Accountability isn’t the most glamorous word when it comes to success.
However, accountability, responsibility, and success all form a closely linked relationship, and if one of these is missing it can be the answer as to why your life might not be going in the direction you want.
In today’s post, we’ll delve into more on accountability and share some accountability quotes to help you understand its importance.
Why You Should Read Accountability Quotes
Accountability often gets lumped together with blame, being the fall guy, or getting punished. It’s a not-so-enticing thing to think about when you’re seeking to take more responsibility and empower your own life.
However, accountability is one of those background things that form a huge part of fostering a better life, better business, and better success.
When you’re accountable it’s the number one thing you can do to generate trust and openness. Accountability helps you understand the importance of accepting consequences for your actions, it’s an attitude that’s about openness and a willingness to learn and improve.
When you’re taking responsibility for your life then you’re inherently becoming more accountable, if you’re trying to lose weight for example, then telling your friend about your goals makes you more accountable and more motivated.
In the wider world, embracing accountability can help you feel less stressed. Sometimes perfectionism comes from a fear of making mistakes rather than trying to get better, and accepting that mistakes will happen and growing from them can have astounding effects on your mental health.
Let’s have a look at what others have to say on the matter of accountability.
69 Accountability Quotes About Taking Responsibility in Life
- “Open collaboration encourages greater accountability, which in turn fosters trust.” – Ron Garan
- “Accountability is a key concept in moving an organization forward, especially in a challenging business climate.” – Cindy Tucker
- “We’re building a culture of accountability, trust, and togetherness. Entitlement will not be tolerated.” – Brad Stevens
- “Make yourself accountable and your employees will hold themselves to a high standard.” – David J. Greer
- “Dignity is the reward of holding oneself accountable to conscience.” – Wes Fesler
- “There is no accountability today… no willingness to focus on big ideas.” – Michael Bloomberg
- “You steadily grow into becoming your best as you choose to be accountable and accept responsibility for improvement.” – Steve Shallenberger
- “Perhaps nothing in our society is more needed for those in positions of authority than accountability.” – Larry Burkett
- “Execution is a systematic process of rigorously discussing hows and whats, tenaciously following through, and ensuring accountability.” – Lawrence Bossidy
- Accountability and self-responsibility are critical to our success in personal, professional, and public life. However, we often look for those character traits in others, rather than inculcating them in ourselves.” – Vishwas Chavan
- “There’s not a chance we’ll reach our full potential until we stop blaming each other and start practicing personal accountability.” – John Miller
- “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” – Jim Rohn
- “It’s not an insult to have a past and to have some accountability to it.” – Grant-Lee Phillips
It’s not an insult to have a past and to have some accountability to it.– Grant-Lee Phillips
- “The only way we succeed as a group is not simply following directions, but in keeping each other accountable for our actions.” – A.J. Darkholme
- “Having authority implies accountability. If you reject the blame for failures under your watch, people reject your leadership.” – Rick Warren
- “Professional accountability is a good thing. Without it, excellence is merely a pipe dream and even average performance isn’t a realistic expectation.” – Leon F.
- “Intentions do not insulate us from the consequences of our actions.” – Jon D Harrison
- “If we want unity, we must all be unifiers. If we want accountability, each of us must be accountable for all we do.” – Christine Gregoire
- “An authentic spirituality does not cater to culture; it calls culture to accountability.” – Joan D. Chittister
- “You can’t talk about leadership without talking about responsibility and accountability…you can’t separate the two. A leader must delegate responsibility and provide the freedom to make decisions, and then be held accountable for the results.” – Buck Rodgers
- One thing I detest most about the financial press is the lack of accountability. All sorts of nonsense is said without penalty.” – Barry Ritholtz
- “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” – Benjamin Franklin
- “When people feel accountable and included, it is more fun.” – Alan Mulally
- “Anyone can possess, anyone can profess, but it is an altogether different thing to confess.” – Shannon L. Alder
- “Candor and accountability in a democracy is very important. Hypocrisy has no place.” – Alan Dershowitz
Candor and accountability in a democracy is very important. Hypocrisy has no place. – Alan Dershowitz
- “An accountable mind has learned to be agile, wise, courageous, resilient, and high-mature.” – Pearl Zhu
- “Some want, to be exempt. They do not want to excel, they do not want to exert. They want to be considered excellent, for desiring to be held exempt, from all accountability.” – Justin K. McFarlane Beau
- “A president cannot defend a nation if he is not held accountable to its laws.” –DaShanne Stokes
- “Take accountability before an excuse snatches you.” – Tyconis D. Allison Ty
- “When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that four of his fingers are pointing at himself.” – Louis Nizer
- “Where there is no accountability, there will also be no responsibility.” – Sunday Adelaja
- “An honest man is not accountable for the vice and folly of his trade, and therefore ought not to refuse the exercise of it.” – Michel de Montaigne
- “The greatest gift we can give our children is teaching them accountability.” – Ron Baratono
- “Good men are bound by conscience and liberated by accountability.” – Wes Fessler
- “Every one of us is responsible for everyone else in every way. Everyone is really responsible for everyone and everything.” – Father Zossima
- “Great leaders do not fear accountability because it is part of their responsibility.” – Gift Gugu Mona
- “If you are building a culture where honest expectations are communicated and peer accountability is the norm, then the group will address poor performance and attitudes.” – Henry Cloud
- “Our tradition calls for a commitment to accountability. This is not an assumption ― this is a promise that I will be there for you, and I can count on you being there for me.” – Bob Ladouceur
- “Goodness makes you accountable, accountability strengthens your goodness.” – Abhijit Naskar
Goodness makes you accountable, accountability strengthens your goodness. – Abhijit Naskar
- “Restoring responsibility and accountability is essential to the economic and fiscal health of our nation.” – Carl Levin
- “Life is not accountable to us. We are accountable to life.” – Denis Waitley
- “Today’s seed is tomorrow’s shade, but you must sow it first and nourish it with uncorrupted accountability.” – Abhijit Naskar
- “Understanding the true meaning of accountability makes us strong and enables us to learn.” – Sameh Elsayed
- “It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities.” – Sir Josiah Stamp
- “Without accountability, there will be no growth.” – Manuel Corazzari
- “Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility . . . . In the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have is the ability to take on responsibility.” – Michael Korda
- “Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.” – Plato
- “Being accountable is somewhat ingrained into the life of a first responder.” – Asa DonBrown
- “Accountability separates the wishers in life from the action-takers that care enough about their future to account for their daily actions.” – John Di Lemme
- “There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.” – Denis Waitley
- “The word accounting comes from the word accountability. If you are going to be rich, you need to be accountable for your money.” – Robert Kiyosaki
- “You can make any promises as long as you are not going to be there to fulfill them.” – Pawan Mishra
- “Accountability in friendship is the equivalent of love without strategy.” – Anita Brookner
- “Forgiving yourself, not guilt, increases personal accountability.” – David D. Burns
- “On good teams coaches hold players accountable, on great teams players hold players accountable.” – Joe Dumars
- “The price of greatness is responsibility.” – Winston Churchill
- “The best kind of accountability on a team is peer-to-peer. Peer pressure is more efficient and effective than going to the leader, anonymously complaining, and having them stop what they are doing to intervene.” – Patrick Lencioni
- “Wisdom stems from personal accountability. We all make mistakes; own them… learn from them. Don't throw away the lesson by blaming others.” – Steve Maraboli
- “Transparency increases credibility and accountability.” – Park Won-soon
- “There’s responsibility, but there’s also accountability. You have to be accountable for your actions. You have to stand at your locker when things are going bad.” – Derek Jeter
- “Responsibility equals accountability equals ownership. And a sense of ownership is the most powerful weapon a team or organization can have.” – Pat Summitt
Responsibility equals accountability equals ownership. And a sense of ownership is the most powerful weapon a team or organization can have. – Pat Summitt
- “Accountability is a two-way street. As a leader, you want to know that you can count on people to do what they said they would do. Likewise, your colleagues want to know that they can count on you as the leader to do what you have promised them.” – Greg Bustin
- “I made the decision. I’m accountable.” – Janet Reno
- “The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it.” – Lou Holtz
- “People are more inclined to pass the buck than they are to take responsibility. The fact is, though, passing the buck doesn’t build your character or give you the opportunity to learn from your mistakes.” – Marshall Goldsmith
- “Accountability only works if you want it to.” – Dillon Burroughs
- “You are the reason of your own good-luck and bad-luck; success and failure; happiness and pain. Your choices are responsible for your present. Don't blame someone else for your sufferings or failures.” – Sanjeev Himachali
- “A friend can inspire enthusiasm as well as accountability, and that serves to challenge you.” – Deanna Cosso
- “No individual can achieve worthy goals without accepting accountability for his or her own actions.” – Dan Miller
Final Thoughts on Accountability Quotes
Accountability is an essential part of getting more out of life and getting closer to your full potential. We hope these accountability quotes have given you some insight into how you can benefit and apply it to your life.
For more information, check out this article on the seven benefits of accountability strategy.
And if you want more eye-opening quotes, be sure to check out these blog posts:
- 77 Motivational Teamwork Quotes for Work in 2023
- 95 Motivational Quotes for Work to Boost Your Productivity
- 77 Life is Short Quotes to Help You Enjoy 2023
Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then watch this free video that details the 7-minute habit for planning your day to focus on what's truly important to you..
Tom Smith is a creative writer with over 6 years of professional experience. He discovered the joy of writing after covering some furniture in his childhood home with graffiti. In later years, he got himself a BA in creative writing and hasn’t looked back. After discovering the power of positive thinking and discovering the spiritual side of life, he believes it's a huge privilege to be able to write about all things personal development.
