Stephen Covey quotes for UPSC

In the last analysis, what we are communicates far more eloquently than anything we say or do.

Perform anonymous service. Whenever we do good for others anonymously, our sense of intrinsic worth and self-respect increases. … Selfless service has always been one of the most powerful methods of influence.

Courage is not the absence of fear but the awareness that something else is more important.

Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.

Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.

Trust is the glue that holds everything together. It creates the environment in which all of the other elements — win-win stewardship agreements, self-directing individuals and teams, aligned structures and systems, and accountability — can flourish.

Remember, to learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know.

The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.

We present a dramatically different approach to time management. This is a principle-centered approach. It transcends the traditional prescriptions of faster, harder, smarter, and more. Rather than offering you another clock, this approach provides you with a compass — because more important than how fast you're going, is where you're headed.

Unless we exercise our power to choose wisely, our actions will be determined by conditions. Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us.

We are product of neither nature nor nurture; we are a product of choice, because there is always a space between stimulus and response. As we wisely exercise our power to choose based on principles, the space will become larger.

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

Live out of your imagination, not your history.

Retire from your job but never from meaningful projects. If you want to live a long life, you need eustress, that is, a deep sense of meaning and contribution to worthy projects and causes, particularly your intergenerational family.