Motivational quotes from the book ‘Flashes of Thought’ by the Ruler of Dubai

I couldn’t fly out of Dubai without searching for the source of courage and the well of inspiration of the person who signed on the contract to erect the tallest building (Burj Khalifa) in the world today. That person was the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He published a book in 2013, titled Flashes of Thought in which he shared his belief as to why he wanted such a gigantic structure to be in Dubai. The book was an interesting read and I got time to jot down some motivating and food for thoughts statements he wrote in it. Let me know your favourite amongst them.

1. Words alone are not enough; it is necessary to succeed a few times in order to reassure people that you are on the right track, and to convince them to embrace your vision.
2. An easy life does not make men, nor does it build nations. Challenges make men, and it is these men who build nations.
3. For the greater our accomplishments, the wider our vision, the broader our horizons and the clearer our perception.
4. You just have to multiply the days of delay by the number of people to calculate the years wasted in procrastination.
5. My recipe for success is continually to raise the bar whenever we reach our goals.
6. If you accustom yourself to creativity in small things, creativity on a large scale will follow.
7. The job of the government is to achieve happiness for (its) people.
8. There is nothing more beautiful than to create joy in people’s hearts.
9. Our citizens are the first, second and third priority.
10. Innovation is the capital of the future.
11. I believe that positive energy is contagious, we can transmit it to others. In the same way, we can ourselves be influenced by other people’s positivity or negativity.
12. Start your day with positivity and optimism, with a positive idea and with confidence in your ambition.
13. High morale can be key to victory, just as low morale can spell defeat.
14. I have faced many challenges in my professional life, but never have I allowed myself to be defeated. Does running water stop when it reaches a rock? Of course not, it turns either left or right and continues its way. Likewise a person is confident that no challenge will stand in the way of achieving his or her goal.
15. The future belongs to those who generate ideas.
16. My advice to any leader, whether of a country, a company, a team or anything else, is to unite hearts before uniting efforts, and to feel the spirit before building the place.
17. Life was created simple and it is important to live as such.
18. My advice to all is to lead a simple life. Simplicity starts in the heart, away from the negativity and pessimism.
19. Quite often we see two people coming from the same background, having received the same education and enjoying the same level of intelligence- but one of them is far more successful than the other. Why is that? It is because one person dared to cement his ideas into reality, to experiment with his innovative side and to transform his life, while the other did not have such courage.
20. An exaggerated fear of mistakes stands in the way of creativity.
21. The fastest way to happiness is by instilling happiness in the hearts of others.
22. A person who does not take risks in life will avoid difficulties, problems and loss; but he will never mature or learn new things. He will never change. He will never even dare to love.
23. Just as high temperatures remove impurities from gold, challenges purify the capacities and strength of those who take them up.
24. Without challenges, victories and achievements would be meaningless.
25. The truth is there is no such thing as a person who is strong or weak, only a person who is willing or resistant.
26. Impossible cannot be where there is perseverance and faith. There is no impossible in life.
27. We should arm ourselves with a long-term vision, high ambitions and far-sightedness.
28. It is by mistake that a person learns.
29. Act a like a leader, for true leadership is not in one’s position, but in one’s way of thinking and acting, it is the in the nobility of one’s objectives and goals.
30. A true leader does not need to be supervised in order to devote himself to his work, to achieve and to innovate. He should have an inner impetus that makes him aim for no less than the first place.
31. A true leader does not derive power from his position, but from his ethics, from people’s love for him and from his knowledge, education and excellence in his field of work
32. Perseverance is much more important than intelligence.
33. The first key thing to motivate a person toward better performance is to empower him or her to achieve.
34. Nothing motivates an employee more than seeing the results of his own achievements.
35. You can never create a competitive environment unless you reward and praise creativity.
36. A great leader creates more great leaders and does not reduce the institution to a single person.
37. The future does not wait for hesitant people.
38. A successful nation does not wait for the future, but rolls up its sleeves and makes the future.
39. Leadership is a combination of intelligence, resourcefulness, wisdom, a strong personality and aspiration to greatest of things.
40. Anyone who can improve the life of those around him is a leader.
41. Everything can be learnt and every person is capable of self-development.
42. A great vision needs not only a great leader, but also a great work team with diverse leadership qualities.
43. Our objective is not change per se, but change for the better.
44. Horse riding starts from the inside.
45. Those who have control over themselves can control the world around them, unlike those who do not have self-control.
46. If time is life, then health gives meaning to our time and adds spice to life.
47. If morale is high, people will interact with their leader’s vision, achieve his or her objectives and follow in his or her tracks.
48. Positive energy offers you a beautiful perspective on life and arms you with the ambition, drive and motivation you need to succeed.
49. Creativity should be integral to everything that we do. Creativity should also be intrinsic to our personality, if excellence is what we seek.
50. To be creative is to add something new to life as opposed to being a passive part of it.
51. We may not live hundreds of years, but the products of our creativity can leave a legacy long after we are gone.
52. Nobody remembers runners-up. Who remembers the second person to climb Mount Everest?
53. Your determination and energy will be proportionate to your goal. Therefore, set a high goal for yourself and do not settle for anything less than the very best.
54. A woman who raises great leaders is herself a great leader.
55. Horse riding is synonymous with pride, chivalry, dignity and nobility.
56. It is by teaching others you broaden your knowledge.
57. Knowledge is the shortest path to victory, even in sports. Knowledge is more important than capability.
58. My greatest role model in life is the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
59. The question is not how we manage our time, but rather how we invest our time.
60. Some see the year as equivalent to 365 days. A year is equal to the number of days that you have invested in yourself, your family, your society or in your spiritual life. These are the only days that actually count when writing the story of your life.
61. I was asked how to become creative. I replied that we should get accustomed to not getting accustomed.
62. Challenges are omnipresent and so are risks.
63. I personally cannot judge an individual’s strength and capability, unless I confront him with a challenge, for challenges bring out a person’s best and worst sides.
64. Every kind of work entails a certain degree of risk. So, do we stop our life and work?