A curated list of accountability quotes from leaders and thinkers. Learn how embracing responsibility is essential for growth!
Few qualities are as crucial, yet sometimes as challenging to embrace, as accountability. It’s the silent force that transforms good intentions into tangible results, bridges the gap between promises and performance, and ultimately, binds individuals and teams together. Let us learn about the power of taking ownership with the following accountability quotes, shall we?
(by Jonathan M. Pham)
Short Accountability Quotes
- Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to the result. – Bob Proctor
- Blame is the water in which many dreams and relationships drown. – Steve Maraboli
- Accountability breeds response-ability. – Stephen R. Covey
- You are responsible for the choices you make. – Joel Osteen
- The price of greatness is responsibility. – Winston Churchill
Famous accountability quotes
Inspirational Accountability Quotes
- Wisdom stems from personal accountability. We all make mistakes; own them… learn from them. Don’t throw away the lesson by blaming others. – Steve Maraboli
- A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody – Thomas Paine
- The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That’s the day we truly grow up. – John C. Maxwell
- Being held accountable is an act of generosity and compassion… it is a gift that someone gives us to correct our wrongs. – Minaa B.
- Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them. – Bruce Lee
Read more: 55 Integrity Quotes – Wisdom for Building Trust & Character
Power of accountability quotes
Self Accountability Quotes
- The only thing in retrograde is your sense of personal accountability. Make positive behavioral changes and watch your life exponentially improve. – Steve Maraboli
- You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today. – Abraham Lincoln
- It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities. – Josiah Stamp
- Maturity is when you stop complaining and making excuses, and start making changes. – Roy T. Bennett
- Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself. – Henry Ward Beecher
Read more: 45 Self Control Quotes – A Daily Toolkit for Mastery
Responsibility quotes
Lack of Accountability Quotes
- A lack of accountability breeds a culture of mediocrity. – Henry Cloud
- When people don’t take responsibility, they are quick to blame and slow to improve. – Simon Sinek
- Failing to hold someone accountable is ultimately an act of selfishness. – Patrick Lencioni
- The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none. – Thomas Carlyle
- Without accountability, there can be no trust, and without trust, there can be no meaningful collaboration. – Patrick Lencioni
Read more: 55 Company Culture Quotes – Building a Great Workplace
No accountability quotes
Taking Accountability Quotes
- When things go wrong in your command, start wading for the reason in increasing larger concentric circles around your own desk. – Bruce Clarke
- Trust is built with consistency. – Lincoln Chafee
- Accountability is the willingness to take ownership of results. – John G. Miller
- Owning your mistakes is the first step toward growth.
- There are 3 things we can’t have: complacency, selfishness, and losing our accountability. – Nick Saban
Read more: 50 Performance Quotes – Insights for High Achievement
Accountability take responsibility quotes
Accountability Quotes for Work
- Responsibility equals accountability equals ownership. And a sense of ownership is the most powerful weapon a team or organization can have. – Pat Summitt
- Leaders inspire accountability through their ability to accept responsibility before they place blame. – Courtney Lynch
- Success on any major scale requires responsibility. – Michael Korda
- Accountability separates the wishers in life from the action-takers. – John Di Lemme
- Teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability. – Patrick Lencioni
Read more: 45 Team Building Quotes – Ignite Teamwork for Sustainable Growth
Accountability quotes for the workplace
Accountability Quotes for Employees
- Treat employees like they make a difference, and they will. – JimmGoodnight
- Hiring conscientious people and managing workload effectively fosters accountability. – Steve Arneson & Deb Mashek
- Hold employees accountable with clear expectations and real consequences.
- Building mutual accountability starts by building trust through team‑building. – Deb Mashek & Steve Arneson
- If you can’t get the job done, don’t just apologize; work doggedly to ease pain onto others. – Deb Mashek
Read more: 123 Motivational Quotes for Employees From Managers
Quotes about accountability
Leadership Accountability Quotes
- A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be. – Rosalynn Carter
- Leadership is taking responsibility while others are making excuses. – John C. Maxwell
- With great power comes great responsibility. – Uncle Ben/Stan Lee
- The culture of any organization is shaped by the worst behavior the leader is willing to tolerate. – Gruenter and Whitaker
- Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not. – Oprah Winfrey
Read more: 110 Leadership Quotes – Daily Doses of Inspiration to Unlock Greatness
Accountability quotes for leaders
Other resources you might be interested in:
- 39 Bad Leadership Quotes: Pitfalls & Lessons Learned the Hard Way
- 50 Essential Emotional Intelligence Quotes for Success
- 40 Empathy Quotes: Cultivating Connection for Success
- 85 Resilience Quotes for Work: A Dose of Workplace Fortitude
- 60 Communication Quotes for Work: The Art of Connection
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