40+ How to Win Friends and Influence People Quotes

Written by Dale Carnegie in 1936, How to Win Friends and Influence People is a timeless self-help book that has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. Though it was written over eight decades ago, it still contains some of the most helpful advice seen today.

Despite what the title implies, How to Win Friends and Influence People isn't targeted towards people who simply want to make friends.

It’s instead written for people who want to hone their leadership and conversational skills in a working environment.

In this article, I've listed some of the most impactful How to Win Friends and Influence People quotes oriented around self-reliance, positive self-image, and cooperative relationships with colleagues.

Workplace Leadership Quotes to Improve Relationships With Employees

• "Ask questions instead of giving orders."
• "Three-fourths of the people you will meet are hungering for sympathy. Give it to them and they will love you."
• "Don’t criticize them; they are just what we would be under similar circumstances."
• "When dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity."
• "Instead of condemning people, let’s try to understand them. Let’s try to figure out why they do what they do. That’s a lot more profitable and intriguing than criticism; and it breeds sympathy, tolerance, and kindness."
• First, arouse in the other person an eager want. He who can do this has the whole world with him. He who cannot, walks a lonely way."
• "Showing a genuine interest in others not only wins friends for you but may develop in its customers a loyalty to your company."
• "Listen patiently and with an open mind."
• “Names are the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”
• "A misunderstanding is never ended by an argument but by tact, diplomacy, conciliation and a sympathetic desire to see the other person’s viewpoint."
• “There is nothing else that so kills the ambitions of a person as criticisms from superiors.”
• “Give honest, sincere appreciation. Be “hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.” and people will cherish our words and treasure them and repeat them over a lifetime—repeat them years after you have forgotten them.”
• “Abilities wither under criticism; They blossom under encouragement.”

Workplace Quotes to Spread Positivity and Improve Morale

• "Every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I learn of him."
• "All men have fears, but the brave put down their fears and go forward."
• "The effect of a smile is powerful—even when it is unseen."
• “If we want to make friends, let’s put ourselves out to do things for other people—things that require time, energy, unselfishness, and thoughtfulness.”
• "Actions speak louder than words. A smile says, 'I like you. I am glad to see you.'"
• “Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. ”
• "It raises one above the herd and gives one a feeling of nobility and exaltation to admit one's mistakes."
• "It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it."
• “Winning friends begins with friendliness.”
• “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.”
• "Talk to someone about themselves and they'll listen for hours."
• "To know all is to forgive all."
• “Remember a name and call it easily and you have paid a subtle and very effective compliment.”
• "The world is full of people who are grabbing and self-seeking. So the rare individual who unselfishly tries to serve others has an enormous advantage."
• "Criticisms are like homing pigeons. They always return home."
• "Pay less attention to what men say. Just watch what they do."
• "There is only one way to get the best of an argument—and that is to avoid it."
• "Ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst."

Workplace Quotes to Foster Success

• "If you want to gather honey, don’t kick over the beehive."
• "Don't be afraid of enemies who attack you. Be afraid of the friends who flatter you."
• "Everybody in the world is seeking happiness—and there is one sure way to find it. That is by controlling your thoughts. Happiness doesn't depend on outward conditions. It depends on inner conditions."
• "The chronic kicker, even the most violent critic, will frequently soften and be subdued in the presence of a patient, sympathetic listener— a listener who will be silent while the irate fault-finder dilates like a king cobra and spews the poison out of his system."
• "Control your temper. Remember, you can measure the size of a person by what makes him or her angry."
• “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.”
• "That is what every successful person loves: the game. The chance for self-expression. The chance to prove his or her worth, to excel, to win."
• “If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from that person’s angle as well as from your own.”
• "Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain – and most fools do."
• “A person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”
• “Be wiser than other people if you can, but do not tell them so.”
• “Every act you have ever performed since the day you were born was performed because you wanted something.”
• “People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.”
• “Anyone who takes the time to disagree with you is interested in the same things you are. Think of them as people who really want to help you and you turn your opponents into friends.”
• “You can’t win an argument. If you lose it, you lose it; and if you win it, you lose it.”