In his book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," Stephen Covey writes his observations: I noticed a startling thing: Almost all the writings that helped build our country in its first 150 years or so identified character as the foundation of success. The literature of what we might call “The Character Ethic” helped Americans cultivate integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, and the Golden Rule. Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography is a prime example. Compared with the early success literature, the writings of the last 50 years seem superficial to me—filled with social image consciousness, techniques, and quick fixes. There, the solutions derive not from the character ethic but from the personality ethic: success is a function of public image, of attitudes and behaviors, of skills that lubricate the process of human interaction. I don’t say these skills are unimportant. But they are secondary.
Day 155 - History Repeats Itself
Day 155 - History Repeats Itself
Day 155 - History Repeats Itself
In his book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," Stephen Covey writes his observations: I noticed a startling thing: Almost all the writings that helped build our country in its first 150 years or so identified character as the foundation of success. The literature of what we might call “The Character Ethic” helped Americans cultivate integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, and the Golden Rule. Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography is a prime example. Compared with the early success literature, the writings of the last 50 years seem superficial to me—filled with social image consciousness, techniques, and quick fixes. There, the solutions derive not from the character ethic but from the personality ethic: success is a function of public image, of attitudes and behaviors, of skills that lubricate the process of human interaction. I don’t say these skills are unimportant. But they are secondary.