37 Life-changing Dale Carnegie Quotes From His Two Legendary Books
Dale Carnegie is one of the original trailblazers of what we now call personal development, along with Napoleon Hill and Jim Rohn. The accumulated impact on people’s lives that can be traced back to these three pioneers on the art of living is impossible to measure, but we can all be sure that the world would be a different place.
“And why is that?” one may ask.
Because when adopted, the mindsets of these leaders will have you focusing on developing yourself (Jim Rohn), knowing where you are going (Napoleon Hill) and how to actually get there (Dale Carnegie). Which in turn is something that has enabled people from all walks of life to successfully follow their dreams and realize their goals, whether as entrepreneurs or seekers of happiness. Or friends.
These 37 Dale Carnegie quotes are on how to worry less and live more, curated from the classics How to Stop Worrying and Start Living from the book that changed Warren Buffett’s life: How to Win Friends and Influence People – on what drives us humans to care and to connect.
And how to make that connection when reaching out, whether in business or when just trying to make a friend.
“The best possible way to prepare for tomorrow is to concentrate with all your intelligence, with all your enthusiasm, on doing today’s work superbly today. That is the only possible way you can prepare for the future”
– Dale Carnegie
“One of the worst features about worrying is that it destroys our ability to concentrate”
– Dale Carnegie
“When we have accepted the worst, we have nothing more to lose. And that automatically means – we have everything to gain!”
– Dale Carnegie
“The difference between good thinking and bad thinking is this: good thinking deals with causes and effects and leads to logical, constructive planning; bad thinking frequently leads to tension and nervous breakdowns”
– Dale Carnegie
– Dale Carnegie
“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon – instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today”
– Dale Carnegie
“Those who do not know how to fight worry die young”
– Dale Carnegie
“Half the worry in the world is caused by people trying to make decisions before they have sufficient knowledge on which to base a decision”
– Dale Carnegie
“If a person will devote their time to securing facts in an impartial, objective way, their worries will usually evaporate in the light of knowledge”
– Dale Carnegie
“To keep thinking about our problems beyond a certain point is bound to create confusion and worry. There comes a time when any more investigation and thinking are harmful. There comes a time when we must decide and act and never look back”
– Dale Carnegie
“Once a decision is carefully reached, act! Get busy carrying out your decision – and dismiss all anxiety of the outcome”
– Dale Carnegie
“When we stop fighting the inevitable, we release energy which enables us to create a richer life”
– Dale Carnegie
“I am deeply convinced that our peace of mind and the joy we get out of living depends not on where we are, or what we have, or who we are, but solely on our mental attitude”
– Dale Carnegie
– Dale Carnegie
“When we hate our enemies, we are giving them power over us: power over our sleep, our appetites, our blood pressure, our health, and our happiness”
– Dale Carnegie
“We may not be saintly enough to love our enemies, but, for the sake of our own health and happiness, let’s at least forgive them and forget them”
– Dale Carnegie
“Find yourself and be yourself: remember there is no one else on earth like you”
– Dale Carnegie
“You can sing only what you are. You can paint only what you are. You must be what your experiences, your environment, and your heredity made you. For better or for worse, you must play your own little instrument in the orchestra of life”
– Dale Carnegie
“Let’s not imitate others. Let’s find ourselves and be ourselves”
– Dale Carnegie
“If you want to gather honey, don’t kick over the beehive”
– Dale Carnegie
“Criticism is dangerous, because it wounds a person’s precious pride, hurts his sense of importance and arouses resentment”
– Dale Carnegie
“As much as we thirst for approval, we dread condemnation”
– Dale Carnegie
“When dealing with people, let us remember that 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”
– Dale Carnegie
“There is only one way under high heaven to get anybody to do anything. And that is by making the other person want to do it”
– Dale Carnegie
“In our interpersonal relations we should never forget that all our associates are human beings and hunger for appreciation”
– Dale Carnegie
“The only way on earth to influence other people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it”
– Dale Carnegie
“Every act you have ever performed was performed because you wanted something”
– Dale Carnegie
“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”
– Dale Carnegie
“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”
– Dale Carnegie
“Did you ever stop to think that a dog is the only animal that does not have to work for a living?”
– Dale Carnegie
“ You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you”
– Dale Carnegie
“People are not interested in you. They are not interested in me. They are interested in themselves – morning, noon and after dinner”
– Dale Carnegie
“It is the individual who is not interested in his fellow men who has the greatest difficulties in life and provides the greatest injury to others.”
– Dale Carnegie
“I have discovered from personal experience that one can win the attention and time and cooperation of even the most sought-after people by becoming genuinely interested in them”
– Dale Carnegie
“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”
– Dale Carnegie
“Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language”
– Dale Carnegie
“There is one all-important law to all human conduct. If we obey by that law, we shall almost never get into trouble. In fact, that law, if obeyed, will bring us countless friends and constant happiness. That law is this: Always make the other person feel important”
– Dale Carnegie