Stephen Richards Covey was an American educator, author, businessman, and keynote speaker. He is credited for writing one of the most influential business books of twentieth century, titled “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. Inspirational Stephen Covey quotes will change your life by getting your thinking straight on character, teamwork, ethical leadership, management and success.
If you’re searching for life quotes and sayings that perfectly capture what you’d like to say or just want to feel inspired yourself, browse through an amazing collection of greatest Peter Drucker quotes, inspirational John C. Maxwell quotes, and empowering Oprah Winfrey quotes.
Most Famous Stephen Covey Quotes
There are three constants in life change, choice and principles. Stephen Covey
I don’t define leadership as becoming the CEO. A CEO is no more likely to be a leader than anyone else. I am talking about leading your own life, being a leader among your friends, being a leader in your own family.
Make time for planning; Wars are won in the general’s tent. Stephen Covey
Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply
Be proactive. Stephen Covey
There are three constants in life change, choice and principles.
Begin with the end in mind. Stephen Covey
Live out of your imagination, not your history.
You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage pleasantly, smiling, unapologetically to say ‘no’ to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger ‘yes’ burning inside. Stephen Covey
Are leaders born or made? This is a false dichotomy: leaders are neither born nor made. Leaders choose to be leaders.
Put first things first. Stephen Covey
Leadership is the highest of the arts, simply because it enables all the other arts and professions to work.
Think win win. Stephen Covey
Make time for planning; Wars are won in the general’s tent.
Seek first to understand, and then to be understood. Stephen Covey
Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.
Most people do not listen with the intent to understand. Most people listen with the intent to reply. Stephen Covey
To change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions.
If we keep doing what we’re doing, we’re going to keep getting what we’re getting. Stephen Covey
Seek first to understand, and then to be understood.
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
Leadership is a choice that lies in the space between stimulus and response.
Treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers. Stephen Covey
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 key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule but to schedule your priorities. Stephen Covey
We see the world, not as it is, but as we are or, as we are conditioned to see it.
Leadership is a choice, not a position. Stephen Covey
The way we see the ‘problem’ is the problem.
I am not a product of my circumstances, I am a product of my decisions. Stephen Covey
Effective people are not problem-minded; they’re opportunity minded. They feed opportunities and starve problems.
Strength lies in differences not in similarities. Stephen Covey
It’s not what happens to us, but our response to what happens to us that hurts us.
Listen with your eyes for feelings. Stephen Covey
Two people can see the same thing, disagree, and yet both be right. It’s not logical; it’s psychological.
The way we see the problem is the problem. Stephen Covey
But until a person can say deeply and honestly, I am what I am today because of the choices I made yesterday, that person cannot say, I choose otherwise.
Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important. Stephen Covey
Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be.
Accountability breeds response ability Stephen Covey
Each of us guards a gate of change that can be opened only from the inside.
Highly proactive people don’t blame circumstances, conditions or conditioning for their behavior. Their behavior of their own conscious choice. Stephen Covey
I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.
Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things. Stephen Covey
The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.
Be a light not a judge. Be a model not a choice. be part of the solution not part of the problem. Stephen Covey
Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.
He who has a why can deal with any what or how. Stephen Covey
Deep within each of us is an inner longing to live a life of greatness and contribution to really matter, to really make a difference. We can consciously decide to leave behind a life of mediocrity and to life a life of greatness at home, at work, and in the community.
Our ultimate freedom is the right and power anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us. Stephen Covey
Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly.
The only thing that endures over time is the Law of the Farm. You must prepare the ground, plant the seed, cultivate, and water it if you expect to reap the harvest. Stephen Covey
What you do has far greater impact than what you say.
A personal mission statement becomes the DNA for every other decision we make. Stephen Covey
You can’t change the fruit without changing the root.
Courage is not the absence of fear but the awareness that something else is more important. Stephen Covey
Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.
To achieve goals you’ve never achieved before you need to start doing things you’ve never done before. Stephen Covey
If we keep doing what we’re doing, we’re going to keep getting what we’re getting.
Live out of your imagination, not your history. Stephen Covey
When the trust account is high, communication is easy, instant, and effective.
Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny. Stephen Covey
Strength lies in differences not in similarities.
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
Highly proactive people don’t blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. Their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice.
I teach people how to treat me by what I will allow. Stephen Covey
Treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.
Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else trie to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly. Stephen Covey
How you treat the one reveals how you regard the many, because everyone is ultimately a one.
You can change the fruit without changing the root. Stephen Covey
Little kindness and courtesies are so important.
Our character is basically a composite of our habits because they are consistent. Often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character. Stephen Covey
Most arguments are not really disagreements but are rather little ego battles and misunderstandings.
Be patient with yourself. Self growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There’s no greater investment. Stephen Covey
Start small, make a promise and keep it. Then, make larger promises and keep them.
If I really want to improve my situation, I can work on the one thing over which I have control. Stephen Covey
We are free to choose our actions but we are not free to choose the consequences of these actions.
Once you have a clear picture of your priorities that is values, goals, and high leverage activities, organize your life around them. Stephen Covey
If I really want to improve my situation, I can work on the one thing over which I have control myself.
What you do has greater impact than what you say. Stephen Covey
Don’t argue for other people’s weaknesses. Don’t argue for your own. When you make a mistake, admit it, correct it, and learn from it immediately.
The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule but to schedule your priorities.
Be a light not a judge. Be a model not a choice. Be part of the solution not part of the problem.
The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.
Primary greatness is on the inside. It’s about character.
Live out of your imagination, not your history.
Our character is basically a composite of our habits because they are consistent. Often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character.
Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships
The only thing that endures over time is the Law of the Farm. You must prepare the ground, plant the seed, cultivate, and water it if you expect to reap the harvest.
Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.
To learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know.
I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.
Admission of ignorance is often the first step in our education.
You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage pleasantly, smilingly, unapologetically, to say no to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger yes burning inside. The enemy of the best is often the good.
Education the heart is the critical complement to educating the mind.
I teach people how to treat me by what I will allow.
Love is a verb. Love the feeling is the fruit of love, the verb or our loving actions. So I love her.
