Stephen Covey

Be a light, not a judge. Be a model, not a critic

Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.

The great apparent dichotomy is that the more we give, the more we get.

The key to the ability to change is a changeless sense of who you are, what you are about and what you value.

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.

When the external factors over which one has no control in a way start to become negative, it starts to affect our creative juices.

Frustration is a function of our expectations, and our expectations are often a reflection of the social mirror rather than our own values and priorities.

The deepest desire of the human spirit is to be acknowledged.

They [Nazi captors]had more liberty, more options to choose from in their environment; but he [Viktor Frankl] had more freedom, more internal power to exercise his options.

..people are working harder than ever, but because they lack clarity and vision, they aren’t getting very far. They, in essence, are pushing a rope...with all of their might.

An empowering mission statement has to become a living document, part of our very nature, so that the criteria we've put into it are also in us, in the way we live our lives day by day.

Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.

Private victories precede public victories. You can't invert that process any more than you can harvest a crop before you plant it.

During the first few minutes in lift-off, the astronauts were strictly controlled and were powerfully buffeted by the forces of nature struggling to keep them on earth. This is somewhat comparable to the pull of the flesh when our alarm goes off early in the morning. Unless we put "mind over mattress" and carry out the resolves made the night before, we will experience our first defeat that day. Not sufficient to finish. Mission aborted.

Once you've found your own voice, the choice to expand your influence, to increase your contribution, is the choice to inspire others to find their voice.

What difference would a clear vision of my principles, values, and ultimate objectives make in the way I spend my time?

The world has entered an era of the most profound and challenging change in human history.

Synergy is better than my way or your way. It's our way.

Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.

There is a heavy emphasis in Mormonism on initiative, on responsibility, on a work ethic, and on education. If you take those elements together with a free-enterprise system, you've got the chemistry for a lot of industry.

There is so much we can do to render service, to make a difference in the world - no matter how large or small our circle of influence.