Quotes from Stephen R. Covey

I realized that Sandra and I had been getting social mileage out of our children's good behavior, and, in our eyes, this son simply didn't measure up.

As explorer, writer, and filmmaker Sir Laurens van der Post put it: We have to turn inwards, to look into ourselves; look into this container which is our soul; look and listen to it. Until you have listened in to that thing which is dreaming through you, in other words—answered the knock on the door in the dark, you will not be able to lift this moment in time in which we are imprisoned, back again into the level where the great act of creation is going on.

we sow, we must inevitably reap.

There are, of course, situations where people have character strength but they lack communication skills, and that undoubtedly affects the quality of relationships as well.

The world has changed dramatically since The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was first published. Life is more complex, more stressful, more demanding. We have transitioned from the Industrial

When relationships are strained and the air charged with emotion, an attempt to teach is often perceived as a form of judgment and rejection. But to take the child alone, quietly, when the relationship is good and to discuss the teaching or the value seems to have much greater impact.

Highly proactive people recognize that responsibility. They do not blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. Their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice, based on values, rather than a product of their conditions, based on feeling.

what we sow, we must inevitably reap.

Unclear expectations in the area of goals also undermine communication and trust.

balance is captured in the words of the ancient Sufi teaching: "You think because you understand one you must understand two, because one and one makes two. But you must also understand and.

How many on their deathbeds wished they'd spent more time at the office—or watching TV? The answer is, No one. They think about their loved ones, their families, and those they have served.

People resent any attempt to manipulate them. In fact, if you're dealing with people you're close to, it's helpful to tell them what you're doing.

love is a verb. Love—the feeling—is a fruit of love, the verb. So love her. Serve her. Sacrifice. Listen to her. Empathize. Appreciate. Affirm her. Are you willing to do that?

I'm sure there are people who, even suddenly understanding the true situation, would have felt no more than a twinge of regret or vague guilt as they continued to sit in embarrassed silence beside the grieving, confused man. On the other hand, I am equally certain there are people who would have been far more sensitive in the first place, who may have recognized that a deeper problem existed and reached out to understand and help before I did.

Our character, basically, is a composite of our habits. "Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny," the maxim goes.

Here are some examples of where you might be paying Trust Taxes or earning Trust Dividends:

We create many negative situations by simply assuming that our expectations are self-evident and that they are clearly understood and shared by other people.

Miedo omnipresente. La recesión económica provoca una recesión psicológica. Hay miedo a perder el empleo, los ahorros para la jubilación e incluso la casa. La presión se acumula y acaba pasando factura. Precisamente cuando más centrados y comprometidos necesita a los suyos, más descentrados y menos comprometidos están.

not a day goes by that we can't at least serve one other human being by making deposits of unconditional love.

Personal responsibility, or proactivity, is fundamental to the first creation. Returning to the computer metaphor, Habit 1 says, "You are the programmer." Habit 2, then, says, "Write the program." Until you accept the idea that you are responsible, that you are the programmer, you won't really invest in writing the program.

When Gates first met Warren Buffett at a dinner, the host asked all those at the table what they saw as the single most important factor in their journey through life. As Alice Schroeder related in her book The Snowball, both Gates and Buffett gave the same one-word answer: "Focus" (Habit 3: Put First Things First

The way we see the problem, is the problem.

may not even know I need to listen. Even if I do know that in order to interact effectively with others I really need to listen to them, I may not have the skill. I may not know how to really listen deeply to another human being. But knowing I need to listen and knowing how to listen is not enough. Unless I want to listen, unless I have the desire, it won't be a habit in my life. Creating a habit requires work in all three dimensions.

positive mental attitude (PMA).