Leo Personality

Leo Traits: Friendly, warm-hearted, self-indulgent, generous, moody, courageous, optimistic, patriotic, sensitive, vain, altruistic, creative, confident, strong, bossy, attention-seeking, passionate, protective

Most Leos are generous and helpful by nature. They love to spoil friends, family and romantic partners, buying extravagant gifts or blowing their money on good times. Most are excellent cooks, and they enjoy feeding others.

Leos can’t resist luxuries and the good life, even if they can’t afford it. They believe that they need to have the best and that everyone they like should have the best as well.

Sensitive and Moody

Although moody, Leos tend to be optimistic most of the time. However, Leos that receive insufficient attention can grow depressed and sullen. Leos often sulk in response to minor slights, particularly blows to their pride, but they tend to recover quickly.

Swift to anger and equally swift to forgive, most Leos wear their hearts on their sleeves. Inclined toward openness and honesty, they often exaggerate, but are less likely to lie outright unless the ascendant falls in a more secretive or deceptive sign.

Strong and Athletic

Most Leos are athletic and energetic, and they love a challenge, physical or otherwise. Leos tend to be physically strong and usually have good musculature. Many look a bit like lions, with smooth cheekbones, large faces, thick wavy hair and catlike eyes.

Leo tends to be an attractive sign, with the only flaw being a tendency to put on excess weight due to overindulgence. Most Leos eat and drink too much if given the opportunity.

Creative and Attention Seeking

A combination of creativity and a need for the spotlight suits many Leos to careers that involve either performance or working with the public in some capacity. Leos love to be the center of attention and the idea of fame and stardom particularly appeals to this sign.

Many Leos have dramatic talents, which may lead them into the film industry or related professions, though Leo creativity may also manifest as a talent for arts and crafts.

Confident and Extroverted

The confident, sunny Leo nature often ensures popularity. Leos are very sociable and love to throw and attend parties. They also love to talk, and some have a tendency to brag or be pompous. Negative Leo types can be bullying, snobbish, patronizing and conceited, dominating conversations and individuals. However, the Leo confidence (or overconfidence) more often manifests as charisma and a propensity for risk-taking than overbearing behaviour.

Leo popularity is enhanced by a tendency to freely share time, energy, money and affection with others. All they require in return is to receive a larger share of affection and adoration than the average person.

Vain, Assertive and Ambitious

Leos are very concerned with their appearances. Often the confident, capable Leo persona covers some degree of low self-esteem or worries about attractiveness and other personal traits. Despite these occasional bouts of worry, Leos are good at promoting themselves and marketing their considerable talents.

They are assertive enough to get what they want out of life, and most are sufficiently capable to achieve much of what they set their minds to. Although they can be lazy around the house, Leos are hardworking and driven when something interests them.

Passionate and Protective

Leos are very passionate and sensual. In love, they are romantic. They are also ferociously protective of friends, lovers and family, and most are willing to die for what they believe in. Their passion often extends to patriotism as well.

A combination of passion and assertiveness can manifest as belligerence in negative Leo types. Some Leos are argumentative or domineering, while others pick their battles wisely. Most are good fighters, both in a verbal argument and in a physical confrontation. However, because they are highly reactive and emotionally intense, Leos often speak or act impulsively in emotionally charged situations and live to regret it later on.

High Need for Excitement

Most Leos love flashy cars and exciting people. They usually dress to be noticed, and are bold enough to make statements, verbal or otherwise. They have the guts to put themselves forward and don’t mind the whole world looking at them. In fact, they prefer it. 

Leos crave a little danger, which makes them natural risk-takers, sometimes excessively so. Unless the ascendant is in an earth sign, Leos tend to be drawn to extreme sports, and in some cases, stormy romantic affairs with highly unsuitable partners.

Leadership Ability

Except for the emotional need for a mate and the intellectual need for an audience, Leos are independent and entrepreneurial, and often succeed in businesses of their own. Even when working for others, Leos often rise through the ranks to end up in positions of authority.

Because Leos have such excellent natural leadership skills, people often look to them for guidance. Leos must guard against letting this going to their heads, and repress their natural inclination to be bossy both at work and at home.

Altruistic and Generous

Leo is a sign that is cut out for heroics due to a combination of bravery, altruism, protectiveness and the need to be admired. Leos will stop to help someone in need, and if they have money, most have a tendency toward philanthropy. The majority of Leos are quite soft-hearted and have a particular fondness for children and animals.

Famous Leos

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Percy B. Shelley, George Bernard Shaw, Tony Bennett, Napoleon Bonaparte, Ray Bradbury, Fidel Castro, Coco Chanel, Raymond Chandler, Julia Child, Dolores Del Rio, Guy de Maupassant, Cecil B. DeMille, Robert De Niro, Marcel Duchamp, Amelia Earhart, Zelda Fitzgerald, Frank Gifford, George Hamilton, Mata Hari, Alfred Hitchcock, Dustin Hoffman, John Huston, Aldous Husley, Mick Jagger, Peter Jennings, Carl Jung, T. E. Lawrence, Herman Melville, Benito Mussolini, Annie Oakley, Carroll O’Connor, Peter O’Toole, Dorothy Parker, Maxfield Parrish, Roman Polanski, Robert Redford, Yves Saint Laurent, Casey Stengel, Booth Tarkington, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Leon Uris, Rudy Vallee, Andy Warhol, Mae West, Esther Williams, Shelley Winters, Orville Wright, James Dean, David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Michael Beihn, Ethel Barrymore, Antonio Banderas, Loni Anderson, Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, Arnold Swartzenneger, Melanie Griffith, Whitney Huston, Gene Kelly, Patrick Swayze, Sean Penn, Ben Affleck, Sandra Bullock, J. C. Chasez of N'Sync, David Duchovny, Jonathon Frakes, Whitney Houston, Peter O'Toole, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Martin Sheen, Kevin Spacey, Christian Slater

Further Reading

To read profiles of other sun signs, visit the Main Astrology Page.

References:

• Bugler, Ashford, Chubb, & Zapp. (1992).The Complete Handbook of Astrology.
• Fenton, S. (1989). Rising Signs.
• Woolfolk, J.M. (1992). The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need.

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