100+ MOTIVATIONAL JOCKO WILLINK QUOTES FOR GETTING AFTER IT

Jocko Willink is one of the toughest and most disciplined men alive. He’s a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and decorated former Navy SEAL who spent over 20 years in U.S. Navy. Since retiring from the Navy, he has co-founded the leadership and management consulting firm, Echelon Front, and has gone on to publish a variety of inspiring books and New York Time’s Best-sellers, Extreme Ownership and Leadership Strategy & Tactics.

“There Is No Shortcut. There Is No Hack. There’s Only One Way, So Get After It.”

Willink is a natural leader, who has real-world battle-tested experience, leadership insights, and an inspiring mental toughness that we could all benefit from. Which is why we’re publishing some of the most inspiring Jocko Willink quotes of all-time. Our hope, is that his quotes will motivate and inspire you harness the discipline and mindset necessary to lead a great life.

So, if you’re ready to get inspired and fired up with these powerful Jocko Willink quotes, let’s get after it:

BEST JOCKO WILLINK QUOTES

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

2. “Use the stress to make you a better you.” – Jocko Willink

3. “If you get out there and do your best, you will either win, or you will learn.” – Jocko Willink

4. “Instead of letting the situation dictate our decisions, we must dictate the situation.” – Jocko Willink

5. “Weakness is strong. I must be stronger.” – Jocko Willink

6. “The people who are successful decide they are going to be successful. They make that choice. And they make other choices. They decide to study hard. They decide to work hard. They decide to be the first person to get to work and the last to go home. They decide they are going to take on the hard jobs. Take on the challenges. They decide they are going to lead when no one else will.” – Jocko Willink

7. “Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” – Jocko Willink

8. “When you’re too embarrassed to ask for help, that’s a little knock at your door saying, ‘you’re insecure’.” – Jocko Willink

9. “Get up and GO. Take the risk, take the gamble, take the first step. Take action. And don’t let another day slip by.” – Jocko Willink

10. “You already know what the right thing to do is… You just gotta do it.” – Jocko Willink

11. “Hesitation is the enemy. It allows the moment to pass, the opportunity to be lost, the enemy to get the upper hand.” – Jocko Willink

12. “Ego clouds and disrupts everything.” – Jocko Willink

13. “Extreme Ownership is a mindset, an attitude.” – Jocko Willink

14. “When personal agendas become more important than the team and the overarching mission’s success, performance suffers and failure ensues.” – Jocko Willink

15. “Fear is normal. Every person feels fear at some point. Step aggressively towards your fear — that is the step into bravery.” – Jocko Willink

16. “Get out there and live and strive to be better, because the life you got it is a gift, so live it!” – Jocko Willink

17. “A good leader, a guy that’s tactically sound, a guy that makes good decisions, and guy that’s good under pressure, a guy that doesn’t ever give up on trying to accomplish the mission, those are the things that make a good seal.” – Jocko Willink

 18. “I know that somewhere out there, another man is also preparing. That man is the enemy.” – Jocko Willink

19. “If you can say the word good, guess what? It means you’re still alive, it means you’re still breathing, and if you’re still breathing, well then hell, you still got some fight left in you. So get up, dust off, reload, recalibrate, reengage, and go out on the attack.” – Jocko Willink

20. “There is no growth in the comfort zone.” – Jocko Willink

Motivational Jocko Willink Quotes

This next batch is a collection of the most motivational Jocko Willink quotes. They are as insightful as they are encouraging, so give them a read, get disciplined, and then get after it.

21. “While you continually focus on what everyone else is doing – I’ll focus on what I can do right.” – Jocko Willink

22. “Don’t fight stress. Embrace it. Turn it on itself. Use it to make yourself sharper and more alert. Use it to make you think and learn and get better and smarter and more effective.” – Jocko Willink

23. “Even if you can’t perform at a high level, showing up and doing something is still a thousand times better than not showing up at all.” – Jocko Willink

24. “You have to be vigilant. You have to be on guard. You have to hold the line on the seemingly insignificant little things— things that shouldn’t matter—but that do.” – Jocko Willink

25. “War is hell. But war is also an incredible teacher, a brutal teacher. And it teaches you lessons you will never forget.” – Jocko Willink

26. “All animals, including humans, need to see the connection between action and consequence in order to learn or react appropriately.” – Jocko Willink

27. “Stop checking social media and stop watching one more Youtube video.” – Jocko Willink

28. “Is this what I want to be? This? Is this all I’ve got—is this everything I can give? Is this going to be my life? Do I accept that?” – Jocko Willink

29. “No more. No more excuses. No more: “I’ll start tomorrow.” No more: “Just this once.” No more accepting the shortfalls of my own will. No more taking the easy road. No more bowing down to whatever unhealthy or unproductive thoughts float through my mind.” – Jocko Willink

30. “Faster. Stronger. Smarter. More humble. Less ego.” – Jocko Willink

31. “When things are going bad: Don’t get all bummed out, don’t get startled, don’t get frustrated. No. Just look at the issue and say: Good.” – Jocko Willink

32. “Another mission. Another task. Another goal. And the enemy is always watching. Waiting. Looking for that moment of weakness. Looking for you to exhale, set your weapon down, and close your eyes, even just for a moment. And that’s when they attack. So don’t be finished.” – Jocko Willink

33. “There is no shortcut. There is no hack. There’s only one way. So get after it.” – Jocko Willink

34. “Go out in a blaze of Glory, fighting with everything you’ve got, every ounce of energy, every bead of sweat, every drop of blood – until your last breath. And then – and only then- can you stand down, put down your sword and your shield, and rest: in peace.” – Jocko Willink

35. “The shortcut is a lie. The hack doesn’t get you there. And if you want to take the easy road, it won’t take you to where you want to be: Stronger. Smarter. Faster. Healthier. Better. FREE.” – Jocko Willink

36. “If you allow the status quo to persist, you can’t expect to improve performance, and you can’t expect to win.” – Jocko Willink

37. “Keep it simple. Train hard. Train often. Lift heavy. Lift fast. Run hard. Eat steak. Pain is good.” – Jocko Willink

38. “Go down swinging. And I’ll tell you: if you fight with all you have, more often than not, you won’t go down at all. You will win.” – Jocko Willink

39. “There is no such thing as a weekend. This is an everyday gig: Every day is Monday.” – Jocko Willink

40. “Don’t let your mind control you. Control your mind.” – Jocko Willink

Jocko Willink Quotes on Discipline

If you came here looking for encouraging quotes related to discipline, then you’ll love these Jocko Willink quotes on discipline. They are blunt, powerful, but full of truth. Read these quotes, embrace them, and heed the within each and you’ll level up your discipline in no time.

41. “There is no easy way. There is only hard work, late nights, early mornings, practice, rehearsal, repetition, study, sweat, blood, toil, frustration, and discipline.” – Jocko Willink

42. “Self-discipline is the root quality that will improve every aspect of your life.” – Jocko Willink

43. “What makes you disciplined person is choosing to be disciplined.” – Jocko Willink

44. “Freedom is what everyone wants – to be able to act and live with freedom. But the only way to get to a place of freedom is through discipline.” – Jocko Willink

45. “The more you practice, the better you get, the more freedom you have to create.” – Jocko Willink

46. “One of the best mental disciplines for people to implement is simply putting together a schedule or a task list and actually executing it.” – Jocko Willink

47. “Be dangerous but disciplined.” – Jocko Willink

48. “Our freedom to operate and maneuver had increased substantially through disciplined procedures. Discipline equals freedom.” – Jocko Willink

49. “Although discipline demands control and asceticism, it actually results in freedom. When you have the discipline to get up early, you are rewarded with more free time.” – Jocko Willink

50. “Discipline is the pathway to freedom.” – Jocko Willink

51. “Don’t count on motivation. Count on discipline.” – Jocko Willink

52. “If you stop looking for a short cut… and find your discipline and your will. Then you will find your freedom.” – Jocko Willink

53. “Discipline is your best friend. It will take care of you like nothing else can.” – Jocko Willink

54. “Discipline is the way.” – Jocko Willink

55. “Motivation is fickle. It comes and goes. It is unreliable and when you are counting on motivation to get your goals accomplished—you will likely fall short.” – Jocko Willink

56. “Don’t expect to be motivated every day to get out there and make things happen. You won’t be. Don’t count on motivation. Count on discipline.” – Jocko Willink

57. “Unless you do the work, the world will never see your vision.” – Jocko Willink

58. “How do you become better? There is only one way – The way of discipline.” – Jocko Willink

59. “Where does discipline come from? It’s pretty simple and pretty obvious. Discipline comes from within. It’s an internal force.” – Jocko Willink

60. “Discipline yourself to free yourself.” – Jocko Willink

61. “If you think that you’re not disciplined or that you can’t be disciplined, it’s because you haven’t yet decided to be disciplined. It’s because you haven’t created that discipline yet. So make the decision, make the commitment.” – Jocko Willink

62. “I recommend that you go to be earlier because what are you doing at night most of the time? Most of the time at night you’re not working on anything super productive, you’re just winding down and watching stupid YouTube videos or surfing the internet reading clickbait stories, right? Don’t do that. Instead, go to sleep and then wake up early.” – Jocko Willink

63. “If you don’t have any discipline you’ll end up with absolutely no freedom. You’ll end up being a slaving to other people bossing you around.” – Jocko Willink

64. “Self-discipline comes from the self, it comes from you. It comes from when you make a decision to be disciplined. When you make a decision to be better, when you make a decision to do more and to be more. Self-discipline comes when you decide that you’re going to make a mark on the world.” – Jocko Willink

65. “It isn’t that you wake up one day and decide, that’s it: I’m going to be weak. No. It’s a slow incremental process. It chips at your will – It chips at your discipline.” – Jocko Willink

Related: Powerful Discipline Quotes

Jocko Willink Quotes on Leadership

Jocko knows a thing or two about leadership. In fact, he is highly sought after primarily because of his strong leadership skills. So, if you’re looking for some of the best Jock Willink quotes on leadership, you’ll find them here.

66. “Effective leaders lead successful teams that accomplish their mission and win. Ineffective leaders do not.” – Jocko Willink

67. “Leaders must own everything in their world. There is no one else to blame.” – Jocko Willink

68. “We all have a tendency to avoid our weaknesses. When we do that, we never progress or get any better.” – Jocko Willink

69. “Leadership requires finding the equilibrium in the dichotomy of many seemingly contradictory qualities, between one extreme and another.” – Jocko Willink

70. “It’s not what you preach, it’s what you tolerate.” – Jocko Willink

71. “But I learned that good leaders don’t make excuses. Instead, they figure out a way to get it done and win.” – Jocko Willink

72. “If people don’t respond to your leadership, and your reaction is to get more and more aggressive with them, they aren’t likely to come around.” – Jocko Willink

73. “If you get your ego in your way, you will only look to other people and circumstances to blame.” – Jocko Willink

74. “A good leader does not get bogged down in the minutia of a tactical problem at the expense of strategic success.” – Jocko Willink

75. “War teaches you about honor, brotherhood, and humility, and leadership.” – Jocko Willink

76. “A leader must be calm, but not robotic. They must be confident, but never cocky. A leader must be brave, but not foolhardy. They must have a competitive spirit, but be a gracious loser.” – Jocko Willink

77. “The most fundamental and important truths at the heart of Extreme Ownership: there are no bad teams, only bad leaders.” – Jocko Willink

78. “The goal of all leaders should be to work themselves out of a job. This means leaders must be heavily engaged in training and mentoring their junior leaders to prepare them to step up and assume greater responsibilities.” – Jocko Willink

79. “Leadership requires belief in the mission and unyielding perseverance to achieve victory.” – Jocko Willink

80. “A leader must be humble but not passive; quiet but not silent.” – Jocko Willink

81. “You can’t make people listen to you. You can’t make them execute. That might be a temporary solution for a simple task. But to implement real change, to drive people to accomplish something truly complex or difficult or dangerous you can’t make people do those things. You have to lead them.” – Jocko Willink

82. “Good leaders don’t make excuses. Instead, they figure out a way to get it done.” – Jocko Willink

83. “A leader must lead, but also be ready to follow. They must be aggressive, but not overbearing. A leader must be calm, but not robotic. They must be confident, but never cocky. A leader must be brave, but not foolhardy. They must have a competitive spirit, but be a gracious loser.” – Jocko Willink

84. “In chaotic, dynamic, and rapidly changing environments, leaders at all levels must be empowered to make decisions. Decentralized Command is a key component to victory.” – Jocko Willink

85. “When a team takes ownership of its problems, the problem gets solved. It is true on the battlefield, it is true in business, and it is true in life.” – Jocko Willink

86. “There can be no leadership when there is no team.”  – Jocko Willink

87. “Some of the boldest, most successful plans in history have not come from the senior ranks but from frontline leaders. Senior leaders simply had the courage to accept and run with them.” – Jocko Willink

88. “Leading people is the most challenging and, therefore, the most gratifying undertaking of all human endeavors.” – Jocko Willink

89. “For all the definitions, descriptions, and characterizations of leaders, there are only two that matter: Effective and ineffective. Effective leaders lead successful teams that accomplish their mission and win. Ineffective leaders do not.” – Jocko Willink

90. “The only meaningful measure for a leader is whether the team succeeds or fails.” – Jocko Willink

Inspiring Jocko Quotes

All of Jocko Willink’s quotes are inspiring, but this next set of quotes are a bit more inspiring than the others. They are full of wisdom and are truly inspiring.

91. “As a human being, the strongest thing you’ve got is your force of will. So take your force of will and make it happen.” – Jocko Willink

92. “The Darkness cannot extinguish your light. Your WILL. Your determination. No matter what is happening—no matter how hard the fight is. As long as you keep fighting—you win.” – Jocko Willink

93. “If you want to be tougher mentally, it is simple; be tougher, don’t meditate on it.”

94. “I think that in order to truly experience the light and the bright, you have to see the darkness. I think if you shield yourself from the darkness, you’ll not appreciate — and full understand — the beauty of life.” – Jocko Willink

95. “Everyday is a major balancing act that I have to figure out and coordinate.” – Jocko Willink

96. “When you want to earn respect, give respect, when you earn influence, give influence, when you want to earn trust, give trust, all those three are related.” – Jocko Willink

97. “Don’t just think. Don’t just talk. Don’t just dream. None of that matters. The only thing that matters is that you actually do. So…Do!” – Jocko Willink

98. “When you think you can’t take any more… Guess what? You can – It’s proven by the stories of ordinary people in war.” – Jocko Willink

99.  “Everyone wants some magic pill—some life hack—that eliminates the need to do the work. But that does not exist.” – Jocko Willink

100. “It’s the grind that sharpens the axe.” – Jocko Willink

101. “Every day that you don’t do work, you’re going backwards.” – Jocko Willink

102. “Read and study.” – Jocko Willink

103. “A good leader has nothing to prove, but everything to prove.” – Jocko Willink

104. “Fight weak emotions with the power of logic; fight the weakness of logic with the power of emotion.” – Jocko Willink

105. “Get up. Dust off. Reload.” – Jocko Willink

106. “If you are going to rest, that is the one thing you should procrastinate on.” – Jocko Willink

107. “You have to accept, that all your excuses are lies.” – Jock Willink

108. “A person’s strengths are often their greatest weaknesses, and so that also means, that they weaknesses can be their strengths.” – Jocko Willink

109. “Give trust to build trust.’ – Jock Willink

110. “Be humble, or be humbled.” – Jocko Willink

Related: Powerful Warrior Quotes

Final Thoughts

There you have it, some of the most powerful words ever uttered by Jocko Willink. We hope you enjoyed them. But more importantly, we hope these Jocko Willink quotes and their underlying wisdom help you strengthen your self-discipline, improve your understanding of good leadership, and inspire you to lead your best life.

With that said, please share this page with anyone you think could benefit from these insightful and inspiring quotes.

Till you reach your aims,

STRIVE

PS – If these Jocko Willink quotes motivated you and inspired you to want to get more disciplined and get after it, then you’ll also enjoy these quotes from the like-minded ex-Navy SEAL, David Goggins.