22 Stephen Covey Quotes That Will Change Your Life

Stephen Covey (1932-2012) was an American author, businessman, and keynote speaker. His best-known book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, is considered one of the best business books ever written and has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide since its first publication in 1989. Below are some famous Stephen Covey quotes to remember.

Stephen Covey Quotes

1. “I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” – Stephen Covey

2. “While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” – Stephen Covey

3. “Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.” – Stephen Covey

4. “Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.” – Stephen Covey

5. “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen Covey

6. “Live out of your imagination, not your history.” – Stephen Covey

7. “We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey.” – Stephen Covey

8. “Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly.” – Stephen Covey

9. “The way we see the problem is the problem.” – Stephen Covey

10. “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.” – Stephen Covey

Related: The Magic of Thinking Big Quotes

11. “Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” – Stephen Covey

Related: Zig Ziglar Quotes

12. “A mission statement is not something you write overnight… But fundamentally, your mission statement becomes your constitution, the solid expression of your vision and values. It becomes the criterion by which you measure everything else in your life.” – Stephen Covey

13. “Life is not accumulation, it is about contribution.” – Stephen Covey

14. “Management works in the system; Leadership works on the system.” – Stephen Covey

15. “Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us.” – Stephen Covey

16. “Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.” – Stephen Covey

17. “Listen with the intent to understand, not the intent to reply.” – Stephen Covey

Related: Robert Kiyosaki Quotes

18. “When it comes to developing character strength, inner security and unique personal and interpersonal talents and skills in a child, no institution can or ever will compare with, or effectively substitute for, the home’s potential for positive influence.” – Stephen Covey

19. “When you really listen to another person from their point of view, and reflect back to them that understanding, it’s like giving them emotional oxygen.” – Stephen Covey

20. “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 Covey

21. “There are three constants in life… change, choice and principles.” – Stephen Covey

22. “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” – Stephen Covey

What are your favorite Stephen Covey quotes? Please share in the comment section below.