The 10 Best Things About Leos

he astronomical constellation Leo is one of the easiest to see in the night sky. It’s visible to everyone on the planet except for people who live in Antarctica, and since no one lives in Antarctica, it’s visible to everyone on Earth who wants to go star-gazing and look for the string of lights that form a giant Lion who boldly leaps across the vast darkness.

Like its namesake in the nighttime sky, the zodiac sign Leo is a real eye-catcher, too. The planets have aligned to give Leos a personality that bursts with confidence, bravery, charm, and friendliness of a caliber that makes them the best leaders out of all the star signs. 

What’s most surprising, though, is that such bold, alpha-type personalities can also be generous, honest, and fiercely loyal. One doesn’t often expect leaders to be quite that humane.

Here are the 10 best traits about the Lion of the zodiac.

1. Confident

Fire sign? Check. Ruled by the sun? Check. Fixed modality? Check? Symbolized by a freakin’ Lion? Checkmate. As the zodiac’s natural-born leaders, Leos have such a commanding presence that they can persuade anyone to follow them anywhere, whether into battle or to an all-night house party. Rarely the kind to be afflicted with even a tinge of self-doubt, they feel that there is nothing they can’t do, only things they haven’t done yet. And if they’ve already done them, they are sure they can do it better the next time around.

2. Fearless

Fearlessness is confidence put into action. Determined and driven, never taking “No” for an answer, and firm in their conviction that coming in second only means that you’re the first loser, Leo has the sort of gutsy, spunky, intrepid heroism that stares down fear and makes it their bitch. As the old Motown song said, there ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough, ain’t no river wide enough to keep a Leo from getting to their goal. It’s this sort of determination, this never-say-die attitude that has led to many of the great advances and innovations throughout human history.

3. Optimistic

When you’re this confident and fearless, it feels as if the road rises up to meet you, the wind is always at your back, the sun shines warmly in your face, and even the rain falls softly upon your fields. Leos realize instinctually that no matter how bad the situation is, adopting a negative attitude only makes it that much worse. Of all the star signs, they are the least likely to mope and the most likely to cope. They find it undignified to wallow in self-pity. So they always take lemons and turn them into lemonade. Even if a world-class physician soberly informs them that they have only a year to live, Leo will start pretending they’re a dog, because one human year equals seven dog years—and that gives them more time.

4. Charming

Leos are alluring, amiable, appealing, engaging, and likeable—and that’s before they even wake up and get out of bed. Oozing with charisma from every pore, not only do they make people like them—they make people want to be like them. They were born realizing the old adage that you attract more bees with honey than with vinegar, so their magnetic personality draws people toward them wherever they go. They just can’t help it. They are so charming, they’re the person you should call if you want some bad news delivered to someone but don’t know just how to break it to them. Leo will find a way to break the bad news without breaking someone’s heart.

5. Friendly

Although charisma can often come off as feigned, phony, and smarmy, it tends to be effortlessly genuine with Leos. There are no strangers to them. The moment they meet you, they act as if it’s a reunion of long-lost friends. They’re so affable, chummy, cordial, and welcoming, at first it will seem foreign to you, and you might even suspect they’ve got some sort of sinister hidden angle. But after a while, you’ll realize to your astonishment that they’re truly this nice and have nothing to gain by being this way.

6. Generous

What’s surprising about a sign that bursts with so much confidence, bravery, and charm is how truly selfless Leos can be. They are absurdly generous with their time, affection, and resources. Even if they are working overtime on a project that is fast approaching its deadline, Leos will find a way to carve fifteen minutes out of their hectic schedule and listen to your problems if you tell them you truly need to vent. If you are facing some sort of financial or medical emergency but don’t have the cash to cover it, Leo will step in and cover your expenses with such gallantry, you’d hate yourself if you neglected to pay them back. They are also great gift-givers with an uncanny knack for discerning both what you want and what you need, and if it requires two gifts, so be it.

7. Loyal

Although sometimes it can seem as if even those who are close to you turn out to be back-stabbers, betrayers, cheaters, schemers, and shameless connivers, Leos will be that one friend, relative, or lover who can never let you down. You never have to turn around to see if they have your back—you can just sense that they do. Through thick and thin, ups and downs, in sickness and in health, in fair and foul weather, Leo will stand by your side. You never need to ask for their loyalty. That’s actually what “loyalty” means. If you feel you need to ask for it, then somewhere deep down inside you already know that person isn’t truly loyal.

8. Protective

It’s a bad, wild, wicked, and increasingly dangerous world out there, but if Leo is your friend, you can count on them to make life just a little bit safer. They’ll give you a blanket when it’s cold, a popsicle when it’s hot, and a huge hug and comforting word when you most need it. They’re the one to call when you have a flat tire in the middle of the night and need a ride to the hospital or airport. If someone who pretends to be your friend is insulting you behind your back, Leo will tell you. Then they’ll go and give a frighteningly stern lecture to your so-called “friend.”

9. Honest

If you need to hear the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth without a speck of bullshit, Leo is the best person to consult. They’ll tell you what you need to hear rather than what you want to hear, but they’ll do it with grace and tact rather than rudeness and bluntness. They will identify the problem and offer what is the most realistic solution. They will speak with a direct and frank sense of candor that is hard to find in a world where you basically need a translator to figure out what someone really means when they tell you something. If you think you can handle the truth, talk to a Leo.

10. Creative

If there’s a tense situation, you can count on Leo to break the ice with just the right zinger delivered just the right way at just the right time. If there’s a business or personal problem that seems impossible to solve, Leo will not only think outside of the box—they’ll jump outside of the box, look at the box from outer space, and come zooming in at it from such a different angle that everyone else’s heads will spin and wonder if they’re truly human.