7 habits of highly effective teens 2025

 

—MICK SHANNON, President and CEO, Children’s Miracle Network
“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey is a touchdown! The
sooner you develop good, strong habits, the more effective your life will be. This
book will help you do just that.”
—STEVE YOUNG, quarterback, San Francisco 49ers, and NFL Most
Valuable Player 7 habits of highly effective teens 2025
“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is a real-life guide to help teens be
their best. Setting goals and writing them down is one of the most important
things you can do. Commit them to memory, stay focused, and develop the
stamina to go the distance. If you do, you can achieve any goal you set.”
—TARA LIPINSKI, U.S. figure skating champion and 1998 Olympic gold
medalist
“My son was 21 when we discovered The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
and used it to build a new relationship, which continues today—seven years
later. If only we could roll back the clock to when he was 15, this new book
would have saved us six years of miscommunication, frowns, and frustration.
Dads, this book is your opportunity as well as your children’s!”
—CLYDE FESSLER, Vice President, Business Development, Harley-
Davidson Motor Company
“I used one of the stories from your book in a speech I gave at leadership
camp and it helped me to be elected governor! Thanks Sean Covey!!!”
—LEISY OSWALD, age 16
“Sean Covey is following in his father’s footsteps in an imaginative way as he
shares his teen experience in a Covey style—The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
Teens. Lessons learned from his own experience make this a unique guidebook
for a younger generation looking for direction.”
—FRANCES HESSELBEIN, President and CEO, the Drucker Foundation,
and former President, Girl Scouts of America
“The best way to ‘make it happen’ in your life is to make the right choices as a
teen. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens lets teens see themselves as the
principal force in their lives, regardless of their background or current walk of
life.”
—STEDMAN GRAHAM, author of You Can Make It Happen and founder

of Athletes Against Drugs
“Our youth today are facing ills their parents and grandparents never
imagined. They are searching for answers, and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
Teens provides the tools to enable them to find those answers within themselves.
With the help of loving parents, teachers, and friends, may our teens be blessed
to grow to be happy, healthy, contributing adults.”
—DR. ROBERT SCHULLER, author of If You Can Dream It, You Can Do
It; Reverend of the Crystal Cathedral and Hour of Power
“Sean Covey’s book should be read by every grandparent and be on every
grandparent’s gift list for the teenagers in their extended family. His principles
can span the generational communication gaps that are too prevalent in today’s
society. Moreover, his guidelines can turn the hearts of each generation to the
others. Grandparents will make a huge difference in the lives of their
grandchildren if they will support Covey’s advice for helping teenagers identify
their own ‘principle centers’ for their developing lives.”
—KIRK L. STROMBERG, Director, Strategic Planning and Development,
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
“Sean’s ‘can-do’ examples remind me of how important it is to make the most
of what I have. I play a lot of sports, though I’m not a big kid. This book helped
me realize that I have to rely on my speed and my smarts if I want to reach my
goals.”
—BRENT KUIK, age 15
“If you want to win in the ‘game of life,’ scoring is essential. The 7 Habits of
Highly Effective Teens gives teens a great game plan for achieving their dreams.
Covey offers great insights to help parents coach their kids to reach their highest
goals and overcome any obstacles they might encounter.”
—RICK PITINO, coach of the Boston Celtics and author of Success Is a
Choice
“How we live our lives is based on the values we believe in. This book will
help any teen, in a very practical way, build a life’s foundation on values that
count.”
—DONALD G. SODERQUIST, Vice Chairman and COO, Wal-Mart
Stores

“With all of the social ills in our society, what this world needs is more
teenagers who have a bright vision of the future, a willing spirit, and the
determination to contribute to their families, their schools, and the community.
Sean Covey’s book teaches our youth how to do just that!”
—BOB GOODWIN, President and CEO, Points of Light Foundation
“Powerful but not parental—an important message delivering much more than
good advice, it offers true direction to teens living in a challenging, complex
world. Covey offers sound, time-tested direction without sounding preachy or
parental… packaging unquestionable wisdom into a friendly, approachable book
that will inspire trust and encourage teens to follow their hearts, rather than
simply follow the group.”
—PATRICK S. O’BRIEN, author; founder and President, Making College
Count
“If The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens doesn’t help you, then you must
have a perfect life already.”
—JORDAN MCLAUGHLIN, age 17
“We all have dreams in life we want to achieve and we can reach these dreams
if we’re willing to always give 100 percent. This book is an intensive training
program for youth to grow and develop so they can become winners in the
competition of life.”
—KRISTI YAMAGUCHI, U.S. Olympic figure skating gold medalist
“This book has many positive, inspirational, and motivational strategies to
help teenagers live up to their potential.”
—LAURA C. SCHLESSINGER, Ph.D., author of Ten Stupid Things
Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives
“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is a winner! In my years of coaching
young people, we learned together that working hard, setting goals, and having a
clear vision of your dream enables you to be successful, even when you lose.”
—LOU HOLTZ, former head football coach at Notre Dame, the 1988
national champions, and sports analyst of CBS’s College Football Today
“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is a breakthrough book for teenagers.
It enables them to realize how they can achieve their own personal victories
through setting the goals that will lead them to the fulfillment of their dreams.”

—HENRY MARSH, author of The Breakthrough Factor and four-time
Olympian
“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens teaches teenagers basic principles to
build a solid foundation that will sustain them through life’s most difficult
challenges. Most teens need this book. Most important of all, believe in God and
His willingness to help you—all you have to do is ask. It’s called prayer.”
—THE REVEREND THEODORE M. HESBURGH, C.S.C., President
Emeritus, University of Notre Dame
“I have been juggling family, school activities, friends, and after-school
responsibilities. When I read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens it helped me
become a more organized person. I used a lot of the cartoons to help me
remember stories and examples.”
—JOY DENEWELLIS, age 18
“Stephen Covey must be rightfully proud of his son Sean, who absorbed his
father’s lessons well. Those who wish to avoid the temptations and devastation
of drugs, including alcohol, would be wise to implement The 7 Habits of Highly
Effective Teens. Written for teenagers by a recent teen himself, this book is an
indispensable tool for helping young people make the right choices while
growing up in the chaos of the nineties. I wish there had been a book like this for
those of us who grew up in the sixties!”
—CANDACE LIGHTNER, founder, MADD (Mothers Against Drunk
Driving)
“Motivation is only a part of the game of life. Self-discipline and self-control
are key in making your dreams reality. This book offers all the tools you need as
a teen to be a champion in life.”
—MIA HAMM, member of the U.S. women’s national soccer team and
Female Athlete of the Year
“Whether to sink in self-pity or swim in the ocean of knowledge is a choice
we are called upon to make in life. Here is an excellent guide for youth, by a
youth, to make life meaningful.”
—ARUN GANDHI, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and founder of the
Gandhi Institute
“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens challenges teens to break through the

boundary of being ‘average’ to become their personal best. All teens can achieve
their goals and dreams if they have the courage to do what it takes to reach them
—this book shows in clear examples how they can do this.”
— DAVE CHECKETTS, President and CEO, Madison Square Garden
“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is gold. In my coaching life before the
Olympics, I loved working with youth and learning with them and from them
about the importance of having dreams, setting goals to achieve them, and
celebrating the victories. Sean Covey’s book reinforces just that message!”
—DICK SCHULTZ, Executive Director, U.S. Olympic Committee
“The inspiring examples from real-life problems that teenagers like myself
deal with every day, and their experiences and situations, have helped me make
lifesaving decisions. I highly recommend this book to any teenager.”
—JEREMY SOMMER, age 19
“The teens in our world ‘deserve this break today’! Sean Covey’s The 7
Habits of Highly Effective Teens teaches youth everywhere to be industrious,
have integrity, and give back to family and community. This book reinforces that
our teens can be the hope for a better world.”
—MICHAEL QUINLAN, CEO and Chairman, McDonald’s Corporation
“This book really caught me by surprise! I’ve not put it down, and nearly
completed it five hours after receiving it. What a refreshing thing to see a writer
tell things as they are, without preaching and with real-life values.”
—DOUGLAS SPOTTED EAGLE, international recording artist and
lecturer
“For a professional athlete, winning basketball games is important —but
winning at the game of life is even more important. The 7 Habits of Highly
Effective Teens provides a game plan for teens to become team players with their
teammates in life, their families and friends. It presents strategies for becoming a
better all-around person and elevating individual skills.”
—SHERYL SWOOPES, women’s professional basketball player
“Today’s teens are the future leaders of our families, communities, and nation.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens teaches them the value of hard work,
setting and achieving goals, and taking responsibility and initiative, all of which
are characteristics of effective leaders.”

—MICHAEL O. LEAVITT, Governor of Utah and Vice-Chairman,
National Governor’s Association

Other Books from Franklin Covey Co.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Principle-Centered Leadership
First Things First
Daily Reflections for Highly Effective People
First Things First Every Day
The Breakthrough Factor
To Do … Doing … Done: A Creative Approach to Managing
Projects and Effectively Finishing What Matters Most
The Power Principle
The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management
The Nature of Leadership
The 7 Habits Journal
The 7 Habits Family Journal
Copyright © 1949 by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Copyright Renewed. WILLIAMSON MUSIC owner of publication and allied
rights throughout the world. International Copyright Secured. Reprinted by
Permission. All Rights Reserved.

TO MOM
FOR ALL THE LULLABIES
AND LATE-NIGHT TALKS

What’s Inside
Part I – The Set-up
Get in the Habit
They Make You or Break You
Paradigms and Principles
What You See Is What You Get
Part II – The Private Victory
The Personal Bank Account
Starting with the Man in the Mirror
Habit 1–Be Proactive
I Am the Force
Habit 2–Begin with the End in Mind
Control Your Own Destiny or Someone Else Will
Habit 3–Put First Things First
Will and Won’t Power
Part III – The Public Victory
The Relationship Bank Account
The Stuff That Life Is Made Of
Habit 4–Think Win-Win
Life Is an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet
Habit 5–Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
You Have Two Ears and One Mouth … Hel-lo!

Habit 6–Synergize
The “High” Way
Part IV – Renewal
Habit 7–Sharpen the Saw
It’s “Me Time”
Keep Hope Alive!
Kid, You’ll Move Mountains
Acknowledgments
Info Central
50 Great Books for Teens
Bibliography
Index
About Franklin Covey Co

Who am I?
I am your constant companion. I am
your greatest helper or heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down
to failure. I am completely at your command.
Half the things you do you might just as
well turn over to me and I will be able to do
them quickly and correctly.
I am easily managed—you must merely
be firm with me. Show me exactly how you
want something done and after a few
lessons I will do it automatically. I am the
servant of all great individuals and, alas, of
all failures, as well. Those who are great, I
have made great. Those who are failures,
I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work
with all the precision of a machine plus
the intelligence of a human. You may run
me for a profit or run me for ruin—it
makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me,
and I will place the world at your feet. Be
easy with me and I will destroy you.
Who am I?

PART I
The Set-up
Get in the Habit
They Make You or Break You
Paradigms and Principles
What You See Is What You Get

Get in the
Habit
THEY MAKE YOU OR BREAK YOU
Welcome! My name is Sean and I wrote this book. I don’t know how you
got it. Maybe your mom gave it to you to shape you up, Or maybe you bought it
with your own money because the title caught your eye. Regardless of how it
landed in your hands, I’m really glad it did. Now you just need to read it
A lot of teens read books, but I wasn’t one of them. (I did read several Cliffs
Notes book summaries, however.) So if you’re like me, you may be ready to
shelve this book. But before you do that, hear me out. If you promise to read this
book, I’ll promise to make it an adventure. In fact, to keep it fun, I’ve stuffed it
full of cartoons, clever ideas, great quotes, and incredible stories about real teens
from all over the world … along with a few other surprises. So will you give it a
try?
Okay? Okay!
We first make
our habits,
then our habits
make us.
ENGLISH POET.
Now, back to the book. This book is based on another book that my dad,
Stephen R. Covey, wrote several years ago entitled The 7 Habits of Highly
Effective People. Surprisingly, that book has become one of the best-selling
books of all time. He owes a lot of the credit for its success to me and my
brothers and sisters, however. You see, we were his guinea pigs. He tried out all
of his psycho experiments on us, and that’s why my brothers and sisters have