interviewees

I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough. Marissa Mayer (CEO of Yahoo)

There is nothing like a concrete life plan to weigh you down. Because if you always have one eye on some future goal, you stop paying attention the the job at hand, miss opportunities that might arise, and stay fixedly on one path, even when a better, newer course might have opened up. Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. Colin Powell

I learned to always take on things I’d never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist. Virginia Rometty

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, You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life

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 result of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. Steve Jobs 2005

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. Anais Nin

No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it. Andrew Carnegie

Whatever you want in life, other people are going to want it too. Believe in yourself enough to accept the idea that you have an equal right to it. Diane Sawyer

I've always believed that one woman's success can only help another woman's success. Gloria Vanderbilt, It Seemed Important at the Time: A Romance Memoir

There is no royal flower-strewn path to success. And if there is, I have not found it for if I have accomplished anything in life it is because I have been willing to work hard. Madam C.J. Walker

Done is better than perfect. Sheryl Sandberg

Rooting for other people’s failure does get in the way of your success. Amy Poehler

The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. Ayn Rand

Dreams are lovely but they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It's hard work that makes things happen. It's hard work that creates change. Shonda Rhimes

Don’t be surprised by your greatness. Be surprised that no one expected it. Rebecca Maizel

Presenting leadership as a list of carefully defined qualities (like strategic, analytical, and performance-oriented) no longer holds. Instead, true leadership stems from individuality that is honestly and sometimes imperfectly expressed… Leaders should strive for authenticity over perfection. Sheryl Sandberg

Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live. Anne Sweeney

I became successful due to several reasons. I never gave up and I never let anyone or anything get in my way. I use the power of positive thinking to tackle obstacles and challenges so they don't defeat me. Passion for my work and my business is another important reason. I really love my work and I get great satisfaction from it. Lillian Vernon

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. Marianne Williamson

To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart. Eleanor Roosevelt