Sean Covey Quotes & Sayings

Seeing things from a different point of view can help us understand why other people act the way they do. We too often judge people without having all the facts. — Sean Covey

Honesty is always the best policy, even when it's not the trend. — Sean Covey

Whenever you have a job to do ask yourself two questions. If not now, when? If not by me, by whom? — Sean Covey

The world is a book and those who stay at home read only a page. — Sean Covey

We see them come. We see them go. Some are fast. And some are slow. Some are high. And some are slow. Not one of them is like another. Don't ask us why. Go ask your mother. — Sean Covey

The primary purpose of going to college isn't to get a great job. The primary purpose of college is to build a strong mind, which leads to greater self-awareness, capability, fulfillment, and service opportunities, which, incidentally, should lead to a better job. — Sean Covey

You shouldn't feel guilty about taking time for yourself. Every so often, everyone needs to give themselves a big ol' bear hug and treat themselves to some TLC. — Sean Covey

Some of the more popular life-centers for teens include Friends, Stuff, Enemies, Self, and Work. They each have their good points, but they are all incomplete in one way or another, and they'll mess you up if you center your life on any one of them to the exclusion of the others. — Sean Covey

Instead of playing to win, I was playing not to lose. It reminds me of the story I once heard about two friends being chased by a bear, when one turned to the other and said, I just realized that I don't need to outrun the bear; I only need to outrun you. — Sean Covey

Paradigms are like glasses. When you have incomplete paradigms about yourself or life in general, it's like wearing glasses with the wrong prescription. That lens affects how you see everything else. — Sean Covey

It's especially hard to admit that you made a mistake to your parents, because, of course, you know so much more than they do. — Sean Covey

Don't let your pride or a lack of courage stand in the way of saying you're sorry to people you may have offended. — Sean Covey

One of the greatest gifts a parent can give a child is to help them find their talents. — Sean Covey

That's important, apologizing, listening, you know, I think the teens I speak with, most of them don't feel understood. They feel like they're being lectured to all the time. — Sean Covey

If you decide to just go with the flow, you'll end up where the flow goes, which is usually downhill, often leading to a big pile of sludge and a life of unhappiness. You'll end up doing what everyone else is doing. — Sean Covey

Education must be a lifelong pursuit. The person who doesn't read is not better off than the person who can't. — Sean Covey

If you base your identity on having friends, being accepted, and being popular, you may find yourself compromising your standards or changing them every weekend to accommodate your friends. — Sean Covey

Honesty is a principle. Service is a principle. Love is a principle. Hard work is a principle. Respect, gratitude, moderation, fairness, integrity, loyalty, and responsibility are principles. There are dozens and dozens more. They are not hard to identify. Just as a compass always points to true north, your heart will recognize true principles ... — Sean Covey

The following is a list of statements made many years ago by experts in their fields. At the time they were said they sounded intelligent. With the passing of time, they sound idiotic. — Sean Covey

I think the greatest challenge between child and parent is communication. — Sean Covey

Strong minds talk about ideas; weak minds talk about people. — Sean Covey

Our confidence needs to come from within, not without. From the quality of our hearts, not the quantity of things we own. After all, he who dies with the most toys ... still dies. — Sean Covey

Saying 'yes' to one thing means saying 'no' to another. That's why decisions can be hard sometimes. — Sean Covey

A fruit salad is delicious precisely because each fruit maintains its own flavor. — Sean Covey

Listening can heal wounds. — Sean Covey

Now think deeply.
What have you done with your life over the past year?
How do you feel inside? — Sean Covey

These problems are real, and you can't turn off real life. So I won't try. Instead, I'll give you a set of tools to help you deal with real life. — Sean Covey

It's all about how you feel, not how you look — Sean Covey

Depending on what they are, our habits will either make us or break us. We become what we repeatedly do. — Sean Covey

I like how Mother Teresa put it: "Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile." If you approach life this way, always looking for ways to build instead of to tear down, you'll be amazed at how much happiness you can give to others and find for yourself — Sean Covey

One 2 x 4 beam can support 607 pounds, but two 2 x 4s nailed together can support not just 1,214 pounds (which is what you'd expect), but a whopping 4,878 pounds! So it is with us. We can do so much more together than we can alone. — Sean Covey

We are free to choose our paths, but we can't choose the consequences that come with them. — Sean Covey

You are free to choose what you want to make of your life. It's called free agency or free will, and it's your birthright. — Sean Covey

About a third of the way through the course, one of the runners fell. The crowd gasped. But, amazingly, with utter spontaneity, the rest of the runners stopped in their tracks. They stopped and looked back at the one who had fallen. One by one they turned around and slowly made their way back to help the fallen runner. They pulled him to his feet and the race continued with everyone running arm in arm to the finish line. They all finished the race together. All of those runners could see themselves in the one who fell. — Sean Covey

A boy I know named Michael, the oldest often children, came home one night intoxicated with E. When he saw the family's pet Labrador in the kitchen he strangled it to death, convinced that it was the devil. The dog bit him and there was blood all over the kitchen. The siblings who ran in to watch the aftermath of the scene were traumatized. Michael is now in drug rehab recovering from addiction. — Sean Covey

Ask any successful person, and most will tell you that they had a person who believed in them ... a teacher, a friend, a parent, a guardian, a sister, a grandmother. It only takes one person, and it doesn't really matter who it is. — Sean Covey

We become what we repeatedly do. — Sean Covey

The average teen today spends about 35 hours a week in front of a screen of some kind: iPod, movie, TV, video. And a lot of it is good, but a lot of it's not. And so I think you've got that five hours a day of media coming into your kid's head that's creating a lot of havoc out there. — Sean Covey

Stop being a critic and be a light; don't be a judge, be a model. I think we are far too critical. I think the best way to correct behavior is to accentuate and affirm positive behavior and to ignore negative behavior. Generally speaking, there is a time to correct, of course; but my biggest advice would be, 'Affirm your child.' — Sean Covey

Who am I? I am your constant companion. I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden. I will push you onward or drag you down to failure. I am completely at your command. Half the things you do you might just as well turn over to me and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly. I am easily managed - you must merely be firm with me. Show me exactly how you want something done and after a few lessons I will do it automatically. I am the servant of all great individuals and, alas, of all failures, as well. Those who are great, I have made great. Those who are failures, I have made failures. I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a human. You may run me for a profit or run me for ruin - it makes no difference to me. Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet. Be easy with me and I will destroy you. Who am I? — Sean Covey

If you're planning on dropping out of high school, prepare yourself for the future by repeating aloud each day: I'm looking forward to low-paying jobs for the rest of my life. — Sean Covey

You should see my baby pictures. My cheeks hung off my face like water balloons. You can imagine how often I was teased. — Sean Covey

My focus has kind of been on teenagers, you know, and I think we've got a huge crisis right now in America, among our teens. — Sean Covey

If you could envision the type of person God intended you to be, you would rise up and never be the same again. — Sean Covey

Life is a mission, not a career. A career is a profession, a mission is a cause. A career asks, What's in it for me? A mission asks, How can I make a difference? — Sean Covey

Make as many friends as you can, but don't build your life on them alone. It's an unstable foundation. — Sean Covey

All the events of your past have formed a lens, or paradigm, through which you see the world. And since no one's past is exactly like anyone else's, no two people see alike. — Sean Covey

Please listen to me: There is someone out there who loves you. Please hold on for dear life. Things are never as dark as they seem. Talk with someone immediately and let them know how you're feeling, in the same way you'd talk to them if you had a terrible flu. I'm feeling really sick. Can you help me? — Sean Covey

For a moment, imagine the person you hope to marry. What do they look like? Are they funny, intelligent, kind? How do you hope they are living their life right now? Would it bother you if you knew they were hooking up each weekend or had five, ten, or fifteen different partners over the past several years? Or would it make you smile if you knew they were holding out for you? Why not live your life as you would want them to live theirs? Wait for the relationship. — Sean Covey

If we are what we have, and we have nothinh, thenwho are we? Are we nothing? — Sean Covey

Abraham Lincoln was often criticized for trying to make friends with his enemies instead of trying to get rid of them. He replied, Isn't that what I'm doing when I make an enemy a friend? — Sean Covey

It's hard, but sometimes it is better to have no friends for a time than to have the wrong friends. The wrong group can lead you down all kinds of paths you really don't want to be on. And retracing your steps can be a long and hard journey — Sean Covey

Having the courage to say no when all your friends are saying yes is one of the most difficult things you'll ever have to do. Doing it, however, is one of the biggest charges you can ever make to your personal battery. I call this 'won't power.' — Sean Covey

Although I'm a retired teenager, I remember what it was like to be one. I could have sworn I was riding an emotional roller coaster most of the time. Looking back, I'm actually amazed that I survived. Barely. — Sean Covey

My dad told me that when I was born my cheeks were so fat the doctors didn't know which end to spank. — Sean Covey

Isn't it kind of silly to think that tearing someone else down builds you up? — Sean Covey

Small changes can make huge destination differences. — Sean Covey

One of the few things that can't be recycled is wasted time. — Sean Covey

My dad is a good role model for me, and then I had a high school coach that really helped me out when I was struggling and made a big difference in my life. — Sean Covey

Don't struggle about the struggle. In other words, life's full of ups and downs. So if you're struggling, don't worry, everyone else has or will at some point. — Sean Covey

Ultimately, you choose to be happy or miserable. The reality is that although you are free to choose, you can't choose the consequences of your choices. They're preloaded. It's a package deal. — Sean Covey

You can usually tell when a couple becomes centered on each other because they are forever breaking up and getting back together. — Sean Covey

In the world of dating, everyone seems to fall into one of the following six camps. Sometimes they straddle two. Pick which camp you're mostly in. Camp I Wish: You don't date and you wish you did. Camp Who Cares?: You don't date and you really don't care. Camp This Rocks!: You really enjoy dating and you wonder why everyone else doesn't. Camp Help!: You're stuck in a bad dating relationship you can't get out of. Camp Never Again: You just had your heart broken and don't want to start dating again. Camp Hanging Out: You don't really date, you just sort of hang out. You see dating as an old-fashioned ritual. Camp Curious: You're too young to date, but you're really curious about it. — Sean Covey

Don't wait until people are dead to give them flowers. — Sean Covey