Quotes from Stephen R. Covey

One of the fundamental problems in organizations, including families, is that people are not committed to the determinations of other people for their lives.

Be Proactive; Begin with the End in Mind).

The leader is the one who climbs the tallest tree, surveys the entire situation, and yells, Wrong jungle!

frequently use this perception demonstration in working with people and organizations because it yields so many deep insights into both personal and interpersonal effectiveness. It shows, first of all, how powerfully conditioning affects our perceptions, and our paradigms. If ten seconds can have that kind of impact on the way we see things, what about the

Our response to any mistake affects the quality of the next moment. It is important to immediately admit and correct our mistakes so that they have no power over that next moment and we are empowered again.

leadership is communicating others' worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves

The gravity pull of some of our habits may currently be keeping us from going where we want to go.

In a world of change, disruption, chaos, and relentless uncertainty, people crave an anchor point, a set of constructs to give them guidance in the face of turbulence. Covey believed that timeless principles do indeed exist, and that the search for them is not folly, but wisdom.

In our quest for short-term returns, or results, we often ruin a prized physical asset—a car, a computer, a washer or dryer, even our body or our environment. Keeping P and PC in balance makes a tremendous difference in the effective use of physical assets.

Put First Things First).

we have inadvertently become so focused on our own building that we have forgotten the foundation that holds it up;

Preserve the Core AND Stimulate Progress

conditioning of a lifetime? The influences in our lives—family, school, church, work environment, friends, associates, and current social paradigms such as the Personality Ethic—all have made their silent unconscious impact on us and help shape our frame of reference, our paradigms, our maps.

As we have observed, the shift from the Character Ethic to the Personality Ethic has drawn us away from the very roots that nourish true success and happiness.

In the words of William George Jordan, "Into the hands of every individual is given a marvelous power for good or evil—the silent, unconscious, unseen influence of his life. This is simply the constant radiation of what man really is, not what he pretends to be." T

My duplicity will breed distrust, and everything I do—even using so-called good human relations techniques—will be perceived as manipulative. It simply makes no difference how good the rhetoric is or even how good the intentions are; if there is little or no trust, there is no foundation for permanent success.

define a habit as the intersection of knowledge, skill, and desire.

In addition, you'll find it easier and more desirable to change because there is something—some core deep within—that is essentially changeless.

Look to yourself. Be honest with yourself first—the roots of your problems are spiritual, and so are the root solutions. Build your character and your relationships on the bedrock of principles.

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.

If you don't let a teacher know at what level you are—by asking a question, or revealing your ignorance—you will not learn or grow. You cannot pretend for long, for you will eventually be found out.

Our most important financial asset is our own capacity to earn. If we don't continually invest in improving our own PC, we severely limit our options. We're locked into our present situation, running scared of our corporation or our boss's opinion of us, economically dependent

By making and keeping promises to ourselves and others, little by little, our honor becomes greater than our moods. The

effectively delegating to others is perhaps the single most powerful high-leverage activity there is.