“You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically, to say “no” to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger “yes” burning inside.”

– Stephen R. Covey

Contagious Enthusiasm

They are positive thinkers… they are enthusiastic… and that enthusiasm rubs off.

For the past twenty years, I have been saving and indexing meaningful quotes I come across that are especially impactful in my personal pursuit of Greatness.

I have always marveled at the ability of some people to say something profound in just a few words and I’ve long found myself pulling these quotes up – or using them in conversation – to help think through a moment.

A couple of years ago I started sharing one quote every day with a few friends and now several thousand folks get them every day (you can join the list here if you’d like)

Recently, I was asked what my top five favorites were and why; and while it was difficult to whittle my list down to just five, my selections are below.

“To retain the loyalty of those who are present, be loyal to those who are absent.”

– Stephen R. Covey