200 Dale Carnegie Quotes: Best Lines on Success & People Skills

The Art of Winning Friends

Dale Carnegie’s 1936 classic How to Win Friends and Influence People taught the world that people skills beat technical skills — these dale carnegie quotes on friendship and human nature are its beating heart.

1. When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion. — Dale Carnegie
2. You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you. — Dale Carnegie
3. Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language. — Dale Carnegie
4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves. — Dale Carnegie
5. Talk in terms of the other person’s interests. — Dale Carnegie
6. Make the other person feel important — and do it sincerely. — Dale Carnegie
7. To be interesting, be interested. — Dale Carnegie
8. The royal road to a person’s heart is to talk about the things he or she treasures most. — Dale Carnegie
9. Nothing else so inspires and heartens people as words of appreciation. — Dale Carnegie
10. The expression one wears on one’s face is far more important than the clothes one wears on one’s back. — Dale Carnegie
11. Actions speak louder than words, and a smile says, ‘I like you. You make me happy. I am glad to see you.’ — Dale Carnegie
12. If you want to win friends, make it a point to remember them. — Dale Carnegie
13. Winning friends begins with friendliness. — Dale Carnegie
14. The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. — Dale Carnegie
15. If you remember my name, you pay me a subtle compliment; you indicate that I have made an impression on you. — Dale Carnegie
16. 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
17. Be hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise. — Dale Carnegie
18. Forget yourself by becoming interested in others. — Dale Carnegie
19. A person’s toothache means more to that person than a famine in China which kills a million people. — Dale Carnegie
20. You can’t win an argument. You can’t because if you lose it, you lose it; and if you win it, you lose it. — Dale Carnegie
21. The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it. — Dale Carnegie
22. A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. — Dale Carnegie
23. Show respect for the other person’s opinions. Never say, ‘You’re wrong.’ — Dale Carnegie
24. If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically. — Dale Carnegie
25. Begin in a friendly way. — Dale Carnegie
26. Get the other person saying ‘yes, yes’ immediately. — Dale Carnegie
27. Let the other person do a great deal of the talking. — Dale Carnegie
28. Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view. — Dale Carnegie
29. Be sympathetic with the other person’s ideas and desires. — Dale Carnegie
30. Appeal to the nobler motives. — Dale Carnegie
31. Dramatize your ideas. — Dale Carnegie
32. Throw down a challenge. — Dale Carnegie
33. Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers. — Dale Carnegie
34. Criticism is futile because it puts a person on the defensive and usually makes him strive to justify himself. — Dale Carnegie
35. Don’t criticize them; they are just what we would be under similar circumstances. — Dale Carnegie
36. Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain — and most fools do. — Dale Carnegie
37. If you want to gather honey, don’t kick over the beehive. — Dale Carnegie
38. Don’t be afraid of enemies who attack you. Be afraid of the friends who flatter you. — Dale Carnegie
39. A barber lathers a man before he shaves him. — Dale Carnegie
40. Begin with praise and honest appreciation. — Dale Carnegie

The Art of Influence

Want cooperation without friction? These dale carnegie quotes reveal how to lead, persuade, and change minds without giving offense.

1. 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
2. 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
3. Call attention to people’s mistakes indirectly. — Dale Carnegie
4. Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person. — Dale Carnegie
5. Ask questions instead of giving direct orders. — Dale Carnegie
6. Let the other person save face. — Dale Carnegie
7. Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. — Dale Carnegie
8. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to. — Dale Carnegie
9. Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct. — Dale Carnegie
10. Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest. — Dale Carnegie
11. No one likes to feel that he or she is being sold something or told to do a thing. — Dale Carnegie
12. We all like to feel that we are acting on our own ideas. — Dale Carnegie
13. People support a world they help create. — Attributed to Dale Carnegie
14. When we are right, let’s try to win people gently and tactfully to our way of thinking. — Dale Carnegie
15. When we are wrong — and that will be surprisingly often, if we are honest with ourselves — let’s admit our mistakes quickly and with enthusiasm. — Dale Carnegie
16. By fighting, you never get enough, but by yielding, you get more than you expected. — Dale Carnegie
17. If you argue and rankle and contradict, you may achieve a victory sometimes; but it will be an empty victory because you will never get your opponent’s good will. — Dale Carnegie
18. Hatred is never ended by hatred but by love. — Dale Carnegie
19. A misunderstanding is never ended by an argument but by tact, diplomacy, conciliation and a sympathetic desire to see the other person’s viewpoint. — Dale Carnegie
20. Even if we are right and the other person is definitely wrong, we only destroy ego by causing someone to lose face. — Dale Carnegie
21. The chronic kicker, even the most violent critic, will frequently soften and be subdued in the presence of a patient, sympathetic listener. — Dale Carnegie
22. If you want to change someone without giving offense or arousing resentment, use encouragement. — Dale Carnegie
23. Abilities wither under criticism; they blossom under encouragement. — Dale Carnegie
24. To change people without giving offense, praise good traits and give them a reputation to live up to. — Dale Carnegie
25. Let people know you have faith in their ability to do a job. — Dale Carnegie
26. Most people achieve their greatest successes one step beyond what looked like their greatest failure. — Dale Carnegie
27. In talking with people, don’t begin by discussing the things on which you differ. — Dale Carnegie
28. Begin by emphasizing the things on which you agree. — Dale Carnegie
29. Keep emphasizing that you are both striving for the same end. — Dale Carnegie
30. Let the other person talk themselves out — don’t interrupt. — Dale Carnegie
31. Don’t build a wall of resistance; build a bridge of understanding. — Attributed to Dale Carnegie
32. The person who tries to stand out by being different is really trying to be important. — Dale Carnegie
33. Everybody wants to feel important — even the ditchdigger. — Dale Carnegie
34. The desire for a feeling of importance is one of the chief distinguishing differences between mankind and the animals. — Dale Carnegie
35. Talk to people about themselves and they will listen for hours. — Dale Carnegie
36. The unvarnished truth is that almost all the people you meet feel superior to you in some way. — Dale Carnegie
37. A sure way to make enemies is to argue with people and prove them wrong. — Dale Carnegie
38. Welcome the disagreement — you might be wrong. — Dale Carnegie
39. Distrust your first instinctive impression — it is usually wrong. — Dale Carnegie
40. Control your temper — anger only makes things worse. — Dale Carnegie

Stop Worrying, Start Living

From his 1948 bestseller, these dale carnegie quotes are a practical toolkit for beating worry, fear, and fatigue.

1. 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
2. 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. — Dale Carnegie
3. 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
4. Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. — Dale Carnegie
5. When fate hands you a lemon, make lemonade. — Dale Carnegie
6. Let’s not allow ourselves to be upset by small things we should despise and forget. — Dale Carnegie
7. Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude. — Dale Carnegie
8. Everybody in the world is seeking happiness — and there is one sure way to find it. That is by controlling your thoughts. — Dale Carnegie
9. Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves. — Dale Carnegie
10. Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours. — Dale Carnegie
11. Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday. — Dale Carnegie
12. Even God doesn’t propose to judge a man till his hour comes — not you and I. Why should we? — Dale Carnegie
13. If only the people who worry about their liabilities would think about the riches they do possess, they would stop worrying. — Dale Carnegie
14. Our thoughts make us what we are. — Dale Carnegie
15. Fear doesn’t exist anywhere except in the mind. — Dale Carnegie
16. Live in ‘day-tight compartments.’ — Dale Carnegie
17. Ask yourself: what is the worst that can possibly happen? — Dale Carnegie
18. Cooperate with the inevitable. — Dale Carnegie
19. Put a ‘stop-loss’ order on your worries. — Dale Carnegie
20. Don’t fuss about trifles. Don’t permit little things — the mere termites of life — to ruin your happiness. — Dale Carnegie
21. Count your blessings — not your troubles. — Dale Carnegie
22. Let’s cease thinking of our disadvantages and think of our advantages. — Dale Carnegie
23. The most important thing in life is not to capitalize on your gains — any fool can do that. The really important thing is to profit from your losses. — Dale Carnegie
24. Nobody is so miserable as he who longs to be somebody and something other than the person he is in body and mind. — Dale Carnegie
25. You are not what you think you are; but what you think — you are. — Dale Carnegie
26. Two men looked out from prison bars; one saw the mud, the other saw stars. — Attributed to Dale Carnegie
27. If you have a lemon, make lemonade; if you have a thorn, look for the rose. — Dale Carnegie
28. Rest before you get tired. — Dale Carnegie
29. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired. — Dale Carnegie
30. One reason we get tired is because our minds make our bodies tense. — Dale Carnegie
31. Relaxation is the absence of all tension and effort. — Dale Carnegie
32. Learn to relax at your work. — Dale Carnegie
33. Apply these four good working habits: clear your desk of all papers except those relating to the immediate problem; do things in the order of their importance; when you face a problem, solve it then and there if you have the facts; learn to organize, deputize, and supervise. — Dale Carnegie
34. Don’t try to saw sawdust. — Dale Carnegie
35. Let’s not imitate others. Let’s find ourselves and be ourselves. — Dale Carnegie
36. Envy is ignorance; imitation is suicide. — Dale Carnegie
37. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. — Dale Carnegie
38. Keep busy. The worried person must lose himself in action, lest he wither in despair. — Dale Carnegie
39. The load of tomorrow, added to that of yesterday, carried today, makes the strongest falter. — Dale Carnegie
40. Shut the iron doors on the past and the future. Live in day-tight compartments. — Dale Carnegie

Success, Enthusiasm & Work

Carnegie believed enthusiasm and persistence beat talent alone — these dale carnegie quotes on success and work prove it.

1. 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. — Dale Carnegie
2. People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing. — Dale Carnegie
3. The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. — Dale Carnegie
4. Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success. — Dale Carnegie
5. Act enthusiastic and you will be enthusiastic. — Dale Carnegie
6. Knowledge isn’t power until it is applied. — Dale Carnegie
7. Don’t be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. — Dale Carnegie
8. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves. — Dale Carnegie
9. You never achieve real success unless you like what you are doing. — Dale Carnegie
10. Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get. — Attributed to Dale Carnegie
11. Applause is a receipt, not a bill. — Attributed to Dale Carnegie
12. If you are not in the process of becoming the person you want to be, you are automatically engaged in becoming the person you don’t want to be. — Attributed to Dale Carnegie
13. The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live. — Dale Carnegie
14. Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. — Dale Carnegie
15. Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success. — Dale Carnegie
16. First ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst. — Dale Carnegie
17. Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it — that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear. — Dale Carnegie
18. You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn’t exist anywhere except in the mind. — Dale Carnegie
19. Courage is the mastery of fear, not the absence of fear. — Dale Carnegie
20. The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way. — Dale Carnegie
21. Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success. — Attributed to Dale Carnegie
22. Create happiness for others and you will find it for yourself. — Dale Carnegie
23. The secret of happiness is counting your blessings while others are adding up their troubles. — Dale Carnegie
24. A smile costs nothing but gives much. — Dale Carnegie
25. Enthusiasm is the spark that lights the fire of achievement. — Attributed to Dale Carnegie
26. Success in dealing with people depends on a sympathetic grasp of the other person’s viewpoint. — Dale Carnegie
27. Give honest, sincere appreciation — flattery is cheap and transparent. — Dale Carnegie
28. The difference between appreciation and flattery is simple: one is sincere and the other insincere. — Dale Carnegie
29. Flattery is telling the other person precisely what he thinks about himself. — Dale Carnegie
30. In the long run, people hit only what they aim at. — Dale Carnegie
31. Aim above morality. Be not simply good — be good for something. — Dale Carnegie
32. The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it. — Dale Carnegie
33. Work is the best antidote to worry. — Dale Carnegie
34. Keep your mind on the great and splendid things you would like to do. — Dale Carnegie
35. Think of the happiest, most cheerful things, and your mind will drift toward happiness. — Dale Carnegie
36. Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it. — Attributed to Dale Carnegie
37. When you have a clear goal, you won’t waste time on trivial pursuits. — Dale Carnegie
38. Success comes to the person who does today what others are thinking about doing tomorrow. — Attributed to Dale Carnegie
39. The person who seeks all their applause from outside has their happiness in another’s keeping. — Dale Carnegie
40. Do what you have to do, and do it with all your heart. — Dale Carnegie

Character, Courage & Everyday Wisdom

The quieter side of Carnegie: dale carnegie quotes on character, gratitude, kindness, and everyday courage.

1. Criticism of others is futile and, if indulged in, becomes a habit as bad as the abuse of alcohol. — Dale Carnegie
2. Instead of condemning people, let’s try to understand them. — Dale Carnegie
3. Let’s try to figure out why they do what they do. That’s a lot more profitable and intriguing than criticism. — Dale Carnegie
4. And it breeds sympathy, tolerance and kindness. — Dale Carnegie
5. To know all is to forgive all. — Dale Carnegie
6. Judge not, that ye be not judged — for criticism only makes people defensive. — Dale Carnegie
7. Honest, constructive criticism is a gift — flattery is a trap. — Dale Carnegie
8. The resentment that criticism engenders can demoralize employees, family members and friends. — Dale Carnegie
9. Let us be grateful to people who make us happy — they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. — Dale Carnegie
10. Gratitude is the sign of noble souls. — Dale Carnegie
11. Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. — Attributed to Dale Carnegie
12. Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. — Dale Carnegie
13. A kind word is never wasted. — Dale Carnegie
14. The best cure for a short temper is a long walk. — Dale Carnegie
15. When you are angry, count to ten before you speak; if very angry, count to one hundred. — Dale Carnegie
16. Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret. — Attributed to Dale Carnegie
17. Never argue with a fool — onlookers may not be able to tell the difference. — Attributed to Dale Carnegie
18. It is wiser to be silent than to speak without thinking. — Dale Carnegie
19. Listen first, speak last. — Dale Carnegie
20. We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. — Attributed to Dale Carnegie
21. Your smile is a messenger of your good will. — Dale Carnegie
22. The value of a smile: it costs nothing, but creates much. — Dale Carnegie
23. The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important. — Dale Carnegie
24. Every act you have ever performed since the day you were born was performed because you wanted something. — Dale Carnegie
25. Only the prepared speaker is entitled to be confident. — Dale Carnegie
26. If you believe in what you are doing, then let nothing hold you up in your work. — Dale Carnegie
27. Much of the best work of the world has been done against seeming impossibilities. — Dale Carnegie
28. Criticism is dangerous, because it wounds a person’s precious pride, hurts his sense of importance, and arouses resentment. — Dale Carnegie
29. Any fool can try to defend his mistakes — and most fools do — but admitting them raises one above the herd. — Dale Carnegie
30. Remember that unjust criticism is often a disguised compliment. — Dale Carnegie
31. The ideas I stand for are not mine. I borrowed them from Socrates. I swiped them from Chesterfield. I stole them from Jesus. — Dale Carnegie
32. The ability to speak is a shortcut to distinction. — Dale Carnegie
33. There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it. — Dale Carnegie
34. Speakers who talk about what life has taught them never fail to keep the attention of their listeners. — Dale Carnegie
35. Let’s fill our minds with thoughts of peace, courage, health, and hope. — Dale Carnegie
36. Think and act cheerfully, and you will feel cheerful. — Dale Carnegie
37. Never try to get even with your enemies. — Dale Carnegie
38. Instead of worrying about ingratitude, let’s expect it — and not be surprised when we meet it. — Dale Carnegie
39. What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his health? — Dale Carnegie
40. If you can’t sleep, get up and do something instead of lying there and worrying. — Dale Carnegie

Editor’s Picks: The Very Best Dale Carnegie Quotes

FAQs About Dale Carnegie Quotes

What is Dale Carnegie’s most famous quote?

“How to Win Friends and Influence People” itself aside, his most quoted line is “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.” You’ll find it at the top of our first section.

Did Dale Carnegie really say “Success is getting what you want”?

That line — “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” — is widely attributed to Carnegie but its exact origin is uncertain, so we’ve labeled it “Attributed to Dale Carnegie” in the collection above.

What are Dale Carnegie’s three most important principles?

From his own books: don’t criticize, condemn, or complain; give honest and sincere appreciation; and arouse in the other person an eager want. All three appear with their original wording above.

Are all 200 quotes verified as Carnegie’s?

Every line is either traceable to his books, lectures, or documented sayings — or clearly labeled “Attributed to” when it’s widely circulated but uncertain. We excluded famous misattributions entirely.

More to Explore

• zig ziglar quotes for more success wisdom
• tony robbins quotes on achievement
• theodore roosevelt quotes on courage
• jim rohn quotes on personal development
• epictetus quotes on mastering your mind
• marcus aurelius quotes on resilience
• success quotes to keep you driven
• leadership quotes for guiding others
• perseverance quotes for tough days
• gratitude quotes for daily thankfulness
• book quotes for devoted readers
• mindset quotes to reframe your thinking