Zig Ziglar

1926–2012 · American salesman & motivational author

Hilary Hinton “Zig” Ziglar was an American salesman turned motivational speaker whose 1975 book See You at the Top became a self-improvement bestseller. His folksy, goal-focused aphorisms — this among them — circulated so widely that they were often re-credited to older, more literary names.

Traced to source

1 quote we’ve traced

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals”

Disputed

Not actually Zig Ziglar

Often misattributed to Zig Ziglar

Famous lines widely pinned on Zig Ziglar that we’ve traced to someone else.

“Duty makes us do things well, but love makes us do them beautifully”

actually Phillips Brooks

“It's easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than to think your way into a new way of acting”

actually Anonymous (originator unknown)

“People don't want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole”

actually Theodore Levitt

“There has never been a statue erected to honor a critic”

actually Jean Sibelius

“We cannot go back and start over, but we can begin now, and make a new ending”

actually James R. Sherman (earliest documented form)

On the research bench

Commonly pinned on Zig Ziglar — under review

1 line flagged as pinned on Zig Ziglar and queued for a full source trace — not yet verified.

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”

Disputed

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