If you want to have a more pleasant, cooperative teenager, be a more understanding, empathic, consistent, loving parent. If you want to have more freedom, more latitude in your job, be a more responsible, a more helpful, a more contributing employee.
How many on their deathbeds wished they'd spent more time at the office - or watching TV? The answer is, No one.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of prioritizing meaningful experiences over work or distractions.
Stephen Covey's quote reflects on the common regret people have at the end of their lives regarding how they spent their time. It serves as a reminder that personal connections, experiences, and quality time with loved ones are far more valuable than the time spent on work commitments or passive entertainment. The essence of the quote encourages individuals to reassess their priorities and focus on what truly matters in life before it's too late.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
A motivational speech about work-life balance can incorporate this quote to highlight the need for personal connections.
More from Stephen Covey
All quotes →Listen with your eyes for feelings.
If we live out of our memory, we're tied to the past and to that which is finite. When we live out of our imagination, _x000D_ we're tied to that which is infinite.
Synergy is the highest activity of life; it creates new untapped alternatives; it values and exploits the mental, emotional, and psychological differences between people.
Keep in mind that you are always saying "no" to something. If it isn't to the apparent and urgent things in your life, it is probably to the most fundamental, highly important things.
Don't argue for other people's weaknesses. Don't argue for your own. When you make a mistake, admit it, correct it, and learn from it / immediately.
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why can't you see i'm a kid', said the kid. Why try to make me like you? Why are you hurt when I don't cuddle? Why do you sigh when I splash through a puddle? Why do you scream when I do what I did? Im a kid.
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I find too often in the wrestling business, you just wrestle, get to the hotel, make your money. Sometimes I have to stop and remind myself to enjoy my life and not just rush through.
Looking forward into an empty year strikes one with a certain awe, because one finds therein no recognition. The years behind have a friendly aspect, and they are warmed by the fires we have kindled, and all their echoes are the echoes of our own voices.
Most of life is hell. It’s filed with failure and loss. People disappoint you. Dreams don’t work out. Hearts get broken. Innocent journalists die. And the best moments of life, when everything comes together, are few and fleeting. But you’ll never get to the next great moment if you don’t keep going. So that’s what I do. I keep going.