Becoming excellent at the craft of leadership requires ongoing learning, growth, and change. Oftentimes we make a pledge to change our behavior, or work towards a goal, only to delay tomorrow’s progress in the face of today‘s pressures. The reason we may experience this failure to follow through is that in the space between our best intentions and our actions lies the most vital element: the depth of our commitment. The greater the task or ambition, the more intense that commitment must be. If you’d like to challenge yourself to achieve a greater level of commitment to your leadership and life goals, these quotes may inspire you to work towards your objectives with renewed zeal.

1. “There is no abiding success without commitment.”- Tony Robbins (tweet)

2. “Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”- Vince Lombardi (tweet) 

3. “You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage — pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically — to say ‘no’ to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger ‘YES’ burning inside.”- Stephen Covey (tweet)

4. “Just go out there and do what you have to do.” – Martina Navratilova (tweet)

5. “Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality.” – Abraham Lincoln (tweet)

6. “Willingness is essential in any initiation or in making any dream come true.  ‘I can’t’ often means ‘I won’t.’  You can change ‘I won’t’ to ‘I will’ with will power.” – Marcia Wieder (tweet)

7. “Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.” – Samuel Johnson (tweet)

Just go out there and do what you have to do.

8. “Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal — a commitment to excellence — that will enable you to attain the success you seek.” – Mario Andretti (tweet)

9.“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” – George Sheehan (tweet)

10. “When I write a goal down – and I truly write them down – it becomes a part of me. That’s a contract that I sign with myself to say, ‘I don’t care what happens – I’m going to stay on this path. I’m going to try and see this through; I’m going to give it my best shot, my best effort.’ – Gail Devers (tweet)

11. “A major part of successful living lies in the ability to put first things first. Indeed the reason most major goals are not achieved is that we spend our time doing second things first.”  – Robert J. McKain (tweet)

12. “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'” – Muhammad Ali (tweet)

13. “Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.” “ Napoleon Hill  (tweet)

14. “No one changes the world who isn’t obsessed.” – Billie Jean King (tweet)

15. “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” – Dale Carnegie (tweet)

16. “There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either in or you’re out. There’s no such thing as life in-between.” – Pat Riley (tweet)

Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal

17. “There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses – only results.” – Ken Blanchard (tweet)

18. “Just because you are CEO, don’t think you have landed. You must continually increase your learning, the way you think, and the way you approach the organization.” – Indra Nooyi (tweet)

19. “Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal. Live this day as if it were your last. The past is over and gone. The future is not guaranteed.” – Wayne Dyer (tweet)

20. “You always have two choices: your commitment versus your fear.” – Sammy Davis Jr.  (tweet)

Did we miss any of your favorite quotes about commitment? Share in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter.