An important part of leadership that works is a commitment to continuous improvement through study, reflection, and practice. To that end, we find it helps to consult the vast wisdom of others — across professions and spheres of influence. With the holiday season right around the corner — a time when competing priorities and the stress of work and family obligations can cause us to lose sight of our larger goals — we thought a compendium of quotes about reaching high and staying on track might be helpful. These insights celebrate the importance of goal setting itself as well as the various practices and mindsets that can help us achieve the extraordinary with grit and tenacity. Enjoy! For more collections of inspiring leadership quotes, check out our Quotes That Inspire Greater Commitment, our 52 Quotes About Trust and Leadership, our 26 Quotes for the Holiday Season, and our 38 Quotes About Bravery and Leadership.

1. It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach. – Benjamin E. Mays
2. The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential . . . these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence. – Confucius
3. Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment. – Oprah
4. The most important thing in life is, if you have a dream, I mean a real good dream, follow it. – Evel Knievel
5. Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success. –  Pablo Picasso
6. One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals. – Michelle Obama
7. People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily. – Zig Ziglar
8. He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. – Muhammad Ali
9. If what you are doing is not moving you towards your goals, then it’s moving you away from your goals. – Brian Tracy
10. It is not sacrifice if you love what you’re doing. – Mia Hamm
11. To become the kind of person you want to become, you’ve got to have discipline. It’s easier to keep to your standards 100 percent of the time versus 98 percent of the time. – Clay Christensen
12. To desire is to obtain; to aspire is to achieve. – James Allen
13. Surrounding yourself with people who are actively and enthusiastically working toward their best futures will keep you moving toward your own goals. – Leah Busque
14. I would say to you, have faith in yourself – believe in what you are doing, and, most important, be a person of integrity. It is totally up to you, and no one else, how your life evolves. – Jon Huntsman Sr. 
15. You have to fight to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard for it. – Lionel Messi
16. Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. – John Wooden
17. Each day, you can awake and focus on small, easy goals you can accomplish in the short term – goals that, over time, will lead you to your long-term goal. – Karen Salmansohn
18. I truly believe that if you put your goals in writing, speak them out loud and work for them, they will happen. – Ciara
19. Goals are pure fantasy unless you have a specific plan to achieve them. – Stephen Covey
20. Be strong, be fearless, be beautiful. And believe that anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you. – Misty Copeland
21. Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion. – Jack Welch
22. Set realistic goals, keep re-evaluating, and be consistent. – Venus Williams
23. The thing that I learned early on is you really need to set goals in your life, both short-term and long-term, just like you do in business. Having that long-term goal will enable you to have a plan on how to achieve it. – Denise Morrison
24. The only way to improve is to set yourself harder goals. – Joanne Whalley
25. If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable. – Seneca
26. Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving to be our best. Perfectionism is not about healthy achievement and growth; it’s a shield. – Brené Brown
27. A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work. – General Colin Powell
28. Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground. – Theodore Roosevelt
29. Bravery is the engine of change. – Aisha Tyler
30. Our thoughts create our reality – where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go. – Peter McWilliams
31. Some goals are not going to fulfill you. Choose goals that you value and care about. – Henry Cloud
32. If the vision is there, the means will follow. – Faith Popcorn
33. You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside. – Wayne Dyer
34. Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you. You must travel it by yourself. It is not far. It is within reach. – Walt Whitman
35. Though we may have desires or bold goals, for whatever reason, most of us don’t think we can achieve something beyond what we’re qualified to achieve. Why, I ask, do we let reality interfere with our dreams? – Simon Sinek
36. The only way you survive is you continuously transform into something else. It’s this idea of continuous transformation that makes you an innovation company. – Ginni Rometty
37. Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success. – Napoleon Hill

Do you have a favorite quote about reaching your life and leadership goals? Share in the comments.

(Photo via Death to the Stock Photo under this license).