If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.

Although widely attributed to John Quincy Adams, this line reads like a modern, motivational definition of leadership: leadership is measured less by title or authority than by the effect one’s conduct has on other people’s aspirations and capacities. The four parallel verbs—“dream,” “learn,” “do,” “become”—trace a progression from imagination to growth, action, and character, implying that exemplary behavior can enlarge others’ sense of possibility and agency. The quote’s appeal lies in its ethical, relational view of leadership: influence is validated when it elevates others rather than merely achieving personal or institutional goals.