Zig Ziglar died yesterday at age 86. For those of you who aren’t familiar with his work, Zig was a highly sought after motivational speaker and author. He was known for his constant positivity, and his message of living a life filled with gratitude and of serving others. He was also a strong Christian, so today he’s in heaven, worshiping his Savior.

Zig’s given name was Hilary Hinton Ziglar, but he went by the name of Zig. He talked about why in one of his books:

Well, when your mama starts out in life as Hilary, gives you a middle name Hinton, your last name is Ziglar, and you’re from Yazoo City, Mississippi, you become Zig. So that’s where I got the name. It’s kind of like Johnny Johnson, you know, or Tommy Thompson. It’s a natural for my last name going like that. And it’s easy to remember, too. I like that.

Ziglar was a World War II veteran, and after becoming a top salesman in multiple companies, he struck out on his own to be a motivational speaker, trainer and teacher of how to live a successful life.

Zig wrote over two dozen books, and encouraged millions with his down home southern charm, along with his lessons grounded in his Christian faith.

The lessons he taught were no-nonsense common sense, and he had a way of phrasing things that made you smile – he was always entertaining.

Today I thought I’d share 45 entertaining and truth-filled quotes from Zig Ziglar.

45 Quotes From Zig Ziglar

Zig Ziglar was one of the most quotable speakers that I’ve come across, but in this list I’ve tried to come up with some of his best quotes on life, love, money and success.

Money won’t make you happy… but everybody wants to find out for themselves.

People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing—that’s why we recommend it daily.

Money isn’t the most important thing in life, but it’s reasonably close to oxygen on the “gotta have it” scale.

Money will buy you a bed, but not a good night’s sleep, a house but not a home, a companion but not a friend.

People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.

If you can dream it, you can achieve it.

Building a better you is the first step to building a better America.

Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.

Little men with little minds and little imaginations go through life in little ruts, smugly resisting all changes which would jar their little worlds.

Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful.

Every choice you make has an end result.

Every obnoxious act is a cry for help.

Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.

Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street.

I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life. You can’t truly be considered successful in your business life if your home life is in shambles.

If God would have wanted us to live in a permissive society He would have given us Ten Suggestions and not Ten Commandments.

If you can dream it, then you can achieve it. You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.

If you don’t see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner.

If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.

If you learn from defeat, you haven’t really lost.

If you treat your wife like a thoroughbred, you’ll never end up with a nag.

If you want to reach a goal, you must “see the reaching” in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal.

It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.

It’s not what you’ve got, it’s what you use that makes a difference.

Many marriages would be better if the husband and the wife clearly understood that they are on the same side.

If you treat your wife like a thoroughbred, you’ll never end up with a nag.

People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.

Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business.

Success is dependent upon the glands – sweat glands.

The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty.

The way you see people is the way you treat them.

When you are tough on yourself, life is going to be infinitely easier on you.

You cannot perform in a manner inconsistent with the way you see yourself.

People who have good relationships at home are more effective in the marketplace.

You cannot climb the ladder of success dressed in the costume of failure.

Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.

Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have.

Remember that failure is an event, not a person. You cannot tailor-make the situations in life but you can tailor-make the attitudes to fit those situations.

You do not pay the price of success, you enjoy the price of success.

You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.

Remember that failure is an event, not a person.

You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.

There has never been a statue erected to honor a critic.

Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.

If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.

So there you have it. Timeless wisdom from a one of a kind man.

Have your own favorite Zig Ziglar quotes or stories? Tell us about them in the comments.