Stephen Covey

1932–2012 · American educator, businessman & motivational author

Stephen Richards Covey (24 October 1932 – 16 July 2012) was an American educator, businessman and motivational speaker whose 1989 book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People became one of the most widely read business books ever published. His first habit, Be Proactive, rests on exactly the idea in this quotation: that between what happens to you and what you do about it there is room to choose. First Things First (1994), written with A. Roger Merrill and Rebecca R. Merrill, extended that framework to time and priorities — and is where these three sentences appear in print.

Traced to source

1 quote we’ve traced

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom”

Attributed

Not actually Stephen Covey

Often misattributed to Stephen Covey

Famous lines widely pinned on Stephen Covey that we’ve traced to someone else.

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things”

actually Warren Bennis

“We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are”

actually Anonymous

“We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior”

actually William Nevins

“You may climb the ladder of success only to find it is leaning against the wrong wall”

actually Allen Raine

On the research bench

Commonly pinned on Stephen Covey — under review

3 lines flagged as pinned on Stephen Covey and queued for a full source trace — not yet verified.

“Often we are so busy with sawing that we forget to sharpen the saw.”

Disputed

“Change happens at the speed of trust.”

Disputed

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

Disputed

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