Inspirational Quotes › By Teacher › Stephen R. Covey

• Suppose you were to come upon someone in the woods working feverishly to saw down a tree.
  
  “What are you doing?” you ask.
  
  “Can’t you see?” comes the impatient reply. “I’m sawing down this tree.”
  
  “You look exhausted!” you exclaim. “How long have you been at it?”
  
  “Over five hours,” he returns, “and I’m beat! This is hard work.”
  
  ‘Well, why don’t you take a break for a few minutes and sharpen that saw?” you inquire. “I’m sure it would go a lot faster.”
  
  “I don’t have time to sharpen the saw,” the man says emphatically. “I’m too busy sawing!”

  ~ Stephen R. Covey Quotes

  Self-Development Quotes on: Action, Self-mastery, Win

• Look at the word responsibility—“response-ability”—the ability to choose your response. Highly proactive people recognize that responsibility. They do not blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. Their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice, based on values, rather than a product of their conditions, based on feeling.

  ~ Stephen R. Covey Quotes from The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People p. 71

  Motivational Quotes on: Habit, Responsibility, Stephen R. Covey, Blame, Act, Proactive, The Seven Habits of Highly Effctive People, Choice, People, Values

• Effective people stay out of Quadrants III and IV because, urgent or not, they aren’t important. They also shrink Quadrant I down to size by spending more time in Quadrant II…Quadrant II is the heart of effective personal management.

  ~ Stephen R. Covey Quotes from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

  Inspirational Quotes on: Habit, Management, Stephen R. Covey, Persona, The Seven Habits of Highly Effctive People, Heart, People

• What one thing could you do in your personal and professional life that, if you did on a regular basis, would make a tremendous positive difference in your life? Quadrant II activities have that kind of impact. Our effectiveness takes quantum leaps when we do them.

  ~ Stephen R. Covey Quotes from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

  Famous Quotes on: Habit, Stephen R. Covey, Persona, Act, Kind, The Seven Habits of Highly Effctive People, Life, Effectiveness

• Effective people are not problem-minded; they’re opportunity-minded.

  ~ Stephen R. Covey Quotes from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

  Self-Development Quotes on: Habit, Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effctive People, Mind, People

• 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 you do that is by having a bigger “yes” burning inside. The enemy of the “best” is often the “good.”

  ~ Stephen R. Covey Quotes from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

  Motivational Quotes on: Habit, Courage, Decide, Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effctive People, Best, Good, The Way, Burning, Priorities

• If you were to fault yourself in one of three areas, which would it be: (1) the inability to prioritize; (2) the inability or desire to organize around those priorities; or (3) the lack of discipline to execute around them? … Most people say their main fault is a lack of discipline. On deeper thought, I believe that is not the case. The basic problem is that their priorities have not become deeply planted in their hearts and minds. They haven’t really internalized Habit 2 [Begin with the end in mind].

  ~ Stephen R. Covey Quotes from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

  Inspirational Quotes on: Habit, Desire, Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effctive People, Heart, Mind, Priorities, Believe, People

• While you can think in terms of efficiency in dealing with time, a principle-centered person thinks in terms of effectiveness in dealing with people.

  ~ Stephen R. Covey Quotes from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

  Famous Quotes on: Habit, Think, Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effctive People, Efficiency, Effectiveness, People

• The key is not to prioritize your schedule but to schedule your priorities.

  ~ Stephen R. Covey Quotes from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

  Self-Development Quotes on: Habit, Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effctive People, Priorities, Schedule

• Trust is the highest form of human motivation.

  ~ Stephen R. Covey Quotes from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

  Motivational Quotes on: Habit, Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effctive People, Trust, Rust