read the following article to get inspired and to find a suitable citation you can use for your speech in school, work, business or anywhere and to leave an unforgettable impression on your presentation.

To save time, we have already created PowerPoint Templates below, which you can download for free!

According to time:

Quotes for Beginning

Quotes while presenting, quotes for ending.

According to category:

In case you need more specific citations, have a look at different sections of quotes:

Inspirational / Motivational

With quotations to open your presentation you can represent yourself in a great authentic and relaxed way. The audience gets an exciting insight into the upcoming topic and in the best case can relate with the citation and thus build a sympathetic bond to you as the presenter. And all this is achieved by just one simple sentence.

Powerful quotes to start your presentation

• "The secret of getting ahead is getting started." - Mark Twain
• "If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough." – Albert Einstein
• "Words may inspire but action creates change." – Simon Sinek
• "Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet." - Bob Marley
• "A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him." – David Brinkley
• "Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games." - Babe Ruth | Baseball Legend
• "Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning." - Bill Gates
• "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently." - Warren Buffett
• "The golden rule for every business man is this: Put yourself in your customer’s place." - Orison Swett Marden
• "You can't blame gravity for falling in love." - Albert Einstein

Using powerful citations while speaking makes your presentation much more exciting and memorable. A meaningful quotation gives your words much more power and emphasis and can additionally emphasize important things. Furthermore, if a listener hears a mentioned citation of your presentation one more time, he will most likely remember you.

Powerful quotes to reinforce essential topics

• "Some entrepreneurs think how can I make a lot of money? But a better way is to think how can I make people’s lives a lot better? If you get it right, the money will come." - Richard Branson
• "When Henry Ford made cheap, reliable cars people said, ‘Nah, what’s wrong with a horse?’ That was a huge bet he made, and it worked." - Elon Musk
• "Please think about your legacy, because you’re writing it every day." – Gary Vaynerchuck
• "Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid." - Albert Einstein
• "When you find an idea that you can’t stop thinking about, that’s probably a good one to pursue." – Josh James
• "Don’t worry about failure, you only have to be right once." – Drew Houston
• "You just have to pay attention to what people need and what has not been done." - Russel Simmmons
• "If people like you they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you they’ll do business with you." – Zig Ziglar
• "Don’t build links. Build relationships." – Rand Fishkin
• "There is no great genius without some touch of madness." – Seneca

With citations you have the opportunity to clarify the topic just dealt with in one sentence and it is highly recommended to use this chance. Your audience will remember the end best, as it is the shortest, so it should be well chosen and memorable. It should also match your personality as well as the theme and be catchy.

Powerful quotes to close your presentation

• "100 percent of the shots you don’t take, don’t go in." – Wayne Gretzky | Hockey Legend
• "When I’m old and dying. I plan to look back on my life and say ‘Wow, an adventure’ not, ‘Wow, I sure felt safe.’" – Tom Preston Werner
• "I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been." – Wayne Gretzy
• "It isn’t what we say or think that denies us, but what we do." – Jane Austen
• "Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be someone; get action." – Theodore Roosevelt
• "Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." – Barack Obama
• "You have to go wholeheartedly into anything in order to achieve anything worth having." – Frank Lloyd Wright
• "It always seems impossible until it’s done." – Nelson Mandela
• "I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work." – Thomas Edison
• "If you think you are too small to make an impact try going to bed with a mosquito in the room." - Ekaterina Walter

Best citations by category

• "Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value." - Albert Einstein
• "Stop chasing the money and start chasing the passion." - Tony Hsieh
• "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." - Walt Disney
• "Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." - Albert Einstein
• "He who only does what he can will always remain what he is." - Henry Ford

• "Success is like being pregnant, everybody congratulates you, but nobody knows how many times you got fucked." - Author unknown
• "If you want your children to listen, try talking softly to someone else." - Ann Landers
• "The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
• "Anger is a hot coal that you hold in your hand while waiting to throw it at someone else." - Buddha

• "Either you run the day or the day runs you." - Jim Rohn
• "It's the will not the skill." - Jim Tunney
• "Happiness is the real sense of fulfillment that comes from hard work." - Joseph Barbara
• "I have never done that before so I should definitely be able to do it!" - Pippi Longstocking
• "The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work." - Harry Golden

• "Paying attention to simple little things that most men neglect makes a few men rich." - Henry Ford
• "The prize for success is that it unlocks harder challenges with more at stake for next time." - Author unknown
• "The opposite to good design is always bad design. There is no such thing as no design." - Adam Judge

• "A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do." - Bob Dylan
• "The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what is one’s destiny to do, and then do it." - Henry Ford
• "If you want to be happy, be happy." - Leo Tolstoy
• "So far you have survived 100% of your worst days." - Author unknown
• "Great Lessons are only learned when the stakes are high." - Georgina Hobart

• "When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity." - John F. Kennedy
• "When in doubt, don't." - Benjamin Franklin
• "The higher we are placed, the more humbly we should walk." - Marcus Tullius Cicero
• "Easy choises, hard life. Hard choices easy life." - Jerzy Gregorek
• "What you begrudge others will be withheld from yourself." - Author unknown

Now you have 60 quotes you can incorporate into your presentation to stand out from the everyday, all-too-familiar phrases that everyone knows.

But remember: Under no circumstances should they be discriminatory, racist or offensive, so you need to make yourself known in advance through your audience.

Leave your personal impression and convince your audience with simple but incredibly strong lines!

Free PowerPoint Templates

In addition, we have already created some PowerPoint templates for you, which you can download for free. Simply replace the existing quotes or image if you want and adapt the slides to your presentation!

What are good quotes for starting a presentation?

By opening your presentation with a quote you can represent yourself in an authentic way. The audience gets an exciting insight into the upcoming topic and in the best case can relate with the quote and thus build a sympathetic bond to you as the presenter. And all this is achieved by just one simple sentence. Here is a list of good quotes to begin a presentation .

What are good quotes for ending a presentation?

With citations you have the opportunity to clarify the topic just dealt with in one sentence and it is highly recommended to use this chance. Your audience will remember the end best, so it should be well chosen and memorable. It should also match your personality as well as the theme and be catchy. Here is a list of good quotes to finish a presentation .

What are powerful quotes for a PowerPoint presentation?

One of the most powerful ways to begin a presentation is to start by sharing a influential and memorable quote that relates to the message of your talk. This can loosen up the beginning, consciously encourage important things while speaking or end the presentation with a meaningful conclusion and underline the main topic again. We have collected 60 powerful quotes for your PowerPoint presentation .

Related articles

About the author.

Philipp Angerer

Philipp is a creative supporter at SlideLizard in marketing and design. There he uses his imagination and provides creative freshness, also in blog articles.

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Vocal distractions.

In vocal distractions filler words like um, er, and you know are used during a pause.

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Resources | Storytelling | Strategy

50 powerful quotes to start your presentation.

Written by Kai Xin Koh

When was the last time you attended a conference where the speaker didn’t just say: “Oh hi, my name is XYZ and today, I’ll be speaking to you about Topic X”?

Great stories possess riveting narrative arcs that begin strong and end strong. We’ve written at length about some of the best ways to end your presentation , but how does one design a presentation to start without sounding too cliche?

One of the most powerful ways to begin a presentation is to start by sharing a powerful and memorable quote that relates to the message of your talk.

Powerful quotes have so much power on your presentation. Not only does it help reinforce your message, it also helps boost your credibility since it implied the quote is ‘agreeing’ with your statement.

Take this TED talk by Andrew Solomon for example. Notice how he skilfully uses a quote from a book by Emily Dickinson to set the stage for his numerous anecdotes regarding the topic on Depression in his presentation:

Hence, if you’re looking to follow suit and start your next presentation strong with a powerful quote, we’ve got you covered. Here, we compiled a list of 50 quotes that you can use to boost your next presentation.

50 Powerful Quotes To Start Your Presentation:

1)   “ The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” –  Mark Twain

2) “Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games.” –  Babe Ruth

3) “ If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” –  Albert Einstein

4) “ If you’re too comfortable, it’s time to move on. Terrified of what’s next? You’re on the right track.” –  Susan Fales Hill

5) “ Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” –  Bill Gates

6) “ You can’t look at the competition and say you’re going to do it better. You have to look at the competition and say you’re going to do it differently.” –  Steve Jobs

7) “ Make every detail perfect and limit the number of details to perfect.” –  Jack Dorsey

8) “ Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it.” –  Oprah Winfrey

9) “ Your smile is your logo, your personality is your business card, how you leave others feeling after an experience with you becomes your trademark.” –  Jay Danzie

10)  “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” –  Warren Buffett

11)  “Some entrepreneurs think how can I make a lot of money? But a better way is to think how can I make people’s lives a lot better? If you get it right, the money will come.” –  Richard Branson

12)  “When Henry Ford made cheap, reliable cars people said, ‘Nah, what’s wrong with a horse? ’ That was a huge bet he made, and it worked.” –  Elon Musk

13)  “There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed.” –  Ray Goforth

14)   “Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down.” –  Charles F. Kettering

15)  “People rarely buy what they need. They buy what they want.”   – Seth Godin

16)  “Please think about your legacy, because you’re writing it every day.”   – Gary Vaynerchuck

17)  “The golden rule for every business man is this: Put yourself in your customer’s place.” –  Orison Swett Marden

18)  “A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.”   –  David Brinkley

19)  “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid.”   –  Einstein

20)  “The problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat.”   –  Lilly Tomlin

21)  “ When you run a part of the relay and pass on the baton, there is no sense of unfinished business in your mind. There is just the sense of having done your part to the best of your ability. That is it. The hope is to pass on the baton to somebody who will run faster and run a better marathon.”   – N. R. Narayana Murthy

22)  “Whatever you’re thinking, think bigger.” – Tony Hsieh

23)  “When you find an idea that you can’t stop thinking about, that’s probably a good one to pursue.”   – Josh James

24)  “What would you do if you’re not afraid?” –  Sheryl Sandberg

25)  “Don’t worry about failure, you only have to be right once.”   – Drew Houston

26)  “When I’m old and dying. I plan to look back on my life and say ‘Wow, an adventure’ not, ‘Wow, I sure felt safe’” – Tom Preston Werner

27)  “80% of your sales comes from 20% of your clients.”   – Vilfredo Pareto

28)  “You just have to pay attention to what people need and what has not been done.”   – Russell Simmons

29)  “We are really competing against ourselves, we have no control over how other people perform.”   – Pete Cashmore

30)  “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”   – Wayne Gretzy

31)  “Always remember, your focus determines your reality.”   – George Lucas

32)  “If people like you they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you they’ll do business with you.”   – Zig Ziglar

33)  “Words may inspire but action creates change.”   – Simon Sinek

34)  “It isn’t what we say or think that denies us, but what we do.”   – Jane Austen

35)  “Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be someone; get action.”   – Theodore Roosevelt

36)  “There is only one boss. The customer.” – Sam Walton

37)  “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – Barack Obama

38)  “You have to go wholeheartedly into anything in order to achieve anything worth having.” –  Frank Lloyd Wright

39)  “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela

40)  “Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.” – Bob Marley

41)  “There is no great genius without some touch of madness.”    – Seneca

42)  “If you think you are too small to make an impact try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.” – Ekaterina Walter

43)   “If you just work on stuff that you like and you’re passionate about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play out.” – Mark Zuckerberg

44)   “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” –  Thomas Edison

45)  “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”  – Abraham Lincoln

46)  “Don’t build links. Build relationships.”   – Rand Fishkin

47)   “100 percent of the shots you don’t take, don’t go in.”   –  Wayne Gretzky, Hockey Legend

48)  “If you’ve got an idea, start today. There’s no better time than now to get going. That doesn’t mean quit your job and jump into your idea 100 percent from day one, but there’s always small progress that can be made to start the movement.” – Kevin Systrom, Founder of Instagram

49)   “Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.”   –  Jack Welch, Former CEO of GE

50)    “You must be very patient, very persistent. The world isn’t going to shower gold coins on you just because you have a good idea. You’re going to have to work like crazy to bring that idea to the attention of people. They’re not going to buy it unless they know about it.”  –   Herb Kelleher, Founder of Southwest Airlines.

There you have it!

Phew! – now you have an additional 50 powerful quotes that you can add in your presentation arsenal. Leave an unforgettable impression on your presentation with these quotes starting today!

Comment down your favourite quote. And let us know if you have any that we didn’t add to the list!

Article Written By: Kai Xin Koh

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50 quotes to enhance your presentations

• Written by: Shay O’Donnell
• Categories: Sales presentations , Visual communication
• Comments: 6

Whether you’re looking to inspire your audience, need a strong presentation starter, or want a concise soundbite to end your presentation with, using a quote in your presentation can be a great way to support your slides’ story and enhance your presentation’s flow. Presentation quotes give you – as the presenter – a moment to breathe, while the audience is reading the slide ( a reminder of why you shouldn’t be reading your quotes aloud is here ). They enable your audience to quickly and concisely understand your presentation’s key message, and give you an extra boost of credibility to boot.

The struggle comes when you have to find presentation quotes that fit your story, come from a reputable source, and have an attribution to get you through legal and compliance checks. But worry not: BrightCarbon have done the hard work for you!

We have compiled 50 presentation quotes and categorized them into 10 themes so that you can easily find a quote that resonates with your message, be it in a sales presentation, keynote speech, or training deck. All the quotes include references and attributions, so that you can sail through compliance and get on with creating a stunning presentation!

Pop this in your bookmarks tab (you’ll thank us later!), then dig in and find the perfect presentation quotes below:

Innovation quotes for presentations

• “Innovation, as I understand it, is both about doing different things as well as doing things differently.” Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Biotech Entrepreneur From an interview with Dr. Bhavana Weidman on nature.com (January 04, 2014)
• “Innovation is more than having new ideas: it includes the process of successfully introducing them or making things happen in a new way. It turns ideas into useful, practicable and commercial products or services.” John Adair, Writer on Business Leadership. Effective Innovation (2009), Revised Edition ch. 11
• “Every new thing creates two new questions and two new opportunities.” Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon From ‘The electricity metaphor for the web’s future’, presented at TED2003 (February 2003)
• “Innovation is fostered by information gathered from new connections; from insights gained by journeys into other disciplines or places; from active, collegial networks and fluid, open boundaries. “Innovation arises from ongoing circles of exchange, where information is not just accumulated or stored, but created. Knowledge is generated anew from connections that weren’t there before.” Meg Wheatley, Author and Management Consultant Leadership and the New Science (2001)
• “We are all looking for the magic formula. Well, here you go: Creativity + Iterative Development = Innovation.” James Dyson, Founder of Dyson ‘James Dyson on Innovation’,  Ingenia , Issue 24 (September 2005)

Design quotes for presentations

• “Good design begins with honesty, asks tough questions, comes from collaboration and from trusting your intuition.” Freeman Thomas, Automobile and Industrial Designer Reviving Professional Learning Communities: Strength Through Diversity, Conflict, Teamwork, and Structure (2012) p. 63
• “The urge for good design is the same as the urge to go on living. The assumption is that somewhere, hidden, is a better way of doing things.” Harry Bertoia, Artist and Designer As quoted in 1000 Chairs , Carlotte and Peter Fiell (2005) p. 66
• “People think it’s this veneer — that the designers are handed this box and told, ‘Make it look good!’ That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” Steve Jobs, Chairman and CEO of Apple Inc. As quoted in ‘The Guts of a New Machine’, Rob Walker, The New York Times Magazine (November 30, 2003)
• “Design is redesign.” Jan Michl, Professor Emeritus, Phdr. History and Theories of Design ‘On seeing design as redesign’,  Scandinavian Journal of Design History , Issue 12 (2002) p. 7-23
• “Design is not about products, design is about relationships.” Hella Jongerius, Industrial Designer ‘Beyond the New: a search for ideals in design’, a manifesto by Hella Jongerius and Louise Schouwenberg (2015) 

Education and learning quotes for presentations

• “We are now at a point where we must educate our children in what no one knew yesterday, and prepare our schools for what no one knows yet.” Margaret Mead, Anthropologist and Author As quoted in How They Work In Indiana : Business-Education Partnerships , Andrew L. Zehner (1994)
• “The most important thing any teacher has to learn, not to be learned in any school of education I ever heard of, can be expressed in seven words: Learning is not the product of teaching. Learning is the product of the activity of learners.” John Holt, Author and Educator Growing Without Schooling , Issue   40 (1984)
• “True education means fostering the ability to be interested in something.” Sumio Iijima, Physicist ‘About myself, To the younger generation’,  Innovative Engine  (September 25, 2007)
• “If you think education is expensive — try ignorance.” ‘Ask Ann Landers’ Syndicated Advice Column (October 4, 1975)
• “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” Plutarch, Greek Historian, Biographer, and Essayist On Listening to Lectures

Success quotes for presentations

• “Success is fucking up on your own terms.” Guillermo del Toro, Director and Producer From Portland Mercury Q&A (September 29, 2010)
• “We cannot say what brings us success. We can only pin down what blocks or obliterates success. Eliminate the downside, the thinking errors, and the upside will take care of itself. This is all we need to know.” Rolf Dobelli, Author and Businessman The Art of Thinking Clearly (2013)
• “The secret to success is the willingness to serve without aspiring for rewards.” Cham Joof, Gambian Historian Gambia, Land of our heritage,  p IV
• “Failure and success are not episodes, they are trajectories. They are tendencies, directions, pathways. Each decision, each time at bat, each tennis serve, each business quarter, each school year seems like a new event, but the next performance is shaped by what happened last time out, unless something breaks the streak. The meaning of any particular event is shaped by what’s come before.” Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Author and Management Consultant Confidence (2006)
• “Success is more than a good idea. It is timing.” Anita Roddick, Founder of The Body Shop From an interview on bookbrowse.com

Creativity quotes for presentations

• “Relaxed, playful and harmonious moments are the birth place of creativity.” Amit Ray, Author and Spiritual Master Meditation: Insights and Inspiration (2010) p. 58
• “Originality is going back to the origin and finding an empty chair. Would you gladly sit on it? No thank you. It is empty for a reason. That’s where my ass was. Not where my head is now.” Giannina Braschi, Puerto Rican Poet, Novelist, and Essayist World Literature Today (2012)
• “Creativity isn’t about the advantage or disadvantage of a specific time or culture. Creativity is something that comes internally from a human being having a genuine mistrust of rules. And that may be the constant. It’s almost like there’s some rebellion in it.” Paula Scher, Graphic Designer From an interview conducted by Neal Shaffer (2006)
• “Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple of them and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” John Steinbeck, Author Conversations with John Steinbeck , ed. Thomas Fensch (1988)
• “Creativity arises out of the tension between spontaneity and limitations, the latter (like the river banks) forcing the spontaneity into the various forms which are essential to the work of art or poem.” Rollo May, Psychologist and Author The Courage to Create (1975) p. 115

Teamwork and collaboration quotes for presentations

• “In organizations, real power and energy is generated through relationships. The patterns of relationships and the capacities to form them are more important than tasks, functions, roles, and positions.” Margaret Wheatley, Management Consultant As quoted in 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself , Steve Chandler (2004) p. 123
• “Life is not a solo act. It’s a huge collaboration.” Tim Gunn, Fashion Consultant and Author ‘Postings | Recent Entries From Our Blogs’, Tara Parker-Pope, The New York Times (December 21, 2010)
• “Collaboration is important not just because it’s a better way to learn. The spirit of collaboration is penetrating every institution and all of our lives. So learning to collaborate is part of equipping yourself for effectiveness, problem solving, innovation and life-long learning in an ever-changing networked economy.” Don Tapscott, Business Executive and Consultant ‘The spirit of collaboration is touching all of our lives’, The Globe and Mail (June 7, 2013)
• “As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people’s ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” Amy Poehler, Actress, Comedian, Director and Producer From The Joy of Success: What It Means to Transform Success Into Excellence,  Tochukwu O. Okafor MPA (2013) p. 53
• “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” Michael Jordan, Basketball Hall of Fame Player and Businessman As quoted in The Victory Letters : Inspiration for the Human Race , Cheri Ruskus (2003) p. 68.

Knowledge quotes for presentations

• “While knowledge is increasingly being viewed as a commodity or intellectual asset, there are some paradoxical characteristics of knowledge that are radically different from other valuable commodities. These knowledge characteristics include the following: Using knowledge does not consume it. Transferring knowledge does not result in losing it. Knowledge is abundant, but the ability to use it is scarce. Much of an organization’s valuable knowledge walks out the door at the end of the day.” Kimiz Dalkir, Director at McGill School of Information Studies Knowledge Management in Theory and Practice, 2nd ed . (2011)
• “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” Carl Sagan, Astronomer and Popular Science Writer From That’s Weird!: Awesome Science Mysteries , Kendall F. Haven (2001)
• “Investing in people is the single most important thing in the knowledge economy. Traditionally, wealth was defined by land and natural resources. Today the most important resources is between our ears.” Barack Obama Remarks by President Obama at Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Town Hall, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (April 27, 2014)
• “You can’t manage knowledge – nobody can. What you can do is to manage the environment in which knowledge can be created, discovered, captured, shared, distilled, validated, transferred, adopted, adapted and applied.” Chris Collison and Geoff Parcell Learning to Fly – Practical Knowledge Management from Leading and Learning Organizations (2005) p. 24-25
• “The Information Age offers much to mankind, and I would like to think that we will rise to the challenges it presents. But it is vital to remember that information — in the sense of raw data — is not knowledge, that knowledge is not wisdom, and that wisdom is not foresight. But information is the first essential step to all of these.” Arthur C. Clarke, Science Fiction Writer, Inventor, Futurist As quoted in ‘Humanity will survive information deluge — Sir Arthur C Clarke’, OneWorld South Asia (December 5, 2003)

Leadership quotes for presentations

• “Successful people become great leaders when they learn to shift the focus from themselves to others.” Marshall Goldsmith, Leadership Coach What Got You Here Won’t Get You There (2010) p. 72
• “Ultimately a genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus.” Martin Luther King, Jr. From an address at the Episcopal National Cathedral, Washington D.C. (March 31, 1968)
• “You can’t lead from behind your desk, you’ve got to get out in front, be visible, for your customers as well as for your employees. During a crisis, you’ve got to be calm and confident. You’ve got to always tell the truth. And you’ve got to be willing to face a crisis, not shy away from it, embrace it.” Geisha Williams, Fortune 500 Businesswoman ‘Geisha Williams: Set Your Sights High, Take Charge and Keep the Lights On’, Leadership California , Carol Caley (February 17, 2014)
• “Courage is the main quality of leadership, in my opinion, no matter where it is exercised. Usually it implies some risk — especially in new undertakings. Courage to initiate something and to keep it going, pioneering and adventurous spirit to blaze new ways, often, in our land of opportunity.” Walt Disney As quoted in The Disney Way Fieldbook,  Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson (2000) p. 147
• “Embrace what you don’t know. What you don’t know can become your greatest asset. It ensures that you will absolutely be doing things different from everyone else.” Sarah Blakely, Founder of Spanx ’10 Lessons I Learned from Sara Blakely That You Won’t Hear in Business School,’ Forbes , Kathy Caprino (May 23, 2012)

Mistakes and failure quotes for presentations

• “We tell our young managers: ‘Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. But make sure you don’t make the same mistake twice’” Akio Morita, Co-Founder of Sony Corporation As quoted in The Sony Vision , Nick Lyons (1976) p. 101
• “There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.” Oprah Winfrey Commencement address at Harvard University (30 May 2013)
• “Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” Suzy Kassem, Author Rise Up And Salute The Sun (2010)
• “Don’t put limitations on yourself. Other people will do that for you. Don’t do that to yourself. Don’t bet against yourself. And take risk. NASA has this phrase that they like, “Failure is not an option.” But failure has to be an option. In art and exploration, failure has to be an option. Because it is a leap of faith. And no important endeavor that required innovation was done without risk. You have to be willing to take those risks. … In whatever you are doing, failure is an option. But fear is not.” James Cameron, Film Director From ‘Before Avatar … a curious boy’, presented at TED2010 (February 13, 2010)
• “I view this year’s failure as next year’s opportunity to try it again. Failures are not something to be avoided. You want to have them happen as quickly as you can so you can make progress rapidly.” Gordon Moore, Engineer and Co-Founder of Intel Corporation ‘An Interview with Gordon Moore’, Ingenuity 5 (2), Laura Schmitt (May 2000)

Planning and strategy quotes for presentations

• “Chance favours the prepared mind.” Louis Pasteur, Microbiologist, Chemist and Inventor Lecture, University of Lille (December 7, 1854)
• “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do. ” Michael Porter, Economist, Researcher, Author ‘What is strategy?’ Harvard Business Review  (November 1996) p. 70
• “Business strategy is the battleplan for a better future.” Patrick Dixon, Author and Business Consultant Building a Better Business (2005)
• “Managers who extensively plan the future get the timing wrong. Sometimes they arrive to market too early and so must wait for the demand to catch up. Sometimes they are too late and so must accelerate to rejoin the future.” Shona L. Brown and Kathleen M. Eisenhardt Competing on the Edge: Strategy as Structured Chaos (1998) p.135
• “Strategy is about stretching limited resources to fit ambitious aspirations.” K. Prahalad, Organizational Theorist As quoted in The Wal-Mart Way , Don Soderquist (2005) p. 178

We hope you found what you needed from our list of presentation quotes! If you’re about to paste that quote onto your deck, but want to know how to format it to perfection, check out our guide to advanced typography in PowerPoint .

Have an idea for a quote we should add to the list? Is there a key theme you want some presentation quotes for? Let us know in the comments below!

Shay O’Donnell

Managing design consultant, related articles, making accessible elearning content.

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Thanks for this post.It’s a helpful quotes for enhance slides.

Glad it was useful Amit! Thank you for your feedback.

it helped me a lot… thanks!

Amazing Quotes. Really Good. These quotes help me making my presentation perfect Thanks & Regard vinita

Thanks for this post

thanks for information

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45 Best Motivational Quotes For Work: Perfect For Presentations & Slide Decks

Focus, determination, and focus. How do you inspire your team? These quotes can help with motivation they need. Great for presentations, slide decks, corporate retreats, or reflection in your next team meeting.

Looking for even more quotations? Try these quotes on productivity and teamwork !

•  “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” – Woody Allen, American film director
•  “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act. But a habit.” –  Aristotle, Greek philosopher
•  “If you are not where you want to be, do not quit, Instead reinvent yourself and change your habits.” – Eric Thomas, American motivational speaker
•  “Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” – Henry Ford, American industrialist
•  “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” – Henry Ford, American industrialist
•  “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu, ancient Chinese philosopher
•  “Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” – Meister Eckhart, German theologian
•  “Abandon anything about your life and habits that might be holding you back. Learn to create your own opportunities.” – Sophia Amoruso, American businesswoman
•  “Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken..” – Warren Buffett, American business magnate
•  “You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” – John C. Maxwell, American author
•  “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe, American tennis player
•  “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.”   – Mark Twain, American author
•  “You can have results or excuses. Not both.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austrian-American actor
•  “There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.” – Alan Cohen, author
•  “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou, American poet
•  “Simplicity boils down to two steps: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest.” – Leo Babauta, author
• “What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.” – Tim Ferriss, American entrepreneur
• “You have the power on your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor
•  “Work harder on you than everyone else and you will become unusually successful.” – Dani Johnson, Businesswomen
• “Self-esteem comes from achieving something important when it’s hard to do.” – Clayton M. Christensen, American business consultant
•  “Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe, American author
•  “Only those who attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible.” – Miguel De Unamuno, Spanish essayist
•  “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend first four sharpening the axe. “ – Abraham Lincoln, 16th president
•  “What better place than here, what better time than now.” – Tony Robbins, American author
•  “Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without” – Confucius, Chinese philosopher
•  “Either you run the day or the day runs you.” – Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur
•  “Don’t wish it were easier. Wish you were better.” – Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur
•  “I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” – Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president
•  “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison, American inventor
•  “You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction.” – George Lorimer, American journalist
•  “Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd president
•  “The future depends on what you do today.” – Mahatma Gandhi, Indian activist
•  “If we have the attitude that it’s going to be a great day it usually is.” – Catherine Pulsifier, Author
•  “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” – John D. Rockefeller, American business magnate
•  “If something is important enough, even if the odds are stacked against you, you should still do it.” – Elon Musk, business magnate
•  “If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on.” – Sheryl Sandberg, American business executive
• “Leaders can let you fail and yet not let you be a failure.” – Stanley McChrystal, retired United States Army general
•  “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together” – Vincent Van Gogh, Dutch post-impressionist painter
•  “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” – Michael Jordan, American basketball player
•  “It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” – Lou Holtz, former American football player
•  "Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change." – Stephen Hawking, English theoretical physicist
•  "If something is wrong, fix it now. But train yourself not to worry, worry fixes nothing. " – Ernest Hemingway, American novelist
•  "Everything should be made as simple as possible but not simpler." – Albert Einstein, Theoretical physicist
• "Innovation distinguishes from a leader and a follower." – Steve Jobs, American business magnate
• “Tough times never last, but tough people do.“ – Robert Schuller, motivational speaker

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Ace the Presentation

55 Powerful and Inspiring Quotes to Start Your Presentation

Have you ever stopped to think about the best strategies to start a presentation and gain the audience’s attention or interlocutor? Did you know that using motivational phrases to create a presentation is a great alternative?

It doesn’t matter if you’re a student and you’re presenting a paper, or if you’re a renowned speaker. Knowing how to speak well in public implies several factors, and at any moment of your speech is a crucial moment to ensure that the presentation is successful.

According to businessman and filmmaker Peter Davies,

“Motivation is like food for the brain; you can’t have enough at a meal. Motivation needs continuous and regular recharges to nurture deep and transform a human being into a winner.”

Among the techniques you can and should use, the citation should undoubtedly be among the main in your list.

A relevant quote, which is aligned with the theme of its presentation, tied to the purpose and objective, creates a strong connection with the audience, often arousing interest and attention.

An unforgettable introduction is the first step in starting a presentation or speech. Often, we are focused only on the content presented, completely forgetting that, for the public to pay attention, it is necessary to arrest them from the beginning.

5 Best Techniques to start a Presentation or Speech

• Quote someone else

Opening your presentation with a relevant quote can help set the whole tone for the rest of your speech. However, when making the quote, you need to remember two essential things: a) Quote the source of the sentence and b) “Tie it” to the central theme of the presentation.

However, an important point to consider when speaking in public: Citations will depend on the style of the audience, and the moment the presenter lives. Do not push too hard or adopt a tone of voice or language that does not suit the public.

• Don’t be afraid to use humor.

A touch of humor is a great way to break the ice with the audience, relieve tension and connect with everyone. As the example given above quote, the key to success is making the joke related to the topic being discussed.

If this tip is not your style, you can address the other information in this article.

During the presentation, telling a story is another very clever way to start a speech.  After all, stories compellingly connect people.

But, as in the case of jokes, your story needs to bridge or contain a message that can link the introduction to the presentation

‘s content.

An excellent way to use storytelling is by using an “imaginary” scenario, but that is your life story; this will leave the participants interested and can identify better with you.

• Be bold and use a striking phrase.

This technique consists of giving a brief thought-provoking statement, which will set the tone of the presentation theme, especially if this is said with a strong voice, which draws attention and leaves the group ready to hear what’s next.

Therefore, when you start the speech, you can speak a bold and striking phrase and use the silence technique later, increasing the effect of the phrase.

In this sense, an example of an excellent way to catch the public’s attention is to say the sentence and pause, up to 10 seconds. 

This plan will make the audience anxious and attentive.

• Cite notable statistics

Using surprising statistics will show the public an immediate value in their knowledge, leaving them more interested throughout their presentation. 

It also helps stimulate the audience’s thoughts; this technique works very well when the facts reported are not common knowledge but are nevertheless relevant and stimulating.

Please make sure to be brief in the opening statement, so your opening won’t get too many easy-to-forget details.

1. “Success is most often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.” Coco Chanel

We are often afraid to start a project no matter how much we have ideas that are outside the box, and when compared to other people, we thought that this would not be successful. 

This phrase from Coco Chanel helps us understand that to be successful, and we need to subject ourselves to error sometimes.

2.  “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt

We have here a phrase from one of the strong women of history known as the defender of human rights unless we identify ourselves with what people think of us; none has power over what we are and want to be.

3. “Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.” Oprah Winfrey

With the illustrious phrase of another inspiring woman Oprah Winfrey, it became clear how error always has a positive side; getting it right is not always what we need from error comes the improvement of an idea that can continuously be improved.

4. “The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what is one’s destiny to do, and then do it.” Henry Ford

If we discover what makes us happy, we can always succeed because happiness is the path of inspiration that leads us to unimaginable ways.

5. “A belief is only a thought you keep thinking.” Abraham Hicks

Beliefs are socialized since we were born, depending on the socio-cultural context and the people around us. Anything is possible if you think so.

6. If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Maya Angelou

Often we can criticize something or behavior when we think we can do better; Angelou encourages us to get up and do it. If we still can’t change, maybe we have to change our attitude towards the situation that bothers us.

7. If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way. Napoleon Hill

Sometimes we think that success comes from great attitudes, and from thinking so much about an idea that surpasses all the others, we stand by and do nothing. Napoleon Hill encourages us to start step-by-step and what matters here is how we make it small or big.

8. Innovation, as I understand it, is both about doing different things as well as doing things differently.” Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

Sometimes we need to get out of our comfort zone, and for that, we need not only to experience things we’ve never done before, but the way can also lead us to new paths.

9. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.” Steve Jobs

When we choose the course we want to take in college, we often choose a course that our parents choose, and that doesn’t make us happy, which we shouldn’t do because we are supposed to live for ourselves and our happiness.

10. “Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.” Margaret Mead

Every human being is unique in its way, and our particular way of being cannot be compared to any other. Hence we need not be afraid when we do something new, even if someone else has already done it.

Have you ever stopped to think about the best strategies to start a presentation and gain the audience’s attention or interlocutor? Did you know that using motivational phrases to create a presentation is a great alternative? It doesn’t matter if you’re a student and you’re presenting a paper, or if you’re a renowned speaker. Knowing…

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5 QUICK TIPS ON HOW TO GIVE AN EFFECTIVE MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH

This post is part 3 of a series of posts that where we will be sharing with you quick tips on how to deliver all types of speech that we mentioned in our most-read post on this blog, 10 Types of Speeches. Instead of just telling you that there is a motivational speech or an…

26 Motivational and Inspirational Quotes on Life, Success, and Positive Thinking to Make Your Day

If you came here looking for short, but powerful motivational and inspirational quotes that will lift you up when you are feeling discouraged, or share a pearl of wisdom and help you achieve success in your endeavors, then you have come to the right place. Motivational and Inspirational Quotes have a great effect on us….

11. “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” Robert Louis Stevenson

This means that sometimes we will have bad days and things will be difficult, but this does not mean that we will not have good days, so we must always be kind and cheerful.

12. “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

It’s much easier to follow the path that many people have taken may seem safer. Yet, here Emerson suggests that choosing a direction is knowledge, adventure, or whatever it is we decided to learn new things and share with other people that would be the trail.

13. “People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.” Edmund Hillary

People aren’t born brilliant. They make decisions and make choices that push outside the box and are exceptional.

14. “Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Don’t bother to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” William Faulkner

Faulkner encourages us to be our competence, neither that of descendants or ascenders nor anyone but ourselves. Hold your hand and go hard.

15. “Designing a presentation without an audience in mind is like writing a love letter and addressing it ‘to whom it may concern.” Ken Haemer

You have got to prepare yourself for whichever situations or people you’re going to come across in different environments and conditions so that you don’t do things that don’t make sense.

16. Some people feel the rain. Others get wet.” Bob Marley

We can interpret this Bob Marley phrase as when faced with a chaotic situation, some people will despair, and others will calm down, focus, and look at the problem as an opportunity. Who the hell are you?

17. “When I’m old and dying. I plan to look back on my life and say ‘Wow, an adventure’ not, ‘Wow, I sure felt safe.’” Tom Preston Werner

Werner means to live your life without fears and live your life intensely because you never know how it will be tomorrow.

18. Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take place wherever you are and be someone; get action.” Theodore Roosevelt

Roosevelt encourages us to get better lives by doing something, turning into reality our dreams by consistently taking action.

19. “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” Barack Obama

It’s for no one but ourselves that we need to improve or reinvent ourselves.

20. You have to go wholeheartedly into anything to achieve anything worth having.” Frank Lloyd Wright

Wright tells us that following our heart is the best way to reach out to more incredible things in life; anything we put, our real feelings and natural energy will glow.

21. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Nelson Mandela

With this simple phrase, Mandela brings us a crucial message to live an extraordinary life; when we start by somewhere and are not there yet, it seems unreachable but never is if we don’t give up trying.

22. “There are only two days of the year when you can do nothing: one is called yesterday and the other tomorrow” Dalai Lama

Don’t leave for tomorrow what you can do today; live each day as if it were your last.

23. “In the end, everything works out, and if it didn’t work, it’s because it hasn’t come to an end” Fernando Sabino

What Sabino means is you have to be patient because someday, our time to shine will come.

24. “The pessimist sees difficulty at every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity at every difficulty” Winston Churchill

When we sync our minds to positive thinking, anything we face is reachable, and we get things done because everything turns into an opportunity to learn and grow.

26. “You have to be a protagonist. You can’t just listen to the band play, and you have to be part of the band” Sonia Hess

In life, we face many situations that we work and live with people, but we don’t need to be ordinary because we are not; we have to show and give our best in anything we do.

27. Our failures are sometimes more fruitful than our successes” Henry Ford

With mistakes, we learn, we improve, and one day we reach perfection.

28. “Change your mind and change your world” Norman Vincent Peale

If we have an open mind, we will find that our way of thinking is not always the right one, and when we change our review, we will be able to put it into practice in our lives.

29. “One day you must stop dreaming, take the plans out of the drawer and somehow start” Amyr Klink

Klink encourages us to materialize any ideas or dreams we may have and not spend days only daydreaming about them.

30. “The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change, simply by changing his attitude” Oprah Winfrey

Sometimes the attitude we face in certain realities is the ones that prevent us from enjoying more extraordinary things in life. So you may want to think about some philosophy or way of thinking that you could use a change.

31. “Keep in mind that your desire to achieve success is more important than anything” Abraham Lincoln

What Lincoln means is that we must work hard to achieve our goals and put them as priorities in life if we want to achieve them.

32. “Be content to act. Leave the speech to others” Baltasar Gracián

This means to live your life no matter what other people think; if you are happy with it, be gentle with yourself.

33. “To achieve success, you need to accept all the challenges that lie ahead of you. You can’t just accept the ones you prefer” Mike Gafka

Gafka means that Challenges turn us better if we submit to the lesson they have to teach us.

34. “A successful warrior is an average man, but with a sharp focus like a laser beam” Bruce Lee

Lee means that even though a warrior is seen with prestige, he is a regular man. Still, the difference between them and what he is, is how he put attention to what he wants, and we can compare that analogy with daily situations such us when we see some people more successful than others.

35. “Logic can lead from point A to point B. Imagination can lead anywhere” Albert Einstein

Things go far beyond what they seem to be, don’t focus on the obvious, and also see subtexts.

36. “The task is not so much to see what no one has seen, but to think what no one has thought about what everyone sees.” Arthur Schopenhauer

Schopenhauer gives us a lesson about creativity; most of the time, we look for new ideas that no one ever thought about; however, imagination can recreate helpfully something that already exists.

37. “It is much better to set out in search of great conquests, even exposing oneself to failure, than to align oneself with the poor in spirit, who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a grey gloom, where they know neither victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt

Living adventurously and risky is much more satisfying and rewarding than having a monotonous and safe life.

38. “What we predict rarely occurs; what we least expect usually happens.” Benjamin Disraeli

This means always to expect the unexpected.

39. “Unless we change our way of thinking, we will not be able to solve the problems caused by the way we get used to seeing the world.” Albert Einstein

Einstein encourages us to see situations more dynamically because we socialized in a certain way with ease; our thoughts can become a cycle of ignorance.

40. “Persistence is the least path to success.” Charles Chaplin

Chaplin means that we insist and don’t give up on what we want to do. Indeed, we are going to make it no matter how much time it takes.

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3 KEY Things For Delivering a Successful Speech

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41. “To discover consists in looking at what everyone is seeing and thinking something different.” Roger von Oech

This means that we have to think like no one ever thought or even imagined to discover something.

42. “Sometimes we feel that what we do is only a drop of water in the sea. But the sea would be smaller if it lacked a drop”. Mother Teresa de Calcuta

We all make a difference in this world; every soul counts, and every opinion counts either. Please don’t give up on sharing what you got because it is critical.

43. “The more our knowledge increases, the more evident is our ignorance.” John F. Kennedy

The more things you learn, the more things you need to learn because no one can know anything about anything.

44. When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the plane takes off against the wind, not in his favor.” Henry Ford

Remember that Henry Ford suggested the car model we use today back in his time, and nobody but him believed it was possible, he had nobody but himself to hold hands. Don’t give up.

45. “No matter how slow you go, as long as you don’t stop.” Confucius

Do things in your time and never give up.

46. “An entrepreneur sees opportunities where others see only problems.” Michael Gerber

Someone who sees a chance to grow in any situation is a winner, and he has nothing to lose because, in any position of life, we can get something that could be what we didn’t expect.

47. Choose a job you like, and you won’t have to work a single day of your life.” Confucius

If you choose a job that you love, you don’t feel like you’re working; you’re doing a leisure activity.

48. “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you do, you will succeed.” Albert Schweitzer

As Nga, a rapper, says, there is no way to happiness because happiness is when we vibrate good feelings, especially do things we love, life becomes more accessible.

49. “Don’t play games you don’t understand, even if you see many other people making money with them.” Tony Hsieh

Don’t do things through other people’s influence to make your life easier.

50. “Nothing great has ever been achieved without enthusiasm.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

When we do things without good energy, they can easily be ruined.

51. “The thoughts we choose to have are the tools we use to paint the picture of our lives.” Louise Hay

Your way of thinking will determine the course of our lives, which means always be open to new forms of thinking so you can live in a more inclusive World.

52. “Success is born of wanting, determination, and persistence in reaching a goal. Even not reaching the target, who seeks and overcomes obstacles, at least will do admirable things.” José de Alencar

What Alencar means is that when we want something, even if we don’t get what we were thinking at first, we always get something.

53. “To act, that is the true intelligence. I will be whatever I want. But I have to want whatever it is. Success lies in being successful, not in being able to succeed. Palace conditions have any wide land, but where will the palace be if they don’t do it there?” Fernando Pessoa

Pessoa says that when we want something, conditions don’t determine if we thrive or not, but our vibration towards it and that will makes us anything we desire.

54. “You can get anything you want in life if you help other people get what they want.”  Zig Ziglar

If you are kind to other people, they will give back in the future.

55. I like the impossible because there is less competition.” Walt Disney

Walt means that the unthinkable doesn’t exist; most people can’t perseverance, so he does because few people can.

How you open your presentation determines how interested the public will be in what will be said afterward. So, when thinking about how to start a speech or presentation, evaluate if your introduction is completely bland; this will be the initial message that the audience will get from the speaker and the display itself.

Reference and Further Reading

Ace The Presentation. Amadebai, E. 11 Best Body Language Tips for Engaging Presentations.

Ace The Presentation. Amadebai, E. 120 Persuasive Speech Topics.

Ace The Presentation. Amadebai, E. 8 Awesome Persuasive Speech Techniques.

Ezine Articles. Toney, B (2011). Key Elements of a Persuasive Speech.

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19 Great Quotes to Inspire You to Better Presenting

Here’s a list of 19  interesting quotes about presenting and public speaking that can inspire you to become better at presenting.

As well as being motivational these quotes include bits of presenting wisdom that are essential to keep your listeners on the edge of their seats.

I hope you enjoy them!

1) “If you can’t communicate and talk to other people and get across your ideas, you’re giving up your potential.”     Warren Buffet

2) “If I went back to college again, I’d concentrate on two areas: learning to write and to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively.” Gerald R. Ford

3) “Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot.” D. H. Lawrence

4)“If you can’t write your message in a sentence, you can’t say it in an hour.” Dianna Booher

5) “The success of your presentation will be judged not by the knowledge you send but by what the listener receives.” Lilly Walters

6)  “If you don’t know what you want to achieve in your presentation your audience never will.” Harvey Diamond

7) “Let thy speech be better than silence, or be silent.” Dionysius Of Halicarnassus

8 ) “It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.” Mark Twain

9) “No one ever complains about a speech being too short!” Ira Hayes

10) “90% of how well the talk will go is determined before the speaker steps on the platform.” Somers White

11) “It takes one hour of preparation for each minute of presentation time.” Wayne Burgraff

12) “The most precious things in speech are the ……. pauses.” Sir Ralph Richardson

13) “Speakers who talk about what life has taught them never fail to keep the attention of their listeners.” Dale Carnegie

14) “They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” Carl W. Buechner

15) “ Well-timed silence has more eloquence than speech.” Martin Fraquhar Tupper

16) “Speeches measured by the hour die with the hour” Thomas Jefferson

17) “It’s much easier to be convincing if you care about your topic. Figure out what’s important to you about your message and speak from the heart” Nicholas Boothman

18) “Only the prepared speaker deserves to be confident.” Dale Carnegie

19) ” Be the presenter you would want to listen to” Cath Daley

If you take just a few of ideas from this list and put them into practice in your next presentation  then it will make it stand out and your audience will remember you.

I hope that these  inspire you to become  better at presenting. If you have a favourite quote about presenting or public speaking I’d love to hear it so please leave a comment below.

Until next time,

Kind regards,

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• Presentation Hacks

21 Brilliant Presentation Quotes To Start Your Speech

• By: Leslie Belknap

We all know the saying, you only get one chance to make a first impression . This quote continues to be repeated, even though it is borderline cliché, because first impressions can make or break relationships.  This is true even if a first impression is a presentation.

If you are at a loss for how to make a lasting, positive impression during the first few seconds of your next presentation, consider telling a story, sharing a joke, or even leading with a powerful quote that relates to the message of your talk.   If you want to begin with a quote, you are in luck, because below are 21 brilliant presentation quotes that are sure to start your speech off on the right foot.

1.  The common question that gets asked in business is, ‘why?’ That’s a good question, but an equally valid question is, ‘why not?’.  – Jeff Bezos

2.   There’s lots of bad reasons to start a company. But there’s only one good, legitimate reason, and I think you know what it is: it’s to change the world. – Phil Libin

3.  A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.   – Henry Ford

4.  If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.  – Reid Hoffman

5.  If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough.  – Mario Andretti

6.  A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.  – Max Lucado

7.  Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. – Steve Jobs

8.   The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. – Confucius

9.   The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.  – Warren Buffett

10.  Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.  – Rumi

11. You don’t have to be a genius or a visionary or even a college graduate to be successful. You just need a framework and a dream. – Michael Dell

12.  Build something 100 people love, not something 1 million people kind of like. – Brian Chesky

13.  The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. – Mark Twain

14.  The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.  – Bruce Lee

15.   Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.  – Albert Einstein

16.  If something is important enough, even if the odds are against you, you should still do it. – Elon Musk

17.  In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you. – Deepak Chopra

18.  Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. – Thomas Edison

19.  Fall seven times and stand up eight.  – Japanese Proverb

20.  I was taught the way of progress is neither swift nor easy. – Marie Curie

21.  Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another. – Napoleon Hill

Like these quotes? You might also enjoy:

Inspirational Quotes for Presentations from Aristotle

Our Favorite Presentation Quotes

Also check out  13 Inspiring Quotes about Design :

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Famous Quotes For an Awesome Presentation

I alone cannot change the world, but i can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples., – mother teresa, i’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel., – maya angelou, whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right., – henry ford, perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence., – vince lombardi, life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how i react to it., – charles swindoll, if you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. if you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough., – oprah winfrey, remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent., – eleanor roosevelt, i can’t change the direction of the wind, but i can adjust my sails to always reach my destination., – jimmy dean, nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘i’m possible’, – audrey hepburn, to handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart., too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears., – les brown, whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve., – napoleon hill, twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. explore, dream, discover., – mark twain, i’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. i’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times i’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. i’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. and that is why i succeed., – michael jordan, public speaking famous quotes pages, special offer get 25% off.

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Using Quotes to Influence Your Audience During a Presentation

April 26, 2023 / Blog

Quotes convey wisdom, inspiration, and credibility in just a few words. They can set the tone, evoke emotions , and reinforce your message.

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In this blog, we will explore using quotes to influence your audience during a presentation.

The Power of Quotes

Quotes can captivate and influence your audience in various ways. They can elevate your presentation to a whole new level when used strategically.

Here are some key ways in which quotes hold immense power:

Setting the Tone

Quotes can help you set the right tone for your presentation. For instance, an inspirational quote can create a positive and uplifting atmosphere, while a humorous quote can add levity and create a relaxed environment.

The tone you set at the beginning of your presentation can greatly impact your audience’s receptiveness to your message, and quotes can be a powerful tool in achieving that.

Eliciting Emotions

Quotes can evoke emotions in your audience, making your presentation more memorable and impactful.

Whether through a touching story, a heartfelt testimonial, or a powerful statement, quotes can tug at the heartstrings of your audience, helping them connect with your message on a deeper level. Emotionally charged quotes can make your presentation more relatable, engaging, and compelling.

Adding Credibility

Quotes from influential figures or reputable sources can add credibility and authority to your presentation.

By referencing experts, industry leaders, or renowned individuals, you can strengthen your arguments and lend more weight to your message. Quotes can act as evidence or proof to support your claims, making your presentation more convincing.

Concise Communication

Quotes are often concise and impactful, conveying a powerful message in just a few words.

Attention spans are becoming shorter and quotes are effective tools to communicate key ideas succinctly. They can help you convey complex concepts or ideas in a memorable and easily digestible manner, keeping your audience engaged and attentive.

Memorable Impact

A well-chosen quote can leave a lasting impact on your audience.

When you use a quote that resonates with your audience, it becomes memorable, and your audience is more likely to remember and recall your message long after the presentation. Quotes can help you make a lasting impression and ensure a memorable and impactful presentation.

Best Practices for Using Quotes in Your Presentation

While quotes can be a powerful tool in your presentation, it’s important to use them effectively and appropriately.

Here are some best practices to keep in mind when incorporating quotes into your presentation:

Know Your Audience

Consider your audience’s demographics, preferences, and context when selecting quotes. Choose relevant quotes that resonate with your specific audience. Avoid ones that may be offensive, controversial, or irrelevant to your audience, as they may detract from your message.

Use Reliable Sources

Ensure that the quotes you use are from reputable and reliable sources. Moreover, attribute the quote to the original author or speaker, and provide proper citations if needed. Avoid using quotes from anonymous or unknown sources, as they may lack credibility.

Keep it Concise

Choose quotes that are concise and impactful. Avoid lengthy ones that may dilute your message or lose your audience’s attention. Instead, opt for ones that can be easily understood and remembered, and that align with the overall flow of your presentation.

Contextualize the Quote

Provide context when using a quote to help your audience understand its relevance to your presentation. Explain how the quote supports your message or relates to the topic. Avoid using quotes out of context, as they may confuse or mislead your audience.

Practice Delivery

Practice delivering your quotes with proper tone, emphasis, and timing. Use appropriate gestures, facial expressions, and vocal inflections to enhance the impact of the quotes. Avoid rushing through them or reading them monotonously, as they may lose their intended effect.

Use Variety

Incorporate a variety of quotes in your presentation, including inspirational, motivational, humorous, and thought-provoking quotes. Mix up the type of quotes you use to keep your audience engaged and add depth and diversity to your presentation.

Be Authentic

Choose quotes that resonate with your style and voice. Avoid using ones that feel forced or insincere, as they may come across as inauthentic. Rather, use ones that genuinely reflect your beliefs and values to connect with your audience on a deeper level.

Practice Proper Attribution

Always give credit to the original author or speaker of the quote. Avoid taking credit for someone else’s words or ideas. Use proper attribution methods, including the author’s name, title, and source, to acknowledge and honor their work.

Using quotes strategically and effectively in your presentations can be a game-changer. By following best practices and incorporating powerful quotes into your presentation, you can connect with your audience more and leave a lasting impact that influences and inspires.

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What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

• Carmine Gallo

Five tips to set yourself apart.

Never underestimate the power of great communication. It can help you land the job of your dreams, attract investors to back your idea, or elevate your stature within your organization. But while there are plenty of good speakers in the world, you can set yourself apart out by being the person who can deliver something great over and over. Here are a few tips for business professionals who want to move from being good speakers to great ones: be concise (the fewer words, the better); never use bullet points (photos and images paired together are more memorable); don’t underestimate the power of your voice (raise and lower it for emphasis); give your audience something extra (unexpected moments will grab their attention); rehearse (the best speakers are the best because they practice — a lot).

I was sitting across the table from a Silicon Valley CEO who had pioneered a technology that touches many of our lives — the flash memory that stores data on smartphones, digital cameras, and computers. He was a frequent guest on CNBC and had been delivering business presentations for at least 20 years before we met. And yet, the CEO wanted to sharpen his public speaking skills.

• Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of 10 books translated into 40 languages. Gallo is the author of The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman  (St. Martin’s Press).

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• Tips & news

101 Quotes to inspire speakers

Average: 4.5 ( 2 votes)

Inspiration sometimes runs dry, and for presenters feeling uninspired can lead to a poor performance.

Where do you go when you need a bit of extra lift?  Sometimes the well thought out words of history’s very best orators can be just the ticket. 

From drafting speeches, to calming your nerves right before you step into the spotlight , we’ve collected the top inspiring 101 quotes from thought leaders around the world.

Check nuggets of wisdom from Dale Carnegie , Mark Twain, Tony Robbins and Winston Churchill (we’ve even thrown in some William Butler Yeats and Seth Godin for good measure.) 

Continue reading more quotes below or  download the eBook from SlideShare . 

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams ( Tweet this )

“There are certain things in which mediocrity is not to be endured, such as poetry, music, painting, public speaking.” - Jean de la Bruyere ( Tweet this )

“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” – Henry Ford ( Tweet this )

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” – William Arthur Ward ( Tweet this )

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou ( Tweet this )

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” –  Margaret Mead ( Tweet this )

“You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.” – John Ford  ( Tweet this )

“Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot.” – D. H. Lawrence  ( Tweet this )

“Let thy speech be better than silence, or be silent.” – Dionysius Of Halicarnassus  ( Tweet this )

“What we say is important… for in most cases the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” – Jim Beggs   ( Tweet this )

“If you can’t write your message in a sentence, you can’t say it in an hour.” – Dianna Booher  ( Tweet this )

“There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.” – Dale Carnegie ( Tweet this )

“It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.” – Mark Twain ( Tweet this )

“A good orator is pointed and impassioned.” – Marcus T. Cicero  ( Tweet this )

“Oratory is the power to talk people out of their sober and natural opinions.” – Joseph Chatfield  ( Tweet this)

“He who wants to persuade should put his trust not in the right argument, but in the right word. The power of sound has always been greater than the power of sense.” – Joseph Conrad ( Tweet this )

“There are three things to aim at in public speaking: first, to get into your subject, then to get your subject into yourself, and lastly, to get your subject into the heart of your audience.” – Alexander Gregg ( Tweet this )

“The success of your presentation will be judged not by the knowledge you send but by what the listener receives.” – Lilly Walters  ( Tweet this )

“Best way to conquer stage fright is to know what you’re talking about.” – Michael H. Mescon  ( Tweet this )

“There are only two types of speakers in the world. 1. The nervous and 2. Liars.” – Mark Twain  ( Tweet this )

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” – Alexander Graham Bell  ( Tweet this )

“90% of how well the talk will go is determined before the speaker steps on the platform.” – Somers White ( Tweet this )

“It takes one hour of preparation for each minute of presentation time.” – Wayne Burgraff  ( Tweet this )

“The most precious things in speech are the... pauses.” – Sir Ralph Richardson ( Tweet this )

“Well-timed silence hath more eloquence than speech.” – Martin Fraquhar Tupper ( Tweet this )

“The problem with speeches isn’t so much not knowing when to stop, as knowing when not to begin.” – Frances Rodman ( Tweet this )

“Words have incredible power. They can make people’s hearts soar, or they can make people’s hearts sore. – Dr. Mardy Grothe ( Tweet this )

“The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.” – Mark Twain ( Tweet this )

“If you can’t communicate and talk to other people and get across your ideas, you’re giving up your potential.” – Warren Buffet ( Tweet this )

“If I went back to college again, I’d concentrate on two areas: learning to write and to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively.” – Gerald R. Ford ( Tweet this )

“Always give a speech that you would like to hear.” – Andrii Sedniev ( Tweet this )

“If you don’t know what you want to achieve in your presentation your audience never will.” – Harvey Diamond ( Tweet this )

“Find out what’s keeping them up nights and offer hope. Your theme must be an answer to their fears .” – Gerald C Myers ( Tweet this )

“In presentations or speeches less really is more.” – Stephen Keague ( Tweet this )

“Speeches measured by the hour die with the hour”          – Thomas Jefferson ( Tweet this )

“It’s much easier to be convincing if you care about your topic. Figure out what’s important to you about your message and speak from the heart” – Nicholas Boothman ( Tweet this )

“Only the prepared speaker deserves to be confident.” – Dale Carnegie ( Tweet this )

“Speakers who talk about what life has taught them never fail to keep the attention of their listeners.” – Dale Carnegie ( Tweet this )

“It is not failure itself that holds you back; it is the fear of failure that paralyzes you.” -Brian Tracy ( Tweet this )

“All you need is something to say, and a burning desire to say it… it doesn’t matter where your hands are.” – Lou Holtz ( Tweet this )

“If you don’t use stories audience members may enjoy your speech, but there is no chance they’ll remember it.” – Andrii Sedniev ( Tweet this )

“There is no such thing as presentation talent, it is called presentation skills” -David JP Phillips ( Tweet this )

“The audience only pays attention as long as you know where you are going.” - Philip Crosby ( Tweet this )

“Ask yourself, ‘If I had only sixty seconds on the stage, what would I absolutely have to say to get my message across.” - Jeff Dewar ( Tweet this )

“It’s all right to have butterflies in your stomach. Just get them to fly in formation.” – Rob Gilbert ( Tweet this )

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, and to sit down and listen.”   – Winston Churchill ( Tweet this )

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin ( Tweet this )

“Designing a presentation without an audience in mind is like writing a love letter and addressing it: To Whom It May Concern.” – Ken Haemer ( Tweet this )

“The goal of effective communication should be for listeners to say ‘Me too!’ versus ‘So what?'” – Jim Rohn ( Tweet this )

“The royal road to a man’s heart is to talk to him about the things he treasures most.” – Dale Carnegie ( Tweet this )

“To communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world, and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.” – Tony Robbins ( Tweet this )

“To sway an audience, you must watch them as you speak.” – C. Kent Wright ( Tweet this )

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Albert Einstein ( Tweet this )

“If you can’t state your position in eight words, you don’t have a position. “ – Seth Godin ( Tweet this )

“The way something is presented will define the way you react to it.” – Neville Brody ( Tweet this )

“Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people.” – William Butler Yeats ( Tweet this )

“A presentation is a chance to share, not an oral exam.” – M.F. Fensholt ( Tweet this )      

“Speech is power. Speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel. It is to bring another out of his bad sense into your good sense.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson ( Tweet this )

“Words do two major things: they provide food for the mind and create light for understanding and awareness.” – Jim Rohn ( Tweet this )

“Every speaker has a mouth, an arrangement rather neat. Sometimes it’s filled with wisdom, sometimes it’s filled with feet.” – Robert Orben ( Tweet this )

“Humor is a rubber sword – it allows you to make a point without drawing blood.” – Mary Hirsch ( Tweet this )

“If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you.” – Oscar Wilde ( Tweet this )

“Once you get people laughing, they’re listening and you can tell them almost anything.” – Herbert Gardner ( Tweet this )

“The world is waiting for your words.” – Arvee Robinson ( Tweet this )

“Effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know.” – Jim Rohn ( Tweet this )

“A designer knows he or she has achieved perfection, not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery  ( Tweet this )

“If God is in the details, then the Devil is in PowerPoint.” – @AngryPaulRand ( Tweet this )

“The more strikingly visual your presentation is, the more people will remember it. And more importantly, they will remember you.” – Paul Arden ( Tweet this )

“All the great speakers were bad speakers at first.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson ( Tweet this )

“Communication works for those who work at it .” – John Powell ( Tweet this )

“If you wing it when speaking, you’ll get wing it results.” – Arvee Robinson ( Tweet this )

“Your smile is a messenger of your goodwill.” – Dale Carnegie ( Tweet this )

“If it takes a lot of words to say what you have in mind, give it more thought.” – Dennis Roth ( Tweet this )

“Make sure you have stopped speaking before your audience has stopped listening.” – Dorothy Sarnoff ( Tweet this )

“Many attempts to communicate are nullified by saying too much. ” - Robert Greenleaf ( Tweet this )

“If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.” - Winston S. Churchill ( Tweet this )

“The most valuable of all talents is never using two words when one will do.” -Thomas Jefferson ( Tweet this )

“Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.” -John Wooden ( Tweet this )

“Silence is the ultimate weapon of power.” - Charles de Gaulle ( Tweet this )

“Creative thinking is merely intelligent plagiarism.” - Aristotle ( Tweet this )

"Always be yourself and have faith in yourself. Do not go out and look for a successful personality and try to duplicate it." -Bruce Lee ( Tweet this )

“Successful leaders see the opportunities in every difficulty rather than the difficulty in every opportunity.” - Reed Markham ( Tweet this )

“Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.” - Zig Ziglar ( Tweet this )

“A talk is a voyage with purpose and it must be charted. The man who starts out going nowhere, generally gets there.” - Dale Carnegie  ( Tweet this )

“I have not failed. I’ve simply discovered 10,000 ways that don’t work.” - Thomas Edison ( Tweet this )

“Buried deep within each of us is a spark of greatness, a spark than can be fanned into flames of passion and achievement. That spark is not outside of you it is born deep within you.” -James A. Ray ( Tweet this )

“The energy level of the audience is the same as the speaker’s. For better...or for worse.” -Andras Baneth ( Tweet this )

"One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation." -Arthur Ashe ( Tweet this )

“Our language is the reflection of ourselves. A language is an exact reflection of the character and growth of its speakers.” - Cesar Chavez ( Tweet this )

“I do not speak of what I cannot praise.” - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe  ( Tweet this )

“If you're not comfortable with public speaking - and nobody starts out comfortable; you have to learn how to be comfortable - practice. I cannot overstate the importance of practicing. Get some close friends or family members to help evaluate you, or somebody at work that you trust.” -Hillary Clinton ( Tweet this )

“Speak clearly, if you speak at all; carve every word before you let it fall.” -Oliver Wendell Holmes ( Tweet this )

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” - Eleanor Roosevelt ( Tweet this )

As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” - Bill Gates ( Tweet this )

"Good transitions can make a speech more important to the audience because they feel they are being taken to a positive conclusion without having to travel a bumpy road." - Joe Griffith ( Tweet this )

"When speaking in public, your message - no matter how important - will not be effective or memorable if you don't have a clear structure." - Patricia Fripp ( Tweet this )

“The way you overcome shyness is to become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid.” -Lady Bird Johnson ( Tweet this )

“The best way to conquer stage fright is to know what you are talking about.” -Michael H. Mescon ( Tweet this )

“Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.” - Robert McKee ( Tweet this )

“If something comes from your heart, it will reach the heart of your audience.” — فوزیه کوفی (Fawzia Koofi)‎ ( Tweet this )

How do we achieve our dreams and goals as a speaker? The inspiring story of Dale Carnegie's road to success

60 ideas and quotes on breaking through a creative block

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• Dale Carnegie quotes to help you become a better speaker

39 Inspiring Quotes About Business Growth — and Tips for Success

Here are some favorite quotes about business growth to inspire you — plus expert advice to spark new ideas.

Nick Johnson

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Businesses face pressure to grow and evolve rapidly to stay competitive. But growth can be difficult, and even the most intrepid among us sometimes need an extra dose of inspiration .

We’ve rounded up 39 quotes about business growth — and advice for success — to inspire you and spark new ideas. Have a favorite quote that we missed? Click to tweet and add yours.

Quotes about business growth and change

“Becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.” – Michelle Obama, from Becoming

“Play by the rules, but be ferocious.” – Phil Knight, founder, Nike

“Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.” – Sigmund Freud, neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis

“Motivation is the catalyzing ingredient for every successful innovation.” – Clayton Christensen, economist and Harvard professor

“Every problem is a gift — without problems we would not grow.” – Tony Robbins, motivational speaker and writer

“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” – John F. Kennedy, 35th U.S. president

Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth. John F. Kennedy

“Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.” – Napoleon Hill, author

“Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.” – Andy Rooney, broadcast journalist

“Mistakes are the growing pains of wisdom.” – William George Jordan, writer/editor

“The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, writer/statesman

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” – Anaïs Nin, writer

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” – T.S. Eliot, author

“The only way you are going to have success is to have lots of failures first.” – Sergey Brin, co-founder, Google

“If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs.” – Dhirubhai Ambani, founder, Reliance Industries

“I do not know the word ‘quit.’ Either I never did, or I have abolished it.” – Susan Butcher, sled dog racer

I do not know the word ‘quit.’ Either I never did, or I have abolished it. Susan Butcher

“To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business, and your business in your heart.” – Thomas Watson, Sr., former chairman and CEO, IBM

“It’s very easy to be different but very difficult to be better.” – Jonathan Ive, former chief design officer, Apple

“Almost everything worthwhile carries with it some sort of risk, whether it’s starting a new business, whether it’s leaving home, whether it’s getting married, or whether it’s flying in space.” – Chris Hadfield, astronaut

“Happy employees lead to happy customers, which leads to more profits.” – Vaughn Aust, COO, Gemini

Happy employees lead to happy customers, which leads to more profits. Vaughn Aust

“Employees want to feel inspired by their leaders…hire individuals who will lead by example.” – Jody Kohner, EVP global enablement, Salesforce

“Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it.” – William Durant, co-founder, General Motors

“Many companies get trapped by the paradox of hitting numbers ‘now’ versus improving sales for future quarters or years ahead.” – Tiffani Bova , growth and innovation evangelist, Salesforce

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu, Chinese Taoist philosopher

Quotes about business transformation

“[Businesses] rarely come up for air to re-evaluate how they are selling. This means that current sales practices, process, and organizational structure may in fact be hindering their growth more than any external factor they believe they are facing.” – Tiffani Bova, growth and innovation evangelist, Salesforce

“Consumers now expect to be able to get things, talk to someone, and do what they want at any time. That’s led to a divide. Some companies and products provide such a perfect, seamless experience that it has raised the bar. In fact, it’s so easy and seamless that we kind of forget to be impressed. But what they’re doing is making the ones that don’t deliver that kind of great experience all the more obvious.” — Susan Weinschenk, chief behavioral scientist and CEO, The Team W

“Customer experience professionals love to think about their customer journey maps, but these can be very rigid. How many consumers follow the same exact path to get to their outcome? Very few. I believe consumer experiences need to be far more dynamic than they are today — not just personalized, which we’ve been talking about for a few years. After all, companies can leverage data about customers in the moment — what they did in the last 24 minutes or hours, not in the last 24 days.” — Tom Puthiyamadam, transformation consulting leader, PwC [ read the full interview ]

“We’ve been talking about the importance of ‘ customer-centricity ’ for some time. But until now retailers have lacked both the technology and the mandate to connect marketing, sales, service, and commerce systems to enable a 360-degree view of the customer. Now that relevant and personalized engagement has emerged as a key differentiator, retailers will finally make the investments to deliver on the promise of putting the customer at the center of everything they do.” — Rob Garf, vice president and general manager, retail, Salesforce

“Companies that invest more in digital transformation actually outperform their peers over time. These companies are more prepared for disruption, better able to monetize new digital channels, and better able to build a bigger user base. What’s more, this phenomenon exists regardless of industry.” — Geoff Cubitt, CEO and founder, Cardinal Griffin, LLC

Companies that invest more in digital transformation actually outperform their peers over time. Geoff Cubitt

“Data itself is not enough to create personalized experiences. Artificial intelligence is required to turn a comprehensive data trove into insights that can anticipate customers’ needs and act as their digital assistant. Much like his or her pre-industrial counterpart, a B2I (business-to-individual) virtual tailor, for example, would know each individual’s measurements and tastes in fabrics, styles, and other variables, and could thus make highly personalized recommendations.” — Peter Schwartz, senior vice president, strategic planning, Salesforce [ read the full article ]

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Quotes about the artificial intelligence impact on business growth.

“Accenture forecasts that AI could double the economic growth rates of 12 major countries by 2035. These gains will come from computers doing what they have always been good at — freeing us to make better use of our time. For instance, AI makes it possible to automate routine tasks such as responding to simple customer questions. It can also be used to spot changes in customer preferences, identify visual problems in manufacturing, further automate agriculture, identify fraud, and better inform business decision-making.” — Richard Socher, CEO, You.com [ read the full article ]

“AI is about more than replacing each worker with a robot. It will involve the disruption and reshaping of whole industries. Business models will evolve to be quite transparent. In a world of AI, consumers will have high access to information, perhaps using their digital assistant to find the best price or analyze which product has received the best reviews. It will no longer be possible to use information asymmetry to charge people a disproportionate amount.” — Dr. Kai-Fu Lee, chairman and CEO, Sinovation Ventures 

“Imagine a customer walking up to a supermarket shelf and holding his or her smartphone up against different bags of potato chips. Using image processing, language processing, and analytics, AI-enabled systems can help that customer check which brand is best for their low-sodium diet, or whatever their taste profile might be.” — Glen Hartman, president and co-founder, Accenture Interactive [ read the full interview ]

“You don’t need to know how the technology of a microwave works to use it — it is simply a tool. We’re now entering the same phase with AI, thanks to the influx of no-code, point-and-click tools. AI will become a widely used utility by everyone, regardless of technical background. As a result, most of the AI applications in the coming years will be built by people with little or no AI training.” — Vitaly Gordon, co-founder and CEO, Faros AI 

AI will become a widely used utility by everyone, regardless of technical background. Vitaly Gordon 

“Companies use technologies such as deep learning to help them feed their computer networks vast quantities of information so they recognize patterns more quickly. But for all their enormous potential, current success is based on fitting to patterns of historical training data. There’s still much work to do to train models how to reason. They can only be trained to find patterns in historical data. The problem is this training data isn’t neutral — it can easily reflect the biases of the people who put it together. It can encode trends and patterns that reflect and perpetuate prejudice and harmful stereotypes.” — Timnit Gebru, founder and executive director, The Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR), [ read the full interview ]

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Quotes about growing workplace trends.

“Workers will need different skills to thrive in the workplace of the future. We’ll see a growing demand for advanced technological skills such as programming. Social, emotional, and higher cognitive skills — such as creativity, critical thinking, and complex information processing — will also be in demand. Growing occupations, meanwhile, will include those with difficult-to-automate activities, such as managers and doctors, as well as care workers and teachers. Training and retraining mid-career workers and new generations for the coming challenges will be another imperative.” — James Manyika, senior vice president, Google-Alphabet [ read the full interview ]

“In 1950, only 55% of the working-age population in the U.S. was employed. By 2015, that percentage had risen to 60% — representing a net increase of about 100 million jobs — after many potentially job-killing technologies had been introduced. These included shipping cranes, ATMs, and personal computer spreadsheets. The same could well be true of [AI], especially if we put into place the innovations in education that could help people adapt.” — Peter Schwartz, senior vice president, strategic planning, Salesforce [ read the full article ]

“AI is about enabling machines to augment humans — in other words, to complement human skills — rather than merely replace them. In most cases, AI’s skills are different to a human’s, so we are moving towards a symbiosis of the two.” — Robin Bordoli, partner, Authentic Ventures

“Beyond doing the right thing for their workers, companies have another reason to lean into workforce development initiatives: their own competitiveness. As demand for skills for the intelligent era heat up, so too will a war for talent.” — Sarah Franklin, CMO, Salesforce

“The shift to lifelong learning is absolutely essential. As the pace of technological change quickens, we need to be sure that employees are keeping up with the right skills to thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution . That applies to both technical and soft skills. There will be changes in both areas.” — Zvika Krieger, technology advisor and former director of responsible innovation at Facebook 

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Nick Johnson works in partnership with subject matter experts within and beyond Salesforce to create original, insightful content for C-suite executives on the future of business. A published author (The Future of Marketing, Pearson), Johnson previously ran The Incite Group, and has his MBA from the ... Read More University of California, Berkeley.

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