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Stephen Covey Quotes

Stephen Covey Quote on Productivity and How Momentum Can Help You Get More Done

    “If you want to get something done, give it to someone busy.”

    Stephen Covey

    Beyond the Quote (248/365)

    But, why wouldn’t you give it to someone who isn’t busy? Because the Laws of Physics as they apply to motion, apply to people-in-motion, too. It’s easier to keep a body in motion than it is to get a body into motion that is at rest. The same is true for us. People who are in motion not only get more done, but they have an easier time getting more done than some might have in trying to do less. Why? Because a body at rest has a harder time getting started.

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    Stephen Covey Quote on Keeping Success Balanced Across All Areas Of Life

      “Many people seem to think that success in one area can compensate for failure in other areas. But can it really?… True effectiveness requires balance.”

      Stephen Covey

      Beyond the Quote (13/365)

      The example that comes up immediately is the widely popular cultural pursuit of work success at the expense of just about any other area of life.  But can workplace success compensate for failed friendships?  Failed marriages?  Failed family life?  Failed integrity?  Failed health?  …I would say confidently, that it cannot.  Real success in life requires balance.  And if we are to become effective at living a life of balance we have to be mindful of, take action on, and make constant adjustments to our priorities.

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      Assumptions to Live By

        1. For the body—assume you’ve had a heart attack; now live accordingly

        2. For the mind—assume the half-life of your profession is two years; now prepare accordingly

        3. For the heart—assume everything you say about another, they can overhear; now speak accordingly

        4. For the spirit—assume you have a one-on-one visit with your Creator every quarter; now live accordingly

        ~ Stephen Covey

          “The principle of fasting is taught in almost all major world religions as a means of developing a higher level of self-mastery and self-control, and also a deeper awareness of how really dependent we are.” ~ Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit

            “Life is a mission, not a career.” ~ Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit

              “Would you not agree that relationships are built on trust? Would you not also agree that most individuals think more in terms of “me” – my wants, my needs, my rights? What would wisdom dictate – would it not direct us to focus on trust-building principles and sacrificing ‘me’ for ‘we’?” ~ Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit

                “To achieve goals you’ve never achieved before, you need to start doing things you’ve never done before.” ~ Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit

                  “Most leaders would agree that they’d be better off having an average strategy with superb execution than a superb strategy with poor execution.  Those who execute always have the upper hand.” ~ Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit

                    “If you say to one flower, ‘Grow,’ but you water another, the first one won’t grow.” ~ Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit

                      “When you have too many top priorities, you effectively have no top priorities.” ~ Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit

                        “Affirm people. Affirm your children. Believe in them, not in what you see but in what you don’t see – their potential.” ~ Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit

                          “When we say that leadership is a choice, it basically means you can choose the level of initiative you want to exercise in response to the question, ‘What is the best I can do under the given circumstances?'” ~ Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit

                            “All organizations are perfectly aligned to get the results they get.” ~ Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit

                              “The most important work you do in the world will be within the walls of your own home.” ~ Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit

                                “The successful person has formed the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do. Successful people don’t like doing them either, necessarily. But their dislike is subordinated by the strength of their purpose.” ~ Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit

                                  “Only the disciplined are truly free. The undisciplined are slaves to moods, appetites and passions.” ~ Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit

                                    “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 of contribution to worthy projects and causes, particularly, your intergenerational family.” ~ Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit

                                      “The greatest and most inspiring mountain climbing achievements in history are not so much stories of individual achievement, but are stories of the extraordinary power of a unified, talented, prepared team that stays loyally committed to one another and to their shared vision to the end.” ~ Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit