Stephen Covey was an American author, educator, and businessman known for his work in the fields of leadership, personal development, and effectiveness. He was the author of several books, including the bestseller “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” Covey’s ideas and teachings continue to have a significant impact on individuals, organizations, and the world at large. Explore Stephen Covey and his 30 best quotes for invaluable wisdom on personal and professional success.
About Stephen Covey
Covey was born on October 24, 1932, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He obtained his undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Utah, and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. Covey went on to earn a doctorate in religious education from Brigham Young University.
The foundation of Covey’s teachings is the idea that forming positive habits can lead to increased interpersonal and personal efficacy. He developed a framework for personal growth and effectiveness called “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”
The habits are:
Be proactive: Take responsibility for your life and your actions.
Begin with the end in mind: Define your goals and work towards them.
Put first things first: Prioritize your time and focus on the most important tasks.
Think win-win: Create mutually beneficial relationships with others.
Seek first to understand, then to be understood: Listen to others and try to understand their perspective before expressing your own.
Synergize: Work together with others to achieve common goals.
Sharpen the saw: Take care of yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually to maintain balance and renewal.
Covey’s teachings emphasize the importance of personal and professional growth, character development, and the ability to work effectively with others. He believed that true success is achieved by aligning one’s actions with one’s values and principles and by developing habits that lead to personal effectiveness.
Covey’s impact on the world of personal development and leadership has been significant. His ideas and teachings have influenced millions of people around the world, and his books have been translated into over 40 languages. He received numerous awards and honors for his work, including the Father of Time Management award from the International Management Congress in 1989.
Famous Books
Stephen Covey was a renowned author, speaker, and leadership consultant who wrote several best-selling books. Here are some of his most famous books:
- “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”: This book is one of Covey’s most famous and influential works. It presents seven principles for personal and professional growth and effectiveness, focusing on developing positive habits and a proactive mindset.
- “First Things First” is a co-authored book by Covey that provides doable methods for prioritizing tasks, organizing your time, and striking a work-life balance.
- “The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness”: This book builds upon the principles introduced in “The 7 Habits,” emphasizing the importance of finding one’s unique voice and purpose in life.
- “Principle-Centered Leadership”: In this book, Covey offers insights on how to lead with integrity and values, creating a culture of trust and accountability in organizations.
- “The Leader in Me”: This book presents the concepts of “The 7 Habits” in a way that is accessible to children and young adults, offering practical tools for personal and academic success.
- “The Speed of Trust”: This book explores the importance of trust in building relationships, achieving success, and creating high-performance organizations.
Covey’s books have been translated into more than 40 languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. His ideas on leadership, personal growth, and effectiveness continue to inspire people around the globe.
30 best quotes of Stephen Covey
- “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”
- “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”
- “If you want to make minor, incremental changes and improvements, work on practices, behavior, or attitude. But if you want to make significant quantum improvements, work on paradigms.”
- “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
- “To change ourselves effectively, we first have to change our perceptions.”
- “I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.”
- “Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.”
- “Happiness, like unhappiness, is a proactive choice.”
- “We see the world, not as it is, but as we are.”
- “Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.”
- “The greatest and most inspiring mountain climber of all time is not the one who has climbed the highest peak. It’s the one who has climbed the highest peak and returned to tell others how to do the same.”
- “I teach people how to treat me by what I will allow.”
- “Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.”
- “The way we see the problem is the problem.”
- “Private victories precede public victories.”
- “If we keep doing what we’re doing, we’re going to keep getting what we’re getting.”
- “The most important thing in life is not what you achieve, but who you become.”
- “Live out of your imagination, not your history.”
- “There are three constants in life… change, choice, and principles.”
- “Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.”
- “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
- “You can’t talk your way out of problems you behave yourself into.”
- “Your habits will determine your future.”
- “If you want to change the fruits, you will first have to change the roots. If you want to change the visible, you must first change the invisible.”
- “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”
- “You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically—to say ‘no’ to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger ‘yes’ burning inside.”
- “You have to water the flowers you want to grow.”
- “If we are not careful, we can fall into the trap of defining success in narrow terms, such as wealth, power, and prestige. But true success is much broader and deeper than that.”
- “The ability to subordinate an impulse to a value is the essence of the proactive person.”
- “We are free to choose our actions, but we are not free to choose the consequences of those actions.”
Conclusion
On July 16, 2012, Covey passed suddenly due to complications following a cycling accident. Nonetheless, his teachings and the difference he made in the world carry on his legacy. His thoughts still motivate people and institutions to pursue improvement on all fronts—personal and professional—form useful routines, and build deep connections with others.
Stephen Covey has had a significant influence in the fields of leadership and personal development. His ideas and teachings have influenced millions of people worldwide, and his legacy keeps inspiring individuals and organizations to pursue both professional and personal growth. Future generations will be able to draw inspiration and direction from Covey’s legacy.
