Anytime I read a book, I highlight quotes that I want to remember and file ideas, concepts, and stories I find valuable. Because personal growth is such an essential ingredient to finishing well in life, I thought I would share a few of the quotes I’ve collected lately on the subject of “personal growth.” With each quote, I’ve identified a key takeaway. Personal growth should drive you to:

• Close Your Growth Gaps – “The difference between what we do and we we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.” Mahatma Gandhi

• Dream Bigger – “If what you did yesterday still looks big to you, you haven’t done much today.” Elbert Hubbard

• Stay Humble – “A winner knows how much he still has to learn, even when he is considered an expert by others; a loser wants to be considered an expert by others before he has learned enough to know how little he knows.” Sydney Harris

• Lead Yourself – “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” Jack Welch

• Keep Improving – “Almost every man wastes part of his life in attempts to display qualities which he does not possess.” British Poet, Samuel Johnson

• Stay Focused – “For a person to keep growing, the central focus always has to be the performance itself–never other people’s response to it.” Dan Sullivan & Catherine Nomura