"More effort is wasted doing things that don’t matter than is wasted doing things inefficiently. Elimination is the highest form of optimization."
"Be governed not by the tyranny of the urgent but by the elevation of the important."
"If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster."
"The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want now."
"Don't ever respond to a solicitation or a proposal on the phone. The urgency is a disguise."
"Don’t tell me where your priorities are. Show me where you spend your money and I’ll tell you what they are."
"Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve."
"Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important."
"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities."
"Keep in mind that you are always saying 'no' to something. If it isn't to the apparent, urgent things in your life, it is probably to the most fundamental, highly important things. Even when the urgent is good, the good can keep you from your best, keep you from your unique contribution, if you let it."
"Lack of time is actually lack of priorities."
"It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy."
"Show me your calendar and I will tell you your priorities. Tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell you where you're going."