In this essay, we will delve into the life, career, and contributions of Sheryl Sandberg, an accomplished American technology executive, author, and businesswoman. Renowned for her position as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Facebook, she has played a pivotal role in the remarkable growth and triumph of the company. As a component of our series named “100 Motivational Writers and their Great Works,” All Good Quotes introduces “Sheryl Sandberg and her 45 best quotes.”
About Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl Sandberg, born on August 28, 1969, in Washington D.C., hails from a Jewish family. She pursued her higher education at Harvard University, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in economics with the highest honors. Following her academic journey, Sandberg embarked on a career in the technology industry, working for renowned organizations such as Google and the World Bank.
In 2008, Sandberg was handpicked by Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg to assume the role of the company’s COO. During this time, Facebook was experiencing rapid growth as a social media platform, yet it lacked the necessary operational infrastructure to sustain this expansion. Sandberg was entrusted with the responsibility of establishing and enhancing Facebook’s business operations, ultimately transforming it into a profitable enterprise.
Under Sandberg’s astute leadership, Facebook’s revenue skyrocketed from $760 million in 2009 to an impressive $17.9 billion in 2015. She played a pivotal role in the development of Facebook’s advertising business, which now serves as the primary source of revenue for the company. Additionally, Sandberg spearheaded the company’s foray into the mobile realm, recognizing its significance as a crucial platform for Facebook’s continued growth.
The Famous Book of Sheryl Sandberg
Sandberg’s impact extends beyond her operational role at Facebook, as she has emerged as a prominent advocate for gender equality in the workplace. In 2013, she authored the highly successful book “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead,” which encouraged women to actively pursue leadership positions in their professional lives. This book not only achieved widespread popularity but also ignited a nationwide dialogue on the subject of gender equality in work environments.
Moreover, Sandberg has actively championed diversity and inclusion initiatives within Facebook. In 2015, she introduced the “Managing Unconscious Bias” training program, which aims to assist employees in recognizing and addressing any unconscious biases that may exist within the workplace. Additionally, she has played a significant role in supporting endeavors to enhance diversity within the technology industry, including initiatives like the Tech Jobs Tour and the #changetheratio campaign.
While Sandberg has faced criticism in recent years regarding Facebook’s handling of user data and its role in the dissemination of misinformation, she has remained steadfast in her commitment to improving the company’s operations. She continues to prioritize fostering a culture of responsibility and accountability within Facebook, despite the challenges that have arisen.
Here are 45 of the best quotes by Sheryl Sandberg:
- “The easy days ahead of you will be easy. It is the hard days—the times that challenge you to your very core—that will determine who you are.”
- “We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.”
- “Done is better than perfect.”
- “We need to stop telling women that they need to be perfect and start telling them that they need to be brave.”
- “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”
- “Women need to shift from thinking ‘I’m not ready to do that’ to thinking ‘I want to do that and I’ll learn by doing it.'”
- “If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on.”
- “Success and likeability are positively correlated for men and negatively for women.”
- “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.”
- “I want every little girl who’s told she’s bossy to be told instead that she has leadership skills.”
- “Leadership is not bullying and leadership is not aggression. Leadership is the expectation that you can use your voice for good. That you can make the world a better place.”
- “The goal of feminism is to create a world where people are treated equally, but the interim goal of feminism is to get more women in positions of power.”
- “The ability to learn is the most important quality a leader can have.”
- “Believe in yourself and negotiate for yourself. Own your own success.”
- “I hope you find true meaning, contentment, and passion in your life. I hope you navigate the difficult times and come out with greater strength and resolve. I hope you find whatever balance you seek with your eyes wide open.”
- “The word ‘balance’ makes me crazy because it implies a scale that inevitably tips. I prefer the word ‘harmony.'”
- “Careers are a jungle gym, not a ladder.”
- “I am a huge believer in giving back and helping out in the community and the world. Think globally, act locally I suppose. I believe that the measure of a person’s life is the affect they have on others.”
- “If you’re not comfortable with public speaking—and nobody starts out comfortable—you have to practice. I cannot overstate the importance of practicing. Get some close friends or family members to help evaluate you, or somebody at work that you trust.”
- “When looking for a life partner, my advice to women is date all of them: the bad boys, the cool boys, the commitment-phobic boys, the crazy boys. But do not marry them. The things that make the bad boys sexy do not make them good husbands.”
- “I know that finding balance is not easy, but the sooner we recognize that it’s not supposed to be easy, the better we can cope.”
- “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”
- “I learned that in the face of a void or in the face of any challenge, you can choose joy and meaning.”
- “We all want to be liked, but it’s not necessary to like everyone in order to lead effectively.”
- “No matter what challenges or setbacks and disappointments you may encounter along the way, you will find true success and happiness if you have only one goal, there really is only one, and that is this: to fulfill the highest, most truthful expression of yourself as a human being.”
- “Don’t let what you can’t do stop you from doing what you can.”
- “We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women’s voices are heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored.”
- “In the face of any challenge, you can choose joy and meaning.”
- “The most important career choice you’ll make is who you marry.”
- Sure, here are some more quotes by Sheryl Sandberg:
- “We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.”
- “I think a world where half of our countries and our companies were run by women, would be a better world.”
- “In the face of adversity, we have a choice. We can be bitter, or we can be better.”
- “I want to make sure that women are heard, that women are able to succeed, and that women are able to come to the table and make the decisions that will affect their lives.”
- “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”
- “We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes – understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.”
- “Being confident and believing in your own self-worth is necessary to achieving your potential.”
- “It’s not about having it all, it’s about having what you value most.”
- “You are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. Like a muscle, you can build it up, draw on it when you need it.”
- “The most important thing about being a leader is that you have to have the kind of humility that will allow you to listen, learn, and grow.”
- “We need to stop talking about giving women a voice, and start listening.”
- “In the face of any challenge, you can choose joy and meaning.”
- “Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge.”
- “The more women help one another, the more we help ourselves. Acting like a coalition truly does produce results.”
- “When you look at successful women, they have other women who have supported them, and they’ve gotten to where they are because of those women.”
Conclusion
Sheryl Sandberg is an exceptionally accomplished and influential individual in the technology sector. Her invaluable contributions to the growth and triumph of Facebook, along with her unwavering support for gender equality and workplace diversity, have served as a profound inspiration for numerous individuals to pursue their aspirations and overcome obstacles. Despite facing occasional controversy during her time at Facebook, Sandberg continues to be regarded as a highly respected and esteemed leader not only within the technology industry but also in other domains.
