Stephen Covey Quotes

Powerful Stephen Covey for Daily Growth

About Stephen Covey

Stephen R. Covey (1932-2012) was an American educator, author, businessman, and keynote speaker, renowned for his influential book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." Born on October 24, 1932, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Covey grew up in a family deeply rooted in Latter-day Saint (Mormon) culture and values. He was the fifth of eight children and the eldest son of Stephen R. Covey Sr., a respected professor of business at Brigham Young University (BYU). Covey's early education took place primarily within the Mormon educational system, which instilled in him a strong work ethic and moral foundation. He earned his bachelor's degree from BYU, followed by a master's degree in business administration from Stanford University. In 1965, Covey joined the faculty of the business school at BYU as an assistant professor, eventually becoming a full professor and serving as the dean of the school for nine years. His groundbreaking work on organizational change management led to invitations to speak at businesses around the world. In 1989, Covey published "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," which became an international bestseller and a key text in personal development and leadership circles. The book outlines seven habits grouped into three categories: private victory, public victory, and renewal. Covey's other notable works include "First Things First" (1994), "Principle-Centered Leadership" (1991), and "The 8th Habit" (2004). He was also the founder of the Covey Leadership Center, now part of FranklinCovey, a global leadership development company that delivers training and consulting services. Stephen Covey passed away on July 16, 2012, leaving behind an enduring legacy as a pioneer in self-help literature and a thought leader in management education. His ideas continue to influence millions of people worldwide seeking personal growth and effective leadership.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Begin with the End in Mind"

The quote "Begin with the End in Mind" by Stephen Covey suggests a strategic, goal-oriented approach to life. It means visualizing your desired outcome or end result before you start working on a task or project. This helps ensure that every action taken aligns with your ultimate goals and values. In essence, it's about setting clear objectives at the outset to achieve success effectively and efficiently in the long run.

"Seek first to understand, then to be understood."

This quote emphasizes empathy and active listening as key elements in effective communication. It encourages us to prioritize understanding another person's perspective before expressing our own viewpoint, fostering an environment of mutual respect, collaboration, and productive dialogue. By seeking first to understand, we show genuine interest and care for others, enhancing relationships and promoting a more harmonious and cooperative society.

"The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing."

This quote by Stephen Covey emphasizes the importance of maintaining focus on the most crucial aspect or goal in any given situation, project, or life. It encourages prioritizing tasks effectively and not getting side-tracked by less important matters. Keeping the main thing the main thing ultimately leads to greater efficiency, productivity, and success.

"Strength lies in differences, not in similarities."

This quote by Stephen Covey emphasizes the power that diversity brings. It suggests that it's not sameness that makes a group or community strong, but rather, the unique qualities, perspectives, and ideas of its members, which collectively create resilience, creativity, and adaptability. A diverse environment encourages collaboration, fosters understanding, and promotes innovation as different minds work together to tackle challenges, making it a vital ingredient for a thriving society or organization.

"We are not a product of our circumstances. We are a product of our decisions."

This quote emphasizes personal responsibility and the power of choice in shaping one's life. It suggests that while our circumstances may influence us, they do not define who we ultimately become. Instead, it is the choices we make in response to those circumstances that shape our character, destiny, and success. Essentially, it encourages individuals to seize control over their lives by making intentional decisions, rather than allowing external factors to dictate their path.

A mission statement is not something you write overnight... But fundamentally, your mission statement becomes your constitution, the solid expression of your vision and values. It becomes the criterion by which you measure everything else in your life.

- Stephen Covey

Constitution, Solid, Which, Fundamentally

The average family spends 30 hours in front of a television, and they say they don't have the time to have a balanced, integrated life.

- Stephen Covey

Television, Average, Hours, Integrated

The more people rationalize cheating, the more it becomes a culture of dishonesty. And that can become a vicious, downward cycle. Because suddenly, if everyone else is cheating, you feel a need to cheat, too.

- Stephen Covey

Downward, Everyone Else, Vicious

A cardinal principle of Total Quality escapes too many managers: you cannot continuously improve interdependent systems and processes until you progressively perfect interdependent, interpersonal relationships.

- Stephen Covey

Business, Principle, Escapes

Historically, the family has played the primary role in educating children for life, with the school providing supplemental scaffolding to the family.

- Stephen Covey

Role, Providing, Scaffolding, Educating

When it comes to developing character strength, inner security and unique personal and interpersonal talents and skills in a child, no institution can or ever will compare with, or effectively substitute for, the home's potential for positive influence.

- Stephen Covey

Strength, Home, Compare, Potential

Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.

- Stephen Covey

Strength, Differences, Lies, Similarities

Moral authority comes from following universal and timeless principles like honesty, integrity, treating people with respect.

- Stephen Covey

Respect, People, Like, Treating

Outsourcing is inevitable, and I don't think it's necessarily treating people like things.

- Stephen Covey

Think, Like, Inevitable, Treating

There is a heavy emphasis in Mormonism on initiative, on responsibility, on a work ethic, and on education. If you take those elements together with a free-enterprise system, you've got the chemistry for a lot of industry.

- Stephen Covey

Work, Initiative, Chemistry, Ethic

Some habits of ineffectiveness are rooted in our social conditioning toward quick-fix, short-term thinking.

- Stephen Covey

Habits, Some, Toward, Conditioning

Every human has four endowments - self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom... The power to choose, to respond, to change.

- Stephen Covey

Independence, Give, Respond

People and organizations don't grow much without delegation and completed staff work because they are confined to the capacities of the boss and reflect both personal strengths and weaknesses.

- Stephen Covey

Boss, Grow, Confined, Capacities

You can retire from a job, but don't ever retire from making extremely meaningful contributions in life.

- Stephen Covey

Making, Ever, Extremely, Contributions

Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships.

- Stephen Covey

Trust, Principle, Ingredient, Essential

We are the creative force of our life, and through our own decisions rather than our conditions, if we carefully learn to do certain things, we can accomplish those goals.

- Stephen Covey

Learning, Through, Rather, Decisions

Synergy is what happens when one plus one equals ten or a hundred or even a thousand! It's the profound result when two or more respectful human beings determine to go beyond their preconceived ideas to meet a great challenge.

- Stephen Covey

Two, Synergy, Hundred, Preconceived

Listen with the intent to understand, not the intent to reply.

- Stephen Covey

Listen, Understand, Reply, Intent

When you show deep empathy toward others, their defensive energy goes down, and positive energy replaces it. That's when you can get more creative in solving problems.

- Stephen Covey

Empathy, Deep, Solving, Energy

You're not a product of your nature. That is your genetic makeup or your nurture, the things that have happened to you. Of course those things affect you powerfully, but they do not determine you.

- Stephen Covey

Makeup, Product, Genetic, Nurture

An empowered organisation is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organisational success.

- Stephen Covey

Opportunity, Desire, Which, Organisation

The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.

- Stephen Covey

Priorities, Schedule, Your, Key

It takes a great deal of character strength to apologize quickly out of one's heart rather than out of pity. A person must possess himself and have a deep sense of security in fundamental principles and values in order to genuinely apologize.

- Stephen Covey

Strength, Deep, Deal, Great Deal

I affirm to you the tremendous potential you have, not beyond anything you could ever imagine.

- Stephen Covey

Could, Imagine, Ever, Affirm

The world has entered an era of the most profound and challenging change in human history.

- Stephen Covey

World, Profound, Most, Human History

Studies have identified a significant 'skills gap' between what students are currently being taught and the skills employers are seeking in today's global economy. Our children must be better prepared than they are now to meet the future challenges of our ever-changing world.

- Stephen Covey

Challenges, Prepared, Global, Identified

Family home evening is more for the purpose of teaching values and gospel principles, displaying talents and enjoying different kinds of family fun and activities.

- Stephen Covey

Purpose, Values, More, Displaying

When the external factors over which one has no control in a way start to become negative, it starts to affect our creative juices.

- Stephen Covey

Over, Affect, Which, External

Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

- Stephen Covey

Understand, Seek, Then, Understood

What air is to the body, to feel understood is to the heart.

- Stephen Covey

Body, Feel, Air, Understood

Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition - such as lifting weights - we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity.

- Stephen Covey

Adversity, Through, Weights

What is common sense isn't common practice.

- Stephen Covey

Practice, Common, Sense, Common Sense

Employers and business leaders need people who can think for themselves - who can take initiative and be the solution to problems.

- Stephen Covey

Initiative, Think, Employers, Business Leaders

We need to have business leaders who live by deep, strong principles.

- Stephen Covey

Business, Strong, Deep, Business Leaders

Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.

- Stephen Covey

Leadership, Effective, First Things

One of the things that I have admired about India is the spiritualism of the people.

- Stephen Covey

Admired, One Of The Things, Spiritualism

Stop setting goals. Goals are pure fantasy unless you have a specific plan to achieve them.

- Stephen Covey

Fantasy, Achieve, Them, Goals

If you want small changes in your life, work on your attitude. But if you want big and primary changes, work on your paradigm.

- Stephen Covey

Small, Big, Paradigm, Primary

How can you possibly reconcile the justice of God with the idea that only through Christ can you be saved? Most of the world lives and dies and never even hears of Christ. There has to be some mechanism set up for all those who have ever lived to have an opportunity to hear of Christ.

- Stephen Covey

Saved, Through, Some, Reconcile

It's amazing how confused and distracted and misdirected so many people are.

- Stephen Covey

Amazing, Confused, How, Misdirected

Principles are guidelines for human conduct that are proven to have enduring, permanent value.

- Stephen Covey

Permanent, Conduct, Enduring, Guidelines

The roots of the problems we face in the world, in our national life, and in our family and personal lives are spiritual.

- Stephen Covey

Roots, Personal, Lives, Personal Lives

Every time you think the problem is 'out there,' that very thought is the problem.

- Stephen Covey

Problem, Think, Very, Every Time

Every time I see high-trust cultures, I see a lessening of adversarialism.

- Stephen Covey

See, Cultures, I See, Every Time

The challenge of work-life balance is without question one of the most significant struggles faced by modern man.

- Stephen Covey

Question, Modern Man, Faced

Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconcious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character.

- Stephen Covey

Habits, Patterns, Consistent, Composite

When you really listen to another person from their point of view, and reflect back to them that understanding, it's like giving them emotional oxygen.

- Stephen Covey

Point Of View, Like, Another, Oxygen

It's a fact that more people watch television and get their information that way than read books. I find new technology and new ways of communication very exciting and would like to do more in this field.

- Stephen Covey

Fact, Very, Ways, New Technology

I believe in Coach Louis Wong. He is so much more than just a football coach.

- Stephen Covey

Football, Believe, More, Louis

Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.

- Stephen Covey

Success, Efficiency, Ladder, Climbing

The solutions to our problems are and always will be based upon universal, timeless, self-evident principles common to every enduring, prospering society throughout history.

- Stephen Covey

Always, Based, Enduring, Self-Evident

Listen with your eyes for feelings.

- Stephen Covey

Eyes, Listen, Your, Feelings

Reactive people... are often affected by their physical environment. They find external sources to blame for their behavior.

- Stephen Covey

People, Often, Sources, External

In the last analysis, what we are communicates far more eloquently than anything we say or do.

- Stephen Covey

Communication, Last, Far, Eloquently

For me, the essence of the great American Dream is spiritual. I believe that our Constitution is inspired and that it is based on principles that are timeless and universal. This is the reason why 95% of all written constitutions throughout the world are modeled after our Constitution.

- Stephen Covey

Reason, Constitution, Why, Timeless

The key is taking responsibility and initiative, deciding what your life is about and prioritizing your life around the most important things.

- Stephen Covey

The Most Important, About, Key

The true identity theft is not financial. It's not in cyberspace. It's spiritual. It's been taken.

- Stephen Covey

Financial, Identity, Been, Cyberspace

Between stimulus and response, there is a space where we choose our response.

- Stephen Covey

Attitude, Response, Stimulus, Between

The proactive approach to a mistake is to acknowledge it instantly, correct and learn from it.

- Stephen Covey

Mistake, Instantly, Correct, Proactive

Everyone must be proactive and do all they can to help themselves to stay employed.

- Stephen Covey

Help, Everyone, Themselves, Proactive

A little over 5% of the world's population produces almost 29% of the world's goods and services.

- Stephen Covey

World, Over, Almost, Produces

If you have a family mission statement that clarifies what your purpose is, then you use that as the criterion by which you make the decisions.

- Stephen Covey

Purpose, Which, Criterion, Decisions

You can't talk your way out of problems you behave yourself into.

- Stephen Covey

Yourself, Talk, Behave, Problems

Remember, we are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.

- Stephen Covey

Remember, Having, Human Experience

My parents were just constantly affirming me in everything that I did. Late at night, I'd wake up and hear my mother talking over my bed, saying, 'You're going to do great on this test. You can do anything you want.'

- Stephen Covey

Wake Up, Bed, Talking, Hear

Public behavior is merely private character writ large.

- Stephen Covey

Character, Private, Public, Writ

Both times I was in India, I could not get people to listen to each other. I had to literally tell people to listen to each other and tell them that they can't get creative and find alternate solutions if they don't listen to each other. There's a lot of arguing and justifying.

- Stephen Covey

Tell, Other, Arguing, Alternate

Despite all our gains in technology, product innovation and world markets, most people are not thriving in the organizations they work for.

- Stephen Covey

Work, Innovation, Thriving, Organizations

Light is the greatest disinfectant in nature and also in organizations.

- Stephen Covey

Nature, Light, Also, Organizations

But with the steady disintegration of the family in modern society over the last century, the role of the school in bridging the gap has become vital!

- Stephen Covey

Over, Role, Last, Vital

Most people are basically a victim of the circumstances of their life. They have things like 9/11, they have terrorism threats, they have new war threats, they have economy problems, and they think, 'What can I do? I'm basically a victim.'

- Stephen Covey

Think, New, Circumstances, Victim

Accountability breeds response-ability.

- Stephen Covey

Accountability, Breeds

When one side benefits more than the other, that's a win-lose situation. To the winner it might look like success for a while, but in the long run, it breeds resentment and distrust.

- Stephen Covey

Benefits, Other, Side, Breeds

I believe in this concept that you learn by teaching.

- Stephen Covey

Learn, Concept, Teaching, I Believe In

There's strong data that, within companies, the No. 1 reason for ethical violations is the pressure to meet expectations, sometimes unrealistic expectations.

- Stephen Covey

Strong, Data, Reason, Ethical

Want balance in your life? Then sure, get your own act together, but don't forget four powerful disciplines of execution in your team and organization.

- Stephen Covey

Execution, Want, Sure, Disciplines

Your most important work is always ahead of you, never behind you.

- Stephen Covey

Important, Always, Most, Important Work

The bottom line is, when people are crystal clear about the most important priorities of the organization and team they work with and prioritized their work around those top priorities, not only are they many times more productive, they discover they have the time they need to have a whole life.

- Stephen Covey

Line, Crystal, About, Productive

Life is not accumulation, it is about contribution.

- Stephen Covey

Life, Contribution, About, Accumulate

Mind over mattress.

- Stephen Covey

Mind, Over, Mattress

The spirit of America has nurtured responsibility and community unlike any other country.

- Stephen Covey

Country, Other, Unlike

If you carefully consider what you want to be said of you in the funeral experience, you will find your definition of success.

- Stephen Covey

Want, Will, Carefully, Funeral

Begin with the end in mind.

- Stephen Covey

Mind, End, Begin

We are not animals. We are not a product of what has happened to us in our past. We have the power of choice.

- Stephen Covey

Past, Product, Animals, Happened

If there's one thing that's certain in business, it's uncertainty.

- Stephen Covey

Business, One Thing, Thing, Certain

In school, many of us procrastinate and then successfully cram for tests. We get the grades and degrees we need to get the jobs we want, even if we fail to get a good general education.

- Stephen Covey

Education, Procrastinate, Successfully

Instead, I have an abundance mentality: When people are genuinely happy at the successes of others, the pie gets larger.

- Stephen Covey

Abundance, Mentality, Larger, Gets

In this knowledge-worker age, it's now increasingly tied to doing well in school so you can get into better grad schools so you can get better jobs - so the pressure to do well is really high.

- Stephen Covey

Doing, Increasingly, Tied, Schools

The deepest desire of the human spirit is to be acknowledged.

- Stephen Covey

Desire, Spirit, Acknowledged, Deepest

There are three constants in life... change, choice and principles.

- Stephen Covey

Life, Change, Choice, Principles

When we value correct principles, we have truth - a knowledge of things as they are.

- Stephen Covey

Truth, Things, Correct, Principles

Leadership is a choice, not a position.

- Stephen Covey

Leadership, Choice, Position

Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.

- Stephen Covey

Voice, Find, Your, Inspire

Synergy is better than my way or your way. It's our way.

- Stephen Covey

Better, Than, Your, Synergy

To learn something but not to do is really not to learn. To know something but not to do is really not to know.

- Stephen Covey

Learn, Know, Really, Something

We become what we repeatedly do.

- Stephen Covey

Become, Repeatedly

Trust is central to an economy that works.

- Stephen Covey

Trust, Economy, Works, Central

If we keep doing what we're doing, we're going to keep getting what we're getting.

- Stephen Covey

Doing, Going, Keep, Getting

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.

- Stephen Covey

Keep, Main, Thing, Main Thing

Live out of your imagination, not your history.

- Stephen Covey

Live, Imagination, Your, History

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