John Maxwell biography, quotes and books
John Maxwell (1947) is a well-known author, speaker, leadership expert, and pastor. He is known for his books on leadership, personal growth, and influence. He also developed the 5 Levels of Leadership. In this model, Maxwell demonstrates that leadership does not begin with influence, but often simply with a position. Only then does it become clear whether people actually want to follow someone.
In this article, you can read more about John Maxwell’s background, his work as a speaker and author, famous quotes, and his most important publications and books.
Who is John Maxwell? His biography
John Maxwell is an evangelical Christian and earned his bachelor’s degree from Ohio Christian University.
He completed his Master’s degree at Azusa Pacific University and followed in his father’s footsteps as a pastor. For this reason, he also earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, a degree awarded to pastors engaged in a spiritual calling.
Since the 1970s, John Maxwell has led several churches and served for 14 years (1981–1995) as senior pastor at Skyline Church. As senior pastor, he led the pastoral team, and his sermons focused on aspects of leadership.
John Maxwell has always felt called to make a difference in people’s lives. His passion for life inspires and encourages others to achieve extraordinary things and lead meaningful and fulfilling lives. Passionate about education, he has focused on full-time speaking and writing since 1995. One of his best-known models is the 5 Levels of Leadership.
He founded the organization EQUIP with his brother Larry. This nonprofit organization is dedicated to coaching, leadership training, public speaking, and mentoring young people. Its mission is to positively influence Christian leaders so they can make an impact on their families, businesses, organizations, and communities.
In addition, John Maxwell challenges top business executives and consumers to inspire, motivate, and equip organizations to demonstrate leadership and reach their potential through the John Maxwell Company. The organization evaluates and assists individuals in learning and leading with excellence.
The approach can be adapted to all organizational, cultural, and managerial challenges. His team consists of more than 13,000 trained and certified coaches who help add value to external organizations.
Since 2008, John Maxwell has become more actively involved as a guest speaker at various churches. He preached at Christ Fellowship in Palm Beach Gardens and Crystal Cathedral, which was broadcast by Hour of Power, an American religious television program that promotes spiritual principles and practices.
In 2010, John Maxwell was the keynote speaker at the National Agents Alliance, a company that provides assistance in the areas of capital security and future contingencies for potential clients.
Over the years, John Maxwell has spoken to major corporations, international organizations, and government leaders. Business Insider and Inc. Magazine have also named him an influential leadership expert.
John Maxwell often speaks about personal growth. In the video below, he explains why daily habits matter for people who want to grow in leadership and in life.
He has sold tens of millions of books worldwide and was named the number one most influential business leader by the American Management Association in 2014. Most of his books have been named bestsellers by The New York Times. The books, such as 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, are about leadership and have been translated all over the world.
Famous quotes by John Maxwell
- “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
- “The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda.”
- “A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.”
- “Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team.”
- “Time management is an oxymoron. Time is beyond our control, and the clock keeps ticking regardless of how we lead our lives. Priority management is the answer to maximizing the time we have.”
- “A minute of thought is greater than an hour of talk.”
- “The difference between average people and high achievers is their perception of and response to failure.”
- “People who use time wisely spend it on activities that advance their overall purpose in life.”
- “As a leader, the first person I need to lead is myself. The first person I should try to change is myself.”
- “Most people want to avoid pain, and discipline is usually painful.”
- “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.”
- “Don’t follow the plan that someone else has laid out for your life.”
- “Growth on the inside fuels growth on the outside.”
- “Learn to say ‘no’ to the good so you can say ‘yes’ to the best.”
- “Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.”
Publications and books by John Maxwell
- 2024. High Road Leadership: Bringing People Together in a World That Divides. Maxwell Leadership.
- 2023. The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message. Forefront Books.
- 2022. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Thomas Nelson Publishers.
- 2020. Success Is a Choice. HarperCollins Leadership.
- 2019. Leadershift: 11 Essential Changes Every Leader Must Embrace. HarperCollins Leadership.
- 2019. Developing the Leader Within You 2.0. Harper Collins.
- 2017. No Limits: Blow the Cap Off Your Capacity. Center Street.
- 2016. Good Leaders Ask Great Questions: Your Foundation for Successful Leadership. Center St.
- 2015. Intentional living: Choosing a life that matters. Hachette UK.
- 2014. NIV, The Maxwell Leadership Bible. eBook, Thomas Nelson Inc.
- 2014. How Successful People Grow: 15 Ways to Get Ahead in Life. Hachette UK.
- 2014. Good leaders ask great questions: Your foundation for successful leadership. Hachette UK.
- 2013. The 17 indisputable laws of teamwork: Embrace them and empower your team. Thomas Nelson Inc.
- 2013. Sometimes You Win–Sometimes You Learn: Life’s Greatest Lessons Are Gained from Our Losses. Hachette UK.
- 2013. How successful people lead: Taking your influence to the next level. Center Street.
- 2013. Be a people person: Effective leadership through effective relationships. David C Cook.
- 2013. How to Influence People: Make a Difference in Your World. Harpercollins Leadership.
- 2012. Mentor 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know. Thomas Nelson Inc.
- 2012. 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. Publisher: Center Street.
- 2011. The 360 Degree Leader with Workbook: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization. Thomas Nelson Inc.
- 2011. The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential. Center Street.
- 2011. Put Your Dream to the Test: 10 Questions that Will Help You See it and Seize it. Thomas Nelson Inc.
- 2010. Everyone communicates, few connect: What the most effective people do differently. Thomas Nelson Inc.
- 2009. Teamwork 101: What every leader needs to know. Harper Collins.
- 2009. How successful people think: Change your thinking, change your life. Hachette UK.
- 2009. Christian reflections on the leadership challenge (Vol. 143). John Wiley & Sons.
- 2008. Mentoring 101 – What Every Leader Needs to Know. Harpercollins Leadership.
- 2008. Leadership Gold: Lessons I’ve Learned from a Lifetime of Leading. Harper Collins.
- 2008. Talent is never enough. Pearson Education India.
- 2008. Today matters: 12 daily practices to guarantee tomorrow’s success. Hachette UK.
- 2007. Leadership Promises for Every Day: A Daily Devotional. Thomas Nelson Inc.
- 2007. Winning with People: Discover the People Principles That Work for You Every Time. Harper Collins.
- 2007. The 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader’s Day: Revitalize Your Spirit and Empower Your Leadership. Harper Collins.
- 2007. The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership: Follow them and people will follow you. Thomas Nelson Inc.
- 2007. The 21 indispensable qualities of a leader: Becoming the person others will want to follow. Thomas Nelson Inc.
- 2007. Failing Forward. Harper Collins.
- 2006. The 17 essential qualities of a team player: Becoming the kind of person every team wants. Thomas Nelson Inc.
- 2005. 25 ways to win with people: how to make others feel like a million bucks. Thomas Nelson Inc.
- 2004. Relationships 101. Harper Collins.
- 2004. Self-improvement 101. Nelson Books.
- 2003. Thinking for a Change: 11 Ways Highly Successful People Approach Life and Work. FaithWords.
- 2002. Teamwork makes the dream work. Harper Collins.
- 2002. Leadership 101: What every leader needs to know. Thomas Nelson Inc.
- 1997. Becoming a person of influence: How to positively impact the lives of others. Thomas Nelson.
- 1995. Developing the leaders around you: How to help others reach their full potential. Thomas Nelson.
- 1993. Developing the leader within you. Thomas Nelson Inc.
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Original publication date: July 15, 2017 | Last update: May 14, 2026
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Alexander Zeeman
Alexander Zeeman is Content Manager at ToolsHero where he focuses on Content production, Content management and marketing. He is also an International Business student at Rotterdam Business school. Currently, in his study, working on the development of various management competencies and improving operational business processes.
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5 responses to “John Maxwell biography, quotes and books”
Wow, amazing, how I can get any of these publications via email?
Hello Gulshan, thank you for your question. You can sign up for our newsletter to receive our latest updates. Kind regards, Vincent
Great John C. Maxwell overview! Love this guy. My favorite quote from him is “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.” So solid! One of my most popular blog posts was actually written on this topic.
Thank you for your comment, Alex
This is awesome. ‘As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me and the first person I try to change is me’. I’m motivated