57 Jim Rohn Quotes On Life, Leadership and Time

Jim Rohn (born Emanuel James “Jim” Rohn on September 17, 1930) was an author, motivational speaker, and entrepreneur who became famous for sharing his business philosophy.

How Jim Rohn Got His Start

Rohn started his working days as a stock clerk for Sears, the department store. Soon afterwards, a friend took him to a lecture done by entrepreneur John Earl Shoaff. In 1955, Shoaff’s AbundaVita direct selling business added Rohn to their team as a distributor. He resigned two years later, and joined another direct selling company, Nutri-Bio – also owned by Shoaff.

Shoaff started to mentor Rohn, and the founders of the organization chose Rohn to be the vice president. When Nutri-Bio went out of business in the early 1960s, Rohn began speaking at meetings of his Rotary Club.

Soon after, people began asking him to speak at luncheons and other events. His first public seminar was in 1963 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. He began making a career of giving seminars all over the country, teaching people his personal development philosophy and as well as telling them his life story.

In the 1970s, he did seminars for Standard Oil while also participating in a business devoted to personal development called “Adventures in Achievement.” He presented his seminars all over the world over the course of more than 40 years.

In his older years, he wrote books, such as: My Philosophy For Successful Living, and The Art of Exceptional Living. Rohn also mentored motivational speakers like Tony Robbins and Mark R. Hughes. He died on December 5, 2009.

Looking for inspirational Jim Rohn quotes?

Jim Rohn Quotes about Success and Happiness

1. “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” – Jim Rohn

2. “Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.” – Jim Rohn

3. “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” – Jim Rohn

4. “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.” – Jim Rohn

5. “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn

6. “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.” – Jim Rohn

7. “Those who will not read are no better off than those who cannot read.” – Jim Rohn

8. “There are two types of pain you will go through in life, the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. Discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tonnes.” – Jim Rohn

9. “You have two choices: You can make a living, or you can design a life.” – Jim Rohn

10. “Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom.”  – Jim Rohn

11. “The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.” – Jim Rohn

12. “We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.” – Jim Rohn

13. “Don’t join an easy crowd; you won’t grow. Go where the expectations and the demands to perform are high.” – Jim Rohn

14. “Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want.” – Jim Rohn

15. “Profits are better than wages. Wages make you a living; profits make you a fortune.” – Jim Rohn

Also check out our list of David Goggins quotes that will inspire you to overcome whatever you may be going through.

Unforgettable Jim Rohn Quotes on Goals and Character

16. “If you want to be a leader who attracts quality people, the key is to become a person of quality yourself.” – Jim Rohn

17. “Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.” – Jim Rohn

18. “You cannot change your destination overnight. But you can change your direction.” – Jim Rohn

19. “If you just communicate, you can get by. But if you communicate skillfully, you can work miracles.” – Jim Rohn

20. “Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” – Jim Rohn

21. “If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” – Jim Rohn

22. “Motivation alone is not enough. If you have an idiot and you motivate him, now you have a motivated idiot.” – Jim Rohn

23. “Effective communication is 20 percent what you know and 80 percent how you feel about what you know.” – Jim Rohn

24. “You cannot make progress without making decisions.” – Jim Rohn

25. “There are only three colors, 10 digits, and 7 notes; its what we do with them that’s important.” – Jim Rohn

26. “Your philosophy determines whether you will go for the disciplines or continue the errors.” – Jim Rohn

27. “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” – Jim Rohn

28. “Failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day.” – Jim Rohn

29. “Character isn’t something you were born with and can’t change, like your fingerprints. It’s something you weren’t born with and must take responsibility for forming.” – Jim Rohn

30. “We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: inspiration or desperation.” – Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn Quotes To Make You Exceptional

31. “The few who do are the envy of the many who watch.” – Jim Rohn

32. “Success is what you attract by the person you become.” – Jim Rohn

33. “When you know what you want, and want it bad enough, you will find a way to get it.” – Jim Rohn

34. “You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.” – Jim Rohn

35. “Success is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.” – Jim Rohn

36. “Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you.” – Jim Rohn

37. “If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build end up building us.” – Jim Rohn

38. “The more you care, the stronger you can be.” – Jim Rohn

39. “Good service leads to multiple sales. If you take good care of your customers, they will open doors you could never open by yourself.” – Jim Rohn

40. “It isn’t what the book costs. It’s what it will cost you if you don’t read it.” – Jim Rohn

41. “The more obstacles you face and overcome, the more times you falter and get back on track, the more difficulties you struggle with and conquer, the more resiliency you will naturally develop. There is nothing that can hold you back, if you are resilient.” – Jim Rohn

42. “Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.” – Jim Rohn

43. “Never begrudge the money you spend on your own education.” – Jim Rohn

44. “We must learn to help those who deserve it, not just those who need it. Life responds to deserve not need.” – Jim Rohn

45. “The walls we build around us to keep sadness out also keeps out the joy.” – Jim Rohn

More Jim Rohn Quotes and Sayings To Keep in Mind

46. “A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better.” – Jim Rohn

47. “Better understated than overstated. Let people be surprised that it was more than you promised and easier than you said.” – Jim Rohn

48. “Either you run the day or the day runs you.” – Jim Rohn

49. “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” – Jim Rohn

50. “Learning is the beginning of wealth. Learning is the beginning of health. Learning is the beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins.” – Jim Rohn

51. “If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree.” – Jim Rohn

52. “The worst thing one can do is not to try, to be aware of what one wants and not give in to it, to spend years in silent hurt wondering if something could have materialized – never knowing.” – Jim Rohn

53. “Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, and the emotions to affect other people.” – Jim Rohn

54. “If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn’t need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him around.” – Jim Rohn

55. “Whoever renders service to many puts himself in line for greatness – great wealth, great return, great satisfaction, great reputation, and great joy.” – Jim Rohn

56. “It doesn’t matter which side of the fence you get off on sometimes. What matters most is getting off. You cannot make progress without making decisions.” – Jim Rohn

57. “Asking is the beginning of receiving. Make sure you don’t go to the ocean with a teaspoon. At least take a bucket so the kids won’t laugh at you.” – Jim Rohn

Which Jim Rohn quotes are your favorite?

Jim Rohn‘s life story and rise to success is proof that there’s nothing we can’t achieve if we only set our mind to it. But more than becoming a great entrepreneur, speaker, and author, he also made a point to give back to society. Never forget those who helped you along the way. Carve your own path by helping others as well.

Use these inspirational Jim Rohn quotes to remind you to work hard for your dreams everyday.