Jocko Willink

Perseverance is also key to success in any endeavor, but without perseverance in combat, there can be no victory.

— Jocko Willink

“Stop researching every aspect of it and reading all about it and debating the pros and cons of it … Start doing it.”

— Jocko Willink

One of the things I definitely think of as a driver of me is fear. And it's fear of failure, fear of…

— Jocko Willink

Getting out of bed is like the foundation of the discipline, and I think it carries over into everything else.

— Jocko Willink

I'm always reading the next book. Taking notes. Highlighting, researching, studying. It doesn't stop.

— Jocko Willink

Jiu Jitsu is probably the No. 1 activity that I could recommend to someone to improve their lives overall.

— Jocko Willink

“as leaders, we must not get dragged into the details but instead remain focused on the bigger picture.”

— Jocko Willink

Every day is a major balancing act that I have to figure out and coordinate.

— Jocko Willink

“The goal of all leaders should be to work themselves out of a job. This means leaders must be heavily engaged in…

— Jocko Willink

If you continue to keep low performers on your team, that are actually dragging the team down; you're failing the whole team,…

— Jocko Willink

Just on a practical side, if you wake up early in the morning - like at 4:30 in the morning - you're…

— Jocko Willink

Don't worry about motivation. Motivation is fickle. It comes and goes. It is unreliable - and when you are counting on motivation…

— Jocko Willink

Most of us aren't defeated in one decisive battle. We are defeated one tiny, seemingly insignificant surrender at a time that chips…

— Jocko Willink

“Ego clouds and disrupts everything: the planning process, the ability to take good advice, and the ability to accept constructive criticism. It”

— Jocko Willink

“Leadership doesn’t just flow down the chain of command, but up as well,” he said. “We have to own everything in our…

— Jocko Willink

“I had to take ownership of everything that went wrong. Despite the tremendous blow to my reputation and to my ego, it…

— Jocko Willink

SEALs are human beings. We may all have the same haircuts, but we aren't robots. Some SEALs are great people. Some are…

— Jocko Willink

Who wants to leave the door open to being dominated physically by another human being? Jiu Jitsu gives you the ability to…

— Jocko Willink

Since the team understands that the leader is de facto in charge, in that respect, a leader has nothing to prove. But…

— Jocko Willink

“When leading up the chain of command, use caution and respect. But remember, if your leader is not giving the support you…

— Jocko Willink

I was 18 years old, and it was a dream come true for me to work out and eat great food for…

— Jocko Willink

The moment the alarm goes off is the first test; it sets the tone for the rest of the day. The test…

— Jocko Willink

One of my direct subordinates, one of my guys that worked for me, he would call me up or pull me aside…

— Jocko Willink

If it's stress of things that we cannot control, what you have to do is you mitigate that stress as much as…

— Jocko Willink

I'm not a complete psychopath. Am I partially? Sure. I'll accept that. But I'm not a complete psychopath.

— Jocko Willink

Jiu Jitsu is a great workout both mentally and physically. You want to be strong for it and flexible for it.

— Jocko Willink

“The test for a successful brief is simple: Do the team and the supporting elements understand it?”

— Jocko Willink

“The leader must own everything in his or her world. There is no one else to blame.”

— Jocko Willink

We record when I have a hole in the schedule. Sometimes night, sometimes afternoon, sometimes morning - we fit it in when…

— Jocko Willink

“Leadership isn’t one person leading a team. It is a group of leaders working together, up and down the chain of command,…

— Jocko Willink

“weaker commanders would get a solid explanation about the burden of command and the deep meaning of responsibility: the leader is truly…

— Jocko Willink

I would venture to guess that the biggest reason creative types don't produce isn't because they don't have vision... or talent... in…

— Jocko Willink

When I was running training, we would fire a couple of leaders from every SEAL team because they couldn't lead. And 99.9%…

— Jocko Willink

The temptation to take the easy road is always there. It is as easy as staying in bed in the morning and…

— Jocko Willink

Your success, or lack of success, is your responsibility. Even when you have a chain of command that you don't like as…

— Jocko Willink

It's really hard to guarantee things in life. I guarantee if you get up in the morning and you work out, and…

— Jocko Willink

“when it comes to standards, as a leader, it’s not what you preach, it’s what you tolerate. When setting expectations, no matter…

— Jocko Willink

“Leaders must accept total responsibility, own problems that inhibit performance, and develop solutions to those problems. A”

— Jocko Willink

“Discipline created vigilance and operational readiness, which translated to high performance and success on the battlefield.”

— Jocko Willink

“The true test for a good brief,” Jocko continued, “is not whether the senior officers are impressed. It’s whether or not the…

— Jocko Willink