Stephen R. Covey Quotes

Stephen Richards Covey was an American educator, author, businessman, and keynote speaker. His most popular book is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. His other books include First Things First, Principle-Centered Leadership, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, The 8th Habit, and The Leader In Me — How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time. In 1996, Time magazine named him one of the 25 most influential people. He was a professor at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University at the time of his death. Wikipedia  

✵ 24. October 1932 – 16. July 2012

Works

Stephen R. Covey: 125 quotes33 likes

Famous Stephen R. Covey Quotes

Stephen R. Covey quote: “The way we see the problem is the problem.”

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People (1989), p. 239
Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

Stephen R. Covey Quotes about people

“Ineffective people live day after day with unused potential.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

“As you care less about what people think of you, you will care more about what others think of themselves.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

“Two people can see the same thing, disagree, and yet both be right. It's not logical; it's psychological.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

Stephen R. Covey: Trending quotes

“Admission of ignorance is often the first step in our education.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

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

Stephen R. Covey

As quoted in Teaching Sport and Physical Activity : Insights on the Road to Excellence (2003) Paul G. Schempp, p. 79

Stephen R. Covey Quotes

“Start with the end in mind.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

“Trust is the glue that holds everything together.”

Stephen R. Covey book First Things First

Source: First Things First (1994), p. 243 <!-- Originally added as a paraphrase : The moment of making choice is the moment of truth! -->
Context: Trust is the glue that holds everything together. It creates the environment in which all of the other elements — win-win stewardship agreements, self-directing individuals and teams, aligned structures and systems, and accountability — can flourish.

“Give no answer to contentious arguments or irresponsible accusations.”

Stephen R. Covey

Source: Principle-Centered Leadership (1992), Ch. 11
Context: Give no answer to contentious arguments or irresponsible accusations. Let such things "fly out open windows" until they spend themselves.

“Retire from your job but never from meaningful projects.”

Stephen R. Covey book The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

The 8th Habit : From Effectiveness to Greatness‎ (2004)
Context: Retire from your job but never from meaningful projects. If you want to live a long life, you need eustress, that is, a deep sense of meaning and contribution to worthy projects and causes, particularly your intergenerational family.

The 8th Habit : From Effectiveness to Greatness‎ (2004), p. 63

“Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us.”

Stephen R. Covey

Source: Principle-Centered Leadership (1992), Ch. 11
Context: Unless we exercise our power to choose wisely, our actions will be determined by conditions. Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us.

“Selfless service has always been one of the most powerful methods of influence.”

Stephen R. Covey

Source: Principle-Centered Leadership (1992), Ch. 11
Context: Perform anonymous service. Whenever we do good for others anonymously, our sense of intrinsic worth and self-respect increases. … Selfless service has always been one of the most powerful methods of influence.

“Let natural consequences teach responsible behavior.”

Stephen R. Covey

Source: Principle-Centered Leadership (1992), Ch. 11
Context: Let natural consequences teach responsible behavior. One of the kindest things we can do is to let the natural or logical consequences of people's actions teach them responsible behavior. They may not like it or us, but popularity is a fickle standard by which to measure character development. Insisting on justice demands more true love, not less. We care enough for their growth and security to suffer their displeasure.

“Consequences are governed by principles and behavior is governed by values; therefore, value principles!”

Stephen R. Covey book The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

The 8th Habit : From Effectiveness to Greatness‎ (2004)
Context: Values are social norms — they're personal, emotional, subjective, and arguable. All of us have values. Even criminals have values. The question you must ask yourself is, Are your values based upon principles? In the last analysis, principles are natural laws — they're impersonal, factual, objective and self-evident. Consequences are governed by principles and behavior is governed by values; therefore, value principles!

p. 49

“It's not enough to have values without vision; you want to be good, but you want to be good for something. On the other hand, vision without values can create a Hitler.”

Stephen R. Covey book First Things First

Source: First Things First (1994), p. 113
Context: It's not enough to have values without vision; you want to be good, but you want to be good for something. On the other hand, vision without values can create a Hitler. An empowering mission statement deals with both character and competence; what you want to be and what you want to do in your life.

“Principles are universal — that is, they transcend culture and geography. They're also timeless, they never change”

Stephen R. Covey book The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

principles such as fairness, kindness, respect, honesty, integrity, service, contribution. Different cultures may translate these principles into different practices and over time may even totally obscure these principles through the wrongful use of freedom. Nevertheless, they are present. Like the law of gravity, they operate constantly.

p. 47
The 8th Habit : From Effectiveness to Greatness‎ (2004)

“Values are social norms — they're personal, emotional, subjective, and arguable. All of us have values. Even criminals have values.”

Stephen R. Covey book The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

The 8th Habit : From Effectiveness to Greatness‎ (2004)
Context: Values are social norms — they're personal, emotional, subjective, and arguable. All of us have values. Even criminals have values. The question you must ask yourself is, Are your values based upon principles? In the last analysis, principles are natural laws — they're impersonal, factual, objective and self-evident. Consequences are governed by principles and behavior is governed by values; therefore, value principles!

p. 49

“Are your values based upon principles?”

Stephen R. Covey book The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

Source: The 8th Habit : From Effectiveness to Greatness‎ (2004), p. 49
Context: Values are social norms — they're personal, emotional, subjective, and arguable. All of us have values. Even criminals have values. The question you must ask yourself is, Are your values based upon principles? In the last analysis, principles are natural laws — they're impersonal, factual, objective and self-evident. Consequences are governed by principles and behavior is governed by values; therefore, value principles!

“We present a dramatically different approach to time management. This is a principle-centered approach.”

Stephen R. Covey book First Things First

Source: First Things First (1994), p. 12 <!-- Originally added as : Instead of taking two watches, take compass. It is not important how fast you are moving, but where you are moving. -->
Context: We present a dramatically different approach to time management. This is a principle-centered approach. It transcends the traditional prescriptions of faster, harder, smarter, and more. Rather than offering you another clock, this approach provides you with a compass — because more important than how fast you're going, is where you're headed.

“Different cultures may translate these principles into different practices and over time may even totally obscure these principles through the wrongful use of freedom. Nevertheless, they are present. Like the law of gravity, they operate constantly.”

Stephen R. Covey book The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

The 8th Habit : From Effectiveness to Greatness‎ (2004)
Context: Principles are universal — that is, they transcend culture and geography. They're also timeless, they never change — principles such as fairness, kindness, respect, honesty, integrity, service, contribution. Different cultures may translate these principles into different practices and over time may even totally obscure these principles through the wrongful use of freedom. Nevertheless, they are present. Like the law of gravity, they operate constantly.

p. 47

“To change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

“When the trust account is high, communication is easy, instant, and effective.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

“We see the world, not as it is, but as we are──or, as we are conditioned to see it.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

“It's not what happens to us, but our response to what happens to us that hurts us.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

“Remember, to learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People (1989), p. 12
Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

“Happiness, like unhappiness, is a proactive choice.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

“Habit is the intersection of knowledge (what to do), skill (how to do), and desire (want to do).”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

“At some time in your life, you probably had someone believe in you when you didn't believe in yourself.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

“The ability to subordinate an impulse to a value is the essence of the proactive person.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

“We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey.”

Stephen R. Covey

Pierre Teilhard De Chardin, in The Phenomenon of Man [Le Phénomène Humain] (1955); Covey quotes this in Living the 7 Habits : Stories of Courage and Inspiration (2000), p. 47
Variant: We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey.
A paraphrase of De Chardin's statement which has also become misattributed to Covey.
Misattributed
Variant: We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.

“Courage is not the absence of fear but the awareness that something else is more important.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Foreword to Prisoners of our Thoughts : Viktor Frankl's Principles at Work (2004), by Alex Pattakos, p. x
This statement has also been attributed to James Neil Hollingsworth (AKA: Ambrose Redmoon) in an article entitled "No Peaceful Warriors!" for Gnosis Magazine #21, in 1991.
Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

“Live out of your imagination, not your history.”

Stephen R. Covey

As quoted in Wake-up Calls : You Don't Have to Sleepwalk through your Life, Love, or Career! (1992) by Eric Allenbaugh, p. 65

“Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

“People simply feel better about themselves when they’re good at something.”

Stephen R. Covey book The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

Source: The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

“It comes from within.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

“People can't live with change if there's not a changeless core inside them.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

“How you treat the one reveals how you
regard the many, because everyone is ultimately a one.”

Stephen R. Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

Similar authors

Leo Buscaglia photo
Leo Buscaglia84
Motivational speaker, writer None
Zig Ziglar photo
Zig Ziglar87
American motivational speaker None
 Jim Rohn photo
Jim Rohn13
American motivational speaker None
 Brian Tracy photo
Brian Tracy63
American motivational speaker and writer None
Les Brown photo
Les Brown24
American politician None
John C. Maxwell photo
John C. Maxwell145
American author, speaker and pastor None
Robert T. Kiyosaki photo
Robert T. Kiyosaki151
American finance author , investor None
Louise L. Hay photo
Louise L. Hay23
American writer None
Neale Donald Walsch photo
Neale Donald Walsch69
American writer None
Paulo Freire photo
Paulo Freire115
educator and philosopher None