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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
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Prioritizing what is truly important in life requires courage to say no to lesser things.

This quote emphasizes the importance of recognizing and committing to our highest priorities in life. Stephen Covey suggests that in order to achieve our best outcomes, we must have the courage to decline distractions and lesser opportunities, highlighting that simply being good at many things can detract from attaining our greatest goals.

Themes

PrioritiesCourageDecisionFocusSuccess

In practice

Example use cases

During a motivational speech on time management.

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Keep in mind that you are always saying "no" to something. If it isn't to the apparent and urgent things in your life, it is probably to the most fundamental, highly important things.
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