If I were to summarize in one sentence the single most important principle I have learned in the field of interpersonal relations, it would be this: Seek first to understand, then to be understood. This principle is the key to effective interpersonal communication.

Principles are the territory. Values are maps.

We see the world, not as it is, but as we are──or, as we are conditioned to see it.

I am senting many books for endorsement purposes, which enables me to stay relevant in my own field, and I have people that help me decide which ones I should read and endorse.

Look at the word responsibility-"response-ability"-the ability to choose your response. Highly proactive people recognize that responsibility. They do not blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. Their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice, based on values, rather than a product of their conditions, based on feeling.

The role of the leader is to foster mutual respect and build a complementary team where each strength is made productive and each weakness irrelevant.

The need to leave a legacy is our spiritual need to have a sense of meaning, purpose, personal congruence, and contribution.