Emotional intelligence is complex. It’s more than being aware of your emotions. It requires you to look outside of yourself and recognize people’s intentions, feelings, and behavior. Strong emotional intelligence is key to building strong, meaningful relationships with clients and employees. Learn how to strengthen your emotional intelligence through our management essentials program.

Read our favorite 10 quotes about emotional intelligence from successful activists, authors, executives, and psychologists!

“The strength of character and emotional intelligence to face your failures and learn from them are at the core of success.”

-Robert Kiyosaki

“It is very important to understand that emotional intelligence is not the opposite of intelligence, it is not the triumph of heart over head – it is the unique intersection of both.”

-David Caruso

“Emotional intelligence is a way of recognizing, understanding, and choosing how we think, feel, and act. It shapes our interactions with others and our understanding of ourselves. It defines how and what we learn; it allows us to set priorities; it determines the majority of our daily actions. Research suggests it is responsible for as much as 80 percent of the “success” in our lives.”

-Joshua Freedman

“It isn’t stress that makes us fall–it’s how we respond to stressful events.”

-Wayde Goodall

“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.”

-Dale Carnegie

“Leadership is all about emotional intelligence. Management is taught, while leadership is experienced.”

-Rajeev Suri

“People high in emotional intelligence are expected to progress more quickly through the abilities designated and to master more of them.”

-John D. Mayer & Peter Salovey

“Our feelings are our most genuine paths to knowledge.”

-Audre Lorde

“Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution.”

-Kahlil Gibran

“Emotional intelligence is your ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and others, and your ability to use this awareness to manage your behavior and relationships.”

-Travis Bradberry