Dale Carnegie, originally named Dale Carnegey, was an American lecturer, author and pioneer in public speaking and success psychology.
Born into poverty in Missouri on November 24, 1888, Carnegie honed his skills in debating clubs and later worked as a salesman and actor.
His success teaching public speaking at the YMCA led to packed lectures and standardized teaching through published materials.
His first book, ‘Public Speaking: A Practical Course for Business Men’, was published in 1926.
Carnegie gained worldwide recognition with ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ (1936), emphasizing the importance of individual attitude.
His other works include ‘How to Stop Worrying and Start Living’ (1948), providing practical advice to prevent stress.
Related: C. S. Lewis Quotes from the Famous British Writer and Robin Sharma Quotes on Leadership
Carnegie, who passed away in 1955, left a powerful legacy of leadership insights.
Here are some of the best quotes from Dale Carnegie for you.
Best Dale Carnegie Quotes
1. “People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
2. “Knowledge isn’t power until it is applied.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
3. “Our thoughts make us what we are.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
4. “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).
5. “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).
6. “Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
7. “To be interesting, be interested.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
8. “Our fatigue is often caused not by work, but by worry, frustration and resentment.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
9. “You can measure the size of a person by what makes him or her angry.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
10. “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.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
11. “One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
12. “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
13. “Be wiser than other people if you can; but do not tell them so.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
14. “Don’t be afraid of enemies who attack you. Be afraid of the friends who flatter you.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
15. “Today is our most precious possession. It is our only sure possession.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
16. “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.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
17. “Talk to someone about themselves and they’ll listen for hours.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
18. “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).
19. “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).
20. “An hour of planning can save you 10 hours of doing.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
21. “The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
22. “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
Top Dale Carnegie Quotes
23. “Everyday is a new life to a wise man.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
24. “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
25. “Believe that you will succeed, and you will.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
26. “Don’t Criticize, Condemn, Or Complain.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
27. “Stop worrying and start living.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
28. “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain – and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
29. “Names are the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
30. “Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
31. “Two men looked out from prison bars, One saw the mud, the other saw stars.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
32. “First ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
33. “It isn’t work that makes you tired, it’s your mental attitude.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
34. “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.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
35. “If you want to conquer fear, don’t sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
36. “Life truly is a boomerang. What you give, you get.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
37. “The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
38. “The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
39. “Fear doesn’t exist anywhere except in the mind.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
40. “Feeling sorry for yourself, and your present condition, is not only a waste of energy but the worst habit you could possibly have.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
41. “If you want to be enthusiastic, act enthusiastic.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
42. “Begin with praise and honest appreciation.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
43. “All men have fears, but the brave put down their fears and go forward, sometimes to death, but always to victory.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
44. “Nobody is more persuasive than a good listener.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
45. “No matter what happens, always be yourself.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
46. “Even in such technical lines as engineering, about 15% of one’s financial success is due one’s technical knowledge and about 85% is due to skill in human engineering, to personality and the ability to lead people.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
47. “When we have accepted the worst, we have nothing more to lose. And that automatically means we have everything to gain.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
48. “People like people who help them like themselves.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
49. “Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
50. “Great speakers are not born, they’re trained.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
Famous Dale Carnegie Quotes
51. “Instead of worrying about what people say of you, why not spend time trying to accomplish something they will admire.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
52. “Flaming enthusiasm, backed by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
53. “If you want others to like you, if you want to develop real friendships, if you want to help others at the same time as you help yourself, keep this principle in mind: Become genuinely interested in other people.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
54. “Become genuinely interested in other people.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
55. “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).
56. “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
57. “Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
58. “Improving yourself is a lot more profitable than trying to improve others.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
59. “If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
60. “In order to make friends you must first be friendly.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
61. “Tell the audience what you’re going to say, say it; then tell them what you’ve said.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
62. “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).
63. “People support a world they helped create.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
64. “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. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
65. “Today is life – the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
66. “If you want to gather honey, don’t kick over the beehive.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
67. “If we think happy thoughts, we will be happy. If we think miserable thoughts, we will be miserable.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
68. “Don’t ask a man what is important to him. Watch how he spends his time.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
69. “Self-expression is the dominant necessity of human nature.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
70. “Most of us have far more courage than we ever dreamed we possessed.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
71. “90% of all management problems are caused by miscommunication.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
72. “The best things in life are yours, if you can appreciate yourself.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
73. “Remember happiness doesn’t depend upon who you are or what you have; it depends solely on what you think.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
74. “We all have possibilities we don’t know about. We can do things we don’t even dream we can do.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
75. “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.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
76. “In a Nutshell – Fundamental Techniques In Handling People; Principle 1 – Don’t criticize, condemn or complain; Principle 2 – Give honest and sincere appreciation; Principle 3 – Arouse in the other person an eager want.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
77. “Create happiness for others.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
78. “Nobody kicks a dead dog.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
79. “Flattery is from the teeth out. Sincere appreciation is from the heart out.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
80. “Abilities wither under criticism; they blossom under encouragement.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
Inspiring Dale Carnegie Quotes
81. “Let the other person save face.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
82. “Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
83. “Put a ‘stop-loss’ order on your worries. Decide just how much anxiety a thing may be worth- and refuse to give it any more.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
84. “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).
85. “Fear is the result of a lack of confidence. A lack of confidence is the result of not knowing what you can do. A lack of knowing what you can do is caused by a lack of experience. A lack of experience is caused by a lack of doing something new.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
86. “Remember my name and you add to my feeling of importance.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
87. “Your smile is a messenger of your goodwill.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
88. “The world is so full of people who are grabbing and self-seeking. So the rare individual who unselfishly tries to serve others has an enormous advantage. He has little competition.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
89. “Your smile brightens the lives of all who see it.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
90. “Your smile brightens the lives of all who see it. To someone who has seen a dozen people frown, scowl or turn their faces away, your smile is like the sun breaking through the clouds.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
91. “People do things for “their” reasons, not ours. So find their reasons.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
92. “Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
93. “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).
94. “People are not interested in you. They are not interested in me. They are interested in themselves – morning, noon and after dinner.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
95. “There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
96. “Neither you nor I nor Einstein nor the Supreme Court of the United States is brilliant enough to reach an intelligent decision on any problem without first getting the facts.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
97. “Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
98. “Keep your mind open to change all the time. Welcome it. Court it. It is only by examining and reexamining your opinions and ideas that you can progress.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
99. “Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
100. “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
Short Dale Carnegie Quotes
101. “Face the thing that seems overwhelming and you will be surprised how your fear will melt away.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
102. “Our trouble is not ignorance, but inaction.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
103. “Once I did bad and that I heard ever. Twice I did good, but that I heard never.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
104. “Let us praise even the slightest improvement. That inspires the other person to keep on improving.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
105. “When you face a problem, solve it then and there if you have the facts necessary to make a decision. Don’t keep putting off decisions.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
106. “Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
107. “Act as if you were already happy and that will tend to make you happy.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
108. “Do you remember the things you were worrying about a year ago? How did they work out? Didn’t you waste a lot of fruitless energy on account of most of them? Didn’t most of them turn out all right after all?” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
109. “Even God doesn’t propose to judge a man till his last days, why should you and I?” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
110. “If you can be kind and considerate for one day, then you can be for another. It won’t cost you a penny in the world. Begin today.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
111. “Practice, practice, practice in speaking before an audience will tend to remove all fear of audiences, just as practice in swimming will lead to confidence and facility in the water. You must learn to speak by speaking.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
112. “If you believe in what you are doing, then let nothing hold you up in your work. Much of the best work of the world has been done against seeming impossibilities. The thing is to get the work done.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
113. “One of the surest ways of making a friend and influencing the opinion of another is to give consideration to his opinion, to let him sustain his feeling of importance.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
114. “The most important thing in life is not simply to capitalize on your gains. Any fool can do that. The important thing is to profit from your losses. That requires intelligence, and makes the difference between a man of sense and a fool.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
115. “Actions speak louder than words, and a smile says, ‘I like you. You make me happy. I am glad to see you.’ That is why dogs make such a hit. They are so glad to see us that they almost jump out of their skins. So, naturally, we are glad to see them.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
116. “Excitement radiates through your eyes, your face, your voice, your soul, and your whole personality.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
117. “Give Honest and Sincere Appreciation.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
118. “If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
119. “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 goodwill.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
120. “Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
121. “Success in dealing with people depends on sympathetic grasp of the other person’s viewpoint.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
122. “There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
123. “This is the only chance you will ever have on earth with this exciting adventure called life. So why not plan it, and try to live it as richly, as happily as possible?” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
124. “Let’s fight for our happiness by following a daily program of cheerful and constructive thinking.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
125. “You can get ahead in the world. But you will have to work, you will have to want tremendously to accomplish something, and then be willing to pay the price. Are you willing?” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
126. “Only the prepared speaker deserves to be confident.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
127. “Each party should gain from the negotiation.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
128. “No one likes to feel that he or she is being sold something or told to do a thing. We much prefer to feel that we are buying of our own accord or acting on our own ideas. We like to be consulted about our wishes, our wants, our thoughts.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
129. “One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
130. “Encouragement makes a fault easy to correct, and a challenge easy to take on.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
131. “If you can be sure of being right only 55 percent of the time, you can go down to Wall Street and make a million dollars a day. If you can’t be sure of being right even 55 percent of the time, why should you tell other people they are wrong?” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
Dale Carnegie Quotes for Motivation
132. “Do things for others and you’ll find your self-consciousness evaporating like morning dew.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
133. “My popularity, my happiness and sense of worth depend to no small extent upon my skill in dealing with people.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
134. “Appreciation is the legal tender that all souls enjoy.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
135. “Mix judgment with ambition and season it with energy. It makes a splendid recipe for success.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
136. “Flattery is telling the other person precisely what he thinks about himself.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
137. “Naturalness is the easiest thing in the world to acquire, if you will forget yourself-forget about the impression you are trying to make.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
138. “If only the people who worry about their liabilities would think about the riches they do possess, they would stop worrying.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
139. “Those convinced against their will are of the same opinion still.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
140. “If half a century of living has taught me anything at all, it has taught me that nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
141. “There is only one excuse for a speaker’s asking the attention of his audience: he must have either truth or entertainment for them.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
142. “The man who grasps an opportunity as it is paraded before him, nine times out of ten makes a success, but the man who makes his own opportunities is, barring an accident, a sure-fire success.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
143. “We can all endure disaster and tragedy, and triumph over them-if we have to. We may not think we can, but we have surprisingly strong inner resources that will see us through if we will only make use of them. We are stronger than we think.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
144. “A talk is a voyage. It must be charted. The speaker who starts nowhere, usually gets there.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
145. “A barber lathers a man before he shaves him.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
146. “An argument would have begun to steam and boil and sputter – and you know how arguments end. Even if I had convinced him that he was wrong, his pride would have made it difficult for him to back down and give in.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
147. “If you want others to like you, if you want to develop real friendships, if you want to help others at the same time as you help yourself, keep this principle in mind: Become genuinely interested in other people.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
148. “If you want enemies, excel your friends; but if you want friends, let your friends excel you.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
149. “So if you aspire to be a good conversationalist, be an attentive listener.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
150. “We are gods in the chrysalis.” ~ (Dale Carnegie).
Short Biography of Dale Carnegie
Dale Carnegie, born on November 24, 1888, in Missouri, emerged from humble beginnings to become a renowned American writer and lecturer.
He authored the perennial bestseller “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” among other books.
Carnegie advocated for improving oneself to positively influence others’ behaviors.
| Full Name | Dale Harbison Carnagey |
| Born | November 24, 1888 Maryville, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | November 1, 1955 (aged 66) Forest Hills, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Belton, Missouri, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer, Lecturer |
| Alma mater | University of Central Missouri |
| Notable works | How to Win Friends and Influence People; How to Stop Worrying and Start Living |
| Spouse | Lolita Baucaire(m. 1927; div. 1931); Dorothy Price Vanderpool(m. 1944) |
| Children | 2 |
Growing up on a farm, he was active in debating during his school years and had an early interest in public speaking.
His work in self-improvement and interpersonal skills courses has had lasting impacts.
Quick Facts about Dale Carnegie
- Dale Carnegie was born on November 24, 1888, in Maryville, Missouri.
- Originally named Carnagey, he changed his surname to Carnegie in 1919.
- Carnegie was the son of Missouri farmers, James William Carnagey and Amanda Elizabeth Harbison.
- He grew up attending rural schools and had a passion for public speaking from a young age.
- Carnegie graduated from the State Teachers College in Warrensburg, Missouri in 1908.
- After college, he sold correspondence courses and later worked for Armour & Company, selling bacon, soap, and lard.
- By 1911, he had saved $500 and left sales to pursue a career in lecturing, eventually teaching public speaking.
- He started teaching at the YMCA, where he developed his unique method of encouraging students to speak about personal, emotive topics.
- Carnegie served in the U.S. Army during World War I.
- He held a lecture at Carnegie Hall in 1916, which was a turning point in his career.
- His book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” was published in 1936 and became a bestseller.
- Other notable works include “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” and “Lincoln the Unknown”.
- Carnegie believed in improving interpersonal skills by changing one’s behavior toward others.
- He married Dorothy Price Vanderpool in 1944, who later managed his company after his death.
- He had a daughter named Donna Dale Carnegie with Dorothy.
- Carnegie died on November 1, 1955, from Hodgkin lymphoma.
- He was buried in Belton, Cass County, Missouri.
- Over his lifetime, Carnegie critiqued more than 150,000 speeches.
- By the time of his death, his institute had over 450,000 graduates.
- His teachings and books continue to influence the fields of self-improvement and interpersonal skills.
Top Questions about Dale Carnegie
A: Dale Carnegie began teaching public speaking after an improvisation during his first class at a YMCA in New York. He asked his students to talk about something that made them angry, which helped them overcome their fear of public speaking.
A: After saving $500, Dale Carnegie quit his sales job to pursue a career as a Chautauqua lecturer. However, he instead enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, eventually transitioning to teaching public speaking.
A: By 1916, Dale Carnegie had conducted a sold-out lecture at Carnegie Hall. This success influenced him to change his last name to Carnegie in 1919, honoring steel magnate Andrew Carnegie and making his name easier to remember.
A: “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” published in 1936, became an instant bestseller and remains influential. By the time of Carnegie’s death, it had sold over five million copies in 31 languages, showcasing his impact on personal development and public speaking.
A: Growing up, Dale Carnegie was involved in his school’s debate team and inspired by Chautauqua assemblies’ speeches. These experiences honed his public speaking skills and sparked his interest in the field.
