“When I started out, I’d drive 100 miles to do my act for free.” — Jim Carrey

On his founding of Ebay, Pierre Omidyar comments, “I was just pursuing what I enjoyed doing. I mean, I was pursuing my passion. If you’re passionate about something and you work hard, then I think you will be successful.”

Good to Great author, Jim Collins writes, “The kind of commitment I find among the best performers across virtually every field is a single-minded passion for what they do, an unwavering desire for excellence in the way they think and the way they work.”

The Bottom Line: Leaders pursue their passion and combine it with hard work to become top performers.