How many on their deathbeds wished they'd spent more time at the office - or watching TV? The answer is, No one.
Stephen CoveyRead
Private victories precede public victories. You can't invert that process any more than you can harvest a crop before you plant it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Personal achievements must come before external recognition or success.
The quote emphasizes the importance of personal growth and internal victories in achieving broader success in public life. Just as one must plant seeds before expecting a harvest, individuals must first cultivate their skills, values, and strengths internally before they can reap the benefits of public achievements and recognition.
Themes
Private VictoriesPublic VictoriesGrowthSuccessAchievementPersonal Development
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about resilience, you could use this quote to highlight the importance of internal growth.
More from Stephen Covey
All quotes →If you want to have a more pleasant, cooperative teenager, be a more understanding, empathic, consistent, loving parent. If you want to have more freedom, more latitude in your job, be a more responsible, a more helpful, a more contributing employee.
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Listen with your eyes for feelings.
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If we live out of our memory, we're tied to the past and to that which is finite. When we live out of our imagination, _x000D_ we're tied to that which is infinite.
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Synergy is the highest activity of life; it creates new untapped alternatives; it values and exploits the mental, emotional, and psychological differences between people.
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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.
Stephen CoveyRead
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