--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Influence is the ability to move a person…" description: "\"Influence is the ability to move a person to a desired action.\" — Bob Burg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/bob-burg-13655_ability_influence-is-the-ability-to-move-a-perso_698730.jpg" --- # Influence is the ability to move a person to a desired… ![“Influence is the ability to move a person to a desired action.” quote by Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/bob-burg-13655_ability_influence-is-the-ability-to-move-a-perso_698730.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/bob-burg-13655_ability_influence-is-the-ability-to-move-a-perso_698730.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/bob-burg-13655_ability_influence-is-the-ability-to-move-a-perso_698730.jpg) > “Influence is the ability to move a person to a desired action.” [Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Influence is defined as the capacity to persuade someone to act as desired. **In simple terms:** Influence means persuading others to act. Key Takeaway Develop ethical persuasion skills. Themes leadership communication psychology ethics motivation Mood thoughtful motivational Type definition insight When to use this quote - sales pitch - team management - public speaking - marketing campaign Key Concepts social influence behavioral change decision making Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure influence remains ethical? - What boundaries should guide persuasion? A Different Perspective Influence can be misused if unchecked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) ## Related quotes > [Ultimate influence is the ability to get the results you want from others while helping them feel genuinely good about themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/ultimate-influence-is-the-ability-to-get-the-results-you-want-from/) [Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) > [“It is the ability of a person to bring a reaction in us that gives us a relationship with them, and for the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynan-jones/it-is-the-ability-of-a-person-to-bring-a-reaction-in-us-that-gives-us/) Cynan Jones > [Leadership is influence. It is the ability to obtain followers. When the leader lacks confidence, the followers have no commitment. A leader is great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/leadership-is-influence-it-is-the-ability-to-obtain-followers-when/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [“The essence of influence is the ability to motivate other people to take action and effect change. You can't lead if you don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mlungisi-simelane/the-essence-of-influence-is-the-ability-to-motivate-other-people-to/) [Mlungisi Simelane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mlungisi-simelane/) > [When you're not practicing, someone somewhere is. And when the two of you meet, assuming roughly equal ability, the other person will win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bradley/when-you-re-not-practicing-someone-somewhere-is-and-when-the-two-of/) [Bill Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bradley/) > [Ability of a person is not how he has planned, But how he stands & faces the challenges of life, when everything he planned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ability-of-a-person-is-not-how-he-has-planned-but-how-he-stands-faces/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Responsibility is the most important ability that a person can possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/responsibility-is-the-most-important-ability-that-a-person-can-possess/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [True love is the ability to see something in a person that no one else does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anmol-andore/true-love-is-the-ability-to-see-something-in-a-person-that-no-one/) [Anmol Andore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anmol-andore/) > [Leadership is the ability to get a person to do what you want him to do, when you want it done, in a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/leadership-is-the-ability-to-get-a-person-to-do-what-you-want-him-to/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [The ability of a person to atone has always been the most remarkable of human features.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/the-ability-of-a-person-to-atone-has-always-been-the-most-remarkable/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [Given two people with exactly the same ability, the one person who manages day in and day out to get in one more hour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hamming/given-two-people-with-exactly-the-same-ability-the-one-person-who/) [Richard Hamming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hamming/) > [Without leadership ability,a person's impact is only a fraction of what it could be with good leadership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/without-leadership-ability-a-person-s-impact-is-only-a-fraction-of/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [The essence of influence is pull. It's an attraction. Great influencers attract people, to themselves, and to their ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/the-essence-of-influence-is-pull-it-s-an-attraction-great-influencers/) [Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) > [ Matt Drudge's role in the Monica Lewinski scandal\] strikes me as a new and graphic power of the Internet to influence mainstream journalism. And… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-kalb/matt-drudge-s-role-in-the-monica-lewinski-scandal-strikes-me-as-a-new/) [Marvin Kalb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-kalb/) > [A renaissance in cellular biology has recently revealed the molecular mechanisms by which thoughts and perceptions directly influence gene activity and cell behavior...Energy psychology,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-h-lipton/a-renaissance-in-cellular-biology-has-recently-revealed-the-molecular/) [Bruce H. Lipton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-h-lipton/) ## More by Bob Burg > [The essence of influence is pull. It's an attraction. Great influencers attract people, to themselves, and to their ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/the-essence-of-influence-is-pull-it-s-an-attraction-great-influencers/) [Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) > [Play the Reverse gossip game. See how many nice things you can say behind someones back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/play-the-reverse-gossip-game-see-how-many-nice-things-you-can-say/) [Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) > [“who achieve great things that the world will never forget, start out by accomplishing small things that the world will never see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/who-achieve-great-things-that-the-world-will-never-forget-start-out/) [Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) > [Selling - at its core - is not a business transaction. It is first and foremost the forging of a human connection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/selling-at-its-core-is-not-a-business-transaction-it-is-first-and/) [Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) > [When you sell on price, you are a commodity. When you sell on value, you are a resource.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/when-you-sell-on-price-you-are-a-commodity-when-you-sell-on-value-you/) [Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) > [“I just love that. Give people something good to live up to—something great—and they usually will. In fact, often they’ll even exceed those expectations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/i-just-love-that-give-people-something-good-to-live-up-to-something/) [Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) > [It isn't just what you know, and it isn't just who you know. It's actually who you know, who knows you, and what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/it-isn-t-just-what-you-know-and-it-isn-t-just-who-you-know-it-s/) [Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) > [What you have to give, you offer least of all through what you say; in greater part through what you do; but in greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/what-you-have-to-give-you-offer-least-of-all-through-what-you-say-in/) [Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) > [Nobody is going to buy from you because you have quota to meet. They are going to buy from you because they see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/nobody-is-going-to-buy-from-you-because-you-have-quota-to-meet-they/) [Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) > [Internalize the Golden Rule of sales that says: All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/internalize-the-golden-rule-of-sales-that-says-all-things-being-equal/) [Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) > [Great influencers attract others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/great-influencers-attract-others/) [Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) > [Truly successful individuals create both immediate and long-lasting influence attracting others to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/truly-successful-individuals-create-both-immediate-and-long-lasting/) [Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) > [I like to define networking as cultivating mutually beneficial, give-and-take, win-win relationships... The end result may be to develop a large and diverse group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/i-like-to-define-networking-as-cultivating-mutually-beneficial-give/) [Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) > [Giving is not a strategy. It's a way of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/giving-is-not-a-strategy-it-s-a-way-of-life/) [Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) > [Sometimes the most influential thing we can do is listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/sometimes-the-most-influential-thing-we-can-do-is-listen/) [Bob Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) [Explore all 49 Bob Burg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Influence is the ability to move a person to a desired action.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bob Burg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/influence-is-the-ability-to-move-a-person-to-a-desired-action/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ability" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/influence-is-the-ability-to-move-a-person-to-a-desired-action/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/bob-burg-13655_ability_influence-is-the-ability-to-move-a-perso_698730.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/bob-burg-13655_ability_influence-is-the-ability-to-move-a-perso_698730.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/bob-burg-13655_ability_influence-is-the-ability-to-move-a-perso_698730.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Influence is the ability to move a person to a desired action.” — Bob Burg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bob Burg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-burg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Influence is the ability to move...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/influence-is-the-ability-to-move-a-person-to-a-desired-action/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-burg/influence-is-the-ability-to-move-a-person-to-a-desired-action/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```