45 Teamwork Quotes to Make the Dream Work

Sometimes even when a team is comprised of brilliant and talented individuals, collaboration can still be challenging. People within the group may have different goals and motivations, which can make it difficult to work together.

Yet, many teams have overcome these challenges and achieved great things. All they needed was a little bit of perspective and the right words of wisdom to help them align. If you’re working on a team—whether at work, in a sport, or school project—this list of teamwork quotes can help you succeed.

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What are teamwork quotes?

Teamwork quotes are proverbs, wise words from coaches, professional athletes, and business leaders that speak to the power of working together. They work well as mantras, affirmations, or lines to include in meetings and presentations to help get everyone’s buy in.

Quotes about teamwork

Quotes about teamwork speak to the power of working together, and all that a group of individuals can achieve through cooperation and common ground. This curated list includes diverse voices who all agree that the whole can be much greater than the sum of its parts when it comes to teamwork.

1. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” —African proverb
2. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret Mead, anthropologist and author
3. “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” —Helen Keller, author
4. “Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life forever.” —Amy Poehler, actress and comedian
5. “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” —Phil Jackson, basketball player and coach
6. “It is better to have a great team than a team of greats.” —Simon Sinek, author and inspirational speaker
7. “No individual can win a game by himself.” —Pelé, soccer player
8. “A team is not made up of isolated individuals. Always stay in the group. This way you have the strength of the group and you have the strength of the individual.” —Diego Maradona, soccer player
9. “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” ―Michael Jordan, basketball player
10. “It takes two flints to make a fire.” ―Louisa May Alcott, novelist and short story writer
11. “If you are working in a team, do not expect an outcome of your excellence. It will be an average of all of the team members.” ―Suman Pokhrel, poet and activist
12. “If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, we did it. If anything goes really good, then you did it. That’s all it takes to get people to win football games for you.” ―Paul W. Bryant, football player and coach
13. “Teamwork requires some sacrifice up front; people who work as a team have to put the collective needs of the group ahead of their individual interests.” —Patrick Lencioni, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
14. “I’m a true believer in the strength of teamwork, in the power of dreams, and in the absolute necessity of a support structure.” —Julie Payette, engineer and former Canadian politician
15. “I got a lot of the greatest values in life from playing sports, from playing football—teamwork, sportsmanship, my work ethic, resiliency, dedication—I got it all by being on a team.” —Jon Gruden, football coach

Teamwork quotes for work

Teamwork quotes for work are ideal for professional settings. Whether you’re a manager trying to motivate your direct reports or a driven team member who wants your team to reach its full potential on a challenging project, these quotes will help you get there.

1. “If you take out the team in teamwork, it’s just work. Now who wants that?”  —Matthew Woodring Stover, novelist
2. “A major reason capable people fail to advance is that they don’t work well with their colleagues.” —Lee Iacocca, author and automobile executive
3. “Trust is knowing that when a team member does push you, they’re doing it because they care about the team.” ―Patrick Lencioni, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
4. “Unity is strength…when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” —Mattie Stepanek, author and motivational speaker
5. “We’re a team. It’s part of our job to help each other out, and to forgive each other quickly. Otherwise, we’d never get anything done.” ―Jeramey Kraatz, author
6. “Teamwork is the best kind of work, really.” —Sigrid, singer and songwriter
7. “Motivation comes from working on things we care about. It also comes from working with people we care about.” —Sheryl Sandberg, tech executive
8. “A company is only as good as the people it keeps.” —Mary Kay Ash, businesswoman
9. “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” —Albert Einstein, physicist
10. “Ask your colleagues for help—early and often.”—Jill Konrath, strategist

Inspirational quotes about teamwork

Inspirational quotes about teamwork reflect on the enormous potential of working together. These inspiring quotes are ideal for sharing with skeptics and helping them to get more involved.

1. “Individual commitment to a group effort—that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” —Vince Lombardi, football coach
2. “May your adventures bring you closer together, even as they take you far away from home.” ―Trenton Lee Stewart, author
3. “Snowflakes are one of nature’s most fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together.” ―Vesta M. Kelly, poet
4. “I invite everyone to choose forgiveness rather than division, teamwork over personal ambition.” —Jean-Francois Cope, French politician
5. “Teamwork can build friendships that last a lifetime.” —Natalya Neidhart, professional wrestler
6. “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.” —H.E. Luccock, minister and professor
7. “Many of us have been socialized to understand that constant growth, violent competition, and critical mass are the ways to create change. But emergence shows us that adaptation and evolution depend more upon critical, deep, and authentic connections, a thread that can be tugged for support and resilience. The quality of connection between the nodes in the patterns.” ―adrienne maree brown, writer
8. “The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side.” —Margaret Carty, executive director of Maryland Library Association (MLA)
9. “Great teams do not hold back with one another. They are unafraid to air their dirty laundry. They admit their mistakes, their weaknesses, and their concerns without fear of reprisal.” —Patrick Lencioni, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
10. “It all starts with a great idea and teamwork.” —Garrett Camp, businessman

Motivational quotes for teamwork

Motivational quotes for teamwork are the perfect boosters for when a team encounters an obstacle and could use an extra dose of encouragement to keep going. They’re sourced from champions, coaches, activists, and philosophers who have risen to the challenge.

1. “There is immense power when a group of people with similar interests gets together to work toward the same goals.” ―Idowu Koyenikan, author
2. “Only by binding together as a single force will we remain strong and unconquerable.” ―Chris Bradford, author
3. “It’s not just about winning or losing, but to learn about teamwork, learn about sportsmanship, learn about discipline. The value of working together for a common goal. Have the emphasis on fundamentals, not just games.” —Erik Spoelstra, basketball coach
4. “The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation.” —Bertrand Russell, philosopher and logician
5. “One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.” —Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, basketball player
6. “He who masters the power formed by a group of people working together has within his grasp one of the greatest powers known to man.” ―Idowu Koyenikan, author
7. “When they rise, the whole world will rise with them.” —Angela Davis, activist and professor
8. “The people united will never be defeated!” —Sergio Ortega Alvarado, composer and pianist
9. “Right now, you hear about teamwork, and it’s defined as 50-50, and that is a falsehood. There’s no such thing as 50-50. You know, you do whatever you have to do as part of the team.” —Chuck Noll, football player
10. “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” —Ryunosuke Satoro, author

Frequently asked questions about teamwork quotes

What are examples of uplifting team building and teamwork quotes?

Examples of uplifting team building and teamwork quotes include:

• “May your adventures bring you closer together, even as they take you far away from home.” ―Trenton Lee Stewart, author
• “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.” —H.E. Luccock, minister and professor
• “Only by binding together as a single force will we remain strong and unconquerable.” ―Chris Bradford, author

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What are some inspirational quotes about teamwork?

Inspirational quotes about teamwork emphasize collaboration, unity, and the power of working together toward a shared goal. They can be used in classrooms, workplaces, or group projects to boost morale and remind people of the value of cooperation. Some famous examples include:

• “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” —Helen Keller
• “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” —Harry S. Truman

If you’d like to create your own motivational messages to inspire a team, try the QuillBot AI inspirational quote generator. It can help you generate unique, uplifting quotes tailored to your audience.