Stephen R. Covey

A cardinal principle of Total Quality escapes too many managers: you cannot continuously improve interdependent systems and processes until you progressively perfect interdependent, interpersonal relationships.

Power is the faculty or capacity to act, the strength and potency to accomplish something. It is the vital energy to make choices and decisions. It also includes the capacity to overcome deeply embedded habits and to cultivate higher, more effective ones.

Wisdom is your perspective on life, your sense of balance, your understanding of how the various parts and principles apply and relate to each other. It embraces judgment, discernment, comprehension. It is a gestalt or oneness, and integrated wholeness.

Seek first to understand and then to be understood.

To focus on technique is like cramming your way through school. You sometimes get by, perhaps even get good grades, but if you don’t pay the price day in and day out, you’ll never achieve true mastery of the subjects you study or develop an educated mind.

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.

There is little success where there is little laughter.

It will be disastrous when a leader or manager shows up with one attitude one day and treats people with a different attitude the next day.

Whatever I engage in, I must push inordinately.

The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.

First they think you’re crazy, then they fight you, and then, all of a sudden, you change the world.

First comes the shy wish. Then you must have the heart to have the dream. Then, you work, and work.

Don’t be trapped by dogma-which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

There will be times when your best isn’t your good enough. There can be many reasons for this, but as long as you give your best you’ll be OK.

There is no dream you can’t achieve. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Everything in life is luck.

Vision is not enough – it must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps – we must step up the stairs.

Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to doDon’t wish it were easier, wish you were better.

You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.

You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.

Think BIG! You are going to be thinking anyway, so think BIG!