90 Inspritational Workplace Training Sessions Quotes (2024)

Last updated April 12, 2024

Delivering training sessions that are memorable and engaging can vastly improve your participants’ ability to absorb learning. With this in mind, using famous quotes can be useful for driving home the message and these inspirational workplace training sessions quotes might be useful for your next staff training.

Core Values and Motivation Quotes

The ability to motivate those we manage and work with can have a great impact on our ability to lead and be respected in the workplace and there are some wonderful quotes that reflect motivation.

1. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.” – Steve Jobs

One of my favourite quotes as it reflects how valuable it can be to do what you love rather than just follow the money tree. Work with something that you are passionate about and you are more likely to thrive and be highly motivated in what you do.

2. “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” – Vince Lombardi

One of the biggest mistakes I think I have made early on in business is to spend too much time trying to perfect everything that I did, from the website design to every document and every aspect of the marketing.

Sometimes it’s much more efficient to focus on very high-quality but not to become too obsessive!

3. “Just aim for 95% perfect as perfection never arrives. Don’t over-focus and over-spend your time on seeking perfection.” – Dr Paul Symonds

My husband Dr Paul Symonds came up with this quote when he was doing his PhD on wayfinding and I always found it helpful.

4. “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs

I make no excuses for giving another quote by Steve Jobs, as he said so many things that are handy for anyone in business. I also highly recommend this authorized biography of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.

5. “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Albert Schweitzer

This is another variation on the idea of following your dreams and your passion and doing what you love. Unfortunately, my love of dance and being a professional dancer never materialized 🙂

6. “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

You might have heard the idea that 90% of the things that we spend time constantly worrying about never happen.

This reminds me of Roosevelt’s quote in that we shouldn’t be scared or put off when trying to realise our dreams.

7. “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas Edison

It is so easy to be crestfallen after trying something 3, 4 or even 8 times and constantly failing.

Some of the world’s greatest inventions though have often been the result of dozens of attempts at something before success was found. Being resilient is so important; hence this is one of my favourite workplace training sessions quotes.

8. “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi

Lombardi’s quote is another that emphasises the need for resilience in business and in the workplace. We should not give up too easily and remain focused on the end goal.

9. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain

Whilst resilience is important in the workplace, if we never get started then resilience counts for little.

If you are looking to start a new career path, want to study something new for career progression, or want to push through a new project, don’t look back, look forward and get started!

10. “There are no limits to what you can accomplish, except the limits you place on your own thinking.” – Brian Tracy

The biggest critic we ever have is usually ourselves. It is time to start believing in your own ability and to allow yourself freedom to thrive.

Personal & Professional Development Quotes

It is important to seek new challenges and to develop as an employee and as a human, as it fulfils a natural need to develop. These workplace training sessions quotes below focus on personal and professional development.

11. “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” – Anthony J. D’Angelo

Many studies have shown that learning also aids ageing including a recent report by Scientific American that highlights how learning new skills is especially good for our brain health.

12. “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” – B.B. King

Although written by the amazing blues musician BB King, as opposed to someone involved with workplace training, the quote seems especially poignant.

Whatever we learn from workplace training is knowledge that sits within us, that we hold and can help each of us along our own career path and progression.

If you have never listened to BB King’s music, I highly recommend it! When getting work projects done online, you’ll often find me listening to the likes of BB King, Robert Cray Porter, or Stanley Clarke.

13. “Learning never exhausts the mind.” – Leonardo da Vinci

14. “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” – Benjamin Franklin

The decision as to whether to invest in workplace training or not, is often one that many companies ponder on, understandably given financial budgeting.

As Franklin quite rightly said, investment in training and in knowledge can be a massively good investment done correctly.

Ensuring that you understand the skills gap that exists in your company and then filling this skills gap to increase productivity is a great investment.

15. “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss

16. “The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” – Brian Herbert

Whilst, as Herbert says, learning is a choice, as a corporate trainer we can do our bit to try and make training engaging and fun, to inspire those we seek to train.

17. “If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.” – Thomas A. Edison

How much of our potential do we ever achieve as individuals? It’s a question I do not have the answer to but certainly, I am sure we are all capable of much more than we often believe.

In terms of workplace training, it can be worth trying to emphasise to participants that they are capable of anything and to be anything they want to be and the Edison quote is great for use in this context.

18. “Be a lifelong or short learner, but learn.” – Elizabeth Lesser

As Lesser highlights, learning is not a competition but something we should seek to do throughout our lives and for ourselves.

19. “Real learning comes about when the competitive spirit has ceased.” – J. Krishnamurti

Whether we are learning for the sake of work or learning for our own personal development, learning should not be seen as a competition with others.

We all learn at different rates and in different ways and any learning is positive and part of a growth mindset.

20. “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” – Alvin Toffler

As we’ve touched on previously, there is no one approach to workplace learning and however and whatever we choose to learn, it should be encouraged.

Communication and Teamwork Quotes

Working efficiently and effectively with colleagues and, as a manager, managing a team, is essential. These workplace training sessions quotes are especially good for teamwork and workplace communication training.

21. “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller

Working synergetically is important in business. Synergy, in a business and workplace sense, means that by working together we can achieve greater results than if we worked individually.

22. “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” – Phil Jackson

Whilst synergy is essential, it should never be forgotten that every individual employee is very important and should be valued. In this respect, the idea of being an inclusive manager is vital.

23. “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” – Henry Ford

24. “Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” – Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was one of the leaders who personified leadership and understood the true value of each individual within a company and what it takes for a business to be built and survive.

25. “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” – Andrew Carnegie

I like to think of Carnegie’s quote when I think about Structuration Theory from Anthony Giddens. In very simplistic terms, Giddens created a theory and model that shows how a structure (it could be a company and the structure of the company) moves and adapts but with the impact of human agency. So the owners, employees, managers, etc. all influence how the company (structure) moves.

If we take Carnegie’s quote, we see that trying hard to have a unified approach, i.e. using good communication to make the goals clear, makes it much easier for everyone to move forward together and for a solid structure to exist.

26. “When it’s clear that you’re headed for a catastrophe, you have to accelerate the pace of change.” – John Kotter

27. “Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.” – Jack Welch

In workplace training, especially if the training is for managers, this quote helps to emphasise the need for effective communication skills at work.

28. “The art of communication is the language of leadership.” – James Humes

As Humes points out, instilling good communication in the workplace is about leaders and managers creating this type of environment.

Training managers in communication (see the Intercultural communication training course materials) is a great investment for creating an effective workforce.

29. “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” – Kenneth Blanchard

Being tough with employees is proven not to be as effective as leading employees by delegating and allowing employees to do what they do best, and by showing trust in them.

30. “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results, not attributes.” – Peter Drucker

Resilience and Adaptability Quotes

It is worth understanding how to motivate employees and help them become more resilient for a manager or business owner. If you are providing training in the area of adaptability and resilience, these quotes might be useful to include:

31. “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb

Resilience skills are invaluable when it comes to knowing how to keep pushing and trying until successful results come. I love this Japanese proverb and I have it on my wall in the office on a plaque.

32. “It always seems impossible until it is done.” – Nelson Mandela

Making the impossible is a mindset that is not perhaps easy to acquire but maybe we should believe in the impossible more!

33. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi is a great model of leading by example and, as managers and leaders at work, we can make a difference and push through change.

34. “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean

We can only control certain things but there is very often something we CAN do to make a difference.

We can be a great influence on our work colleagues and we can be inclusive and show compassion and a positive attitude.

35. “The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible.” – Charles Kingsleigh

36. “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.” – Alphonse Karr

Ever walked to the office in the wind and rain and complained, you have probably never read the book, “The Sun Does Shine” by Anthony Ray Hinton.

Ray spent decades wrongly imprisoned and later speaks of the first time he was out in the rain again, and how he danced as the soft cool fresh rain fell on him and how beautiful it felt.

It’s a good business lesson too in that we can approach things with a positive mindset!

37. “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker

Do you have a vision as a manager and a strategy? Can you have a sense, in your mind, of how things would work, look, and feel?

38. “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

39. “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

Succeeding at work is not always easy as Arnie points out. In workplace training, it can be worth pointing out that resilience is an essential ingredient in the push to succeed and to manage well.

40. “The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment.” – Tony Robbins

Leadership and Strategy Quotes

What does it mean to be a good leader at work?

41. “Leadership is practicing a new behavior every day.” – Jerry Porras

42. “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” – Abraham Lincoln

43. “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs

44. “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” – Ralph Nader

45. “Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.” – Simon Sinek

46. “The leader is one who, out of the clutter, brings simplicity… out of discord, harmony… and out of difficulty, opportunity.” – Albert Einstein

47. “Good leadership consists of showing average people how to do the work of superior people.” – John D. Rockefeller

48. “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John C. Maxwell

49. “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” – John D. Rockefeller

50. “If you think you are leading and turn around to see no one following, then you are just taking a walk.” – Benjamin Hooks

Work Ethic and Productivity Quotes

Workplace training sessions quotes can be especially useful when providing training related to having a good work ethic.

With the right attitude and right ethic, success is always possible. In this batch, there are some wonderful quotes that can help to inspire those you are teaching.

51. “Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.” – William Butler Yeats

52. “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier

53. “Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.” – Bill Bradley

When we consider work ethic and productivity, Bradley’s quote sums it up beautifully in that productivity and success can be driven by a sort of stubbornness as we continually strive and move forward. But we need ambition in the first place and a desire to want to achieve.

54. “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vidal Sassoon

What a great quote! Certainly, a quote to make those in your training sessions also laugh.

55. “There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.” – Roger Staubach

56. “Quality is not an act, it is a habit.” – Aristotle

If you want to stand out in the crowd in business, then Aristotle’s quote is quite profound.

57. “The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are: Hard work, Stick-to-itiveness, and Common sense.” – Thomas Edison

58. “Enjoy working hard and you will not have anything to regret.” – Richard Hamming

59. “It is not enough to be busy… The question is: What are we busy about?” – Henry David Thoreau

60. “A dream does not become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” – Colin Powell

Feedback and Improvement Quotes

If you are using the Feedback training course materials, you might want to add in one or two of these quotes too!

61. “We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.” – Bill Gates

62. “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” – Ken Blanchard

I particularly like this quote, as it clearly expresses the idea that feedback is a great form of nourishment if you want to progress.

Rather than seeing feedback as something unwelcome, you should see it as something that can motivate you to improve and help you generate new ideas.

63. “The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.” – Helmut Schmidt

64. “The only way to improve is to be open to advice and continually learning.” – Ali Krieger

65. “The greatest of all mistakes is to do nothing because you think you can only do a little. Do what you can.” – Sydney Smith

This quote reminds me of the importance of taking baby steps and tackling big challenges as a series of smaller goals.

If you look at a big challenge as a whole, it is easy to feel discouraged as it will look insurmountable. However, if you break it down into small steps, you will only need to face one small task at a time and, before you know it, you will have conquered the mountain!

66. “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” – Mark Twain

67. “Success is blocked by concentrating on it and planning for it… Success is shy—it won’t come out while you’re watching.” – Tennessee Williams

68. “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” – Benjamin Franklin

69. “Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.” – Alfred A. Montapert

70. “You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.” – Roy T. Bennett

Emotional Intelligence and Culture Quotes

Having empathy and good emotional intelligence skills is invaluable as a manager and this topic is often included in 1st-time manager training.

71. “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs

72. “Corporate culture is the only sustainable competitive advantage that is completely within the control of the entrepreneur. Develop a strong corporate culture first and foremost.” – David Cummings

73. “Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” – Carl Bard

74. “Culture is the environment in which we live and which shapes our lives. It is the people we work with. The time is now to start investing in the ability of organizations to build culture.” – Brian Halligan

75. “Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say.” – Andy Stanley

This quote reminds me of the importance of empathy and of listening properly to those around you.

If you don’t listen, people will give up trying to be heard. If a leader doesn’t listen, the team is likely to stop contributing with their ideas, which can stifle creativity and innovation, and lead to disengagement.

76. “Selfishness must always be forgiven you know: it is the price we pay for liberty.” – W. Somerset Maugham

77. “Environment doesn’t dominate man’s destiny, environment IS man’s destiny.” – Edmund Burke

This is an interesting quote as it highlights the importance of always being attentive to your surroundings.

In business as in life, it is vital to listen, watch and pay attention to the people and the events around you as we don’t live in a vacuum.

78. “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” – John F. Kennedy

79. “Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.” – Gilda Radner

80. “Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.” – Louisa May Alcott

Personal Balance and Well-being Quotes

Employee wellbeing training is important and many companies are now beginning to invest in this type of training. As a new corporate trainer, it can also be a good area for providing training.

81. “Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend.” – Lao Tzu

82. “The greatest wealth is to live content with little.” – Plato

83. “It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials.” – Bruce Lee

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

85. “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” – Buddha

86. “The key to a happy life is not being rich, but being able to appreciate what you have and not take it for granted.” – Unknown

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

Sometimes, we are so worried about all the things we want to achieve that we forget to take care of our bodies and we take our health for granted.

88. “Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Take time to prioritize your well-being.” – Unknown

89. “Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create.” – Jana Kingsford

90. “Happiness is a state of mind. It’s just according to the way you look at things.” – Walt Disney

More Workplace Training Sessions Quotes

If you enjoyed this post on training session quotes, make sure also to take a look at more quotes on:

• Employee training materials quotes
• Communication quotes