30 motivational quotes attributed to Stephen Covey

 

1. "The key is not to prioritise what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities."
2. "Live out of your imagination, not your history."
3. "Strength lies in differences, not in similarities."
4. "I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions."
5. "Seek first to understand, then to be understood."
6. "Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out."
7. "To change ourselves effectively, we first have to change our perceptions."
8. "The way we see the problem is the problem."
9. "Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important."
10. "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing."
11. "Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships."
12. "Strength lies in differences, not in similarities."
13. "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience."
14. "You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically—to say 'no' to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger 'yes' burning inside."
15. "We are free to choose our actions, but we are not free to choose the consequences of these actions."
16. "If you want to make minor, incremental changes and improvements, work on your practices, behaviour, or attitude. But if you want to make significant quantum improvements, work on paradigms."
17. "There are three constants in life: change, choice, and principles."
18. "We see the world, not as it is, but as we are—or as we are conditioned to see it."
19. "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."
20. "Live, love, laugh, and leave a legacy."
21. "You can't talk your way out of the problems you behave yourself into."
22. "While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions."
23. "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing."
24. "Habit is the intersection of knowledge (what to do), skill (how to do), and desire (want to do)."
25. "The key is not to prioritise what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities."
26. "The best way to predict your future is to create it."
27. "Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships."
28. "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."
29. "The more you focus on your values, the more you'll be able to tap into a tremendous sense of strength and confidence."
30. "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience."

These quotes capture Covey's philosophy on leadership, personal development, and success.