**Abide by the natural laws, don't try to work against them.** One of the innermost core parts of Stephen Covey's philosophies is to live according to principles (i.e. [[Being Principled]]). Principles are like natural laws. If this, then that. There is a natural flow & directionality to things. **You can try to swim upstream, but you will ultimately fail**. Instead, let the waters of the universal truths carry you to where you want to go. Stephen never really explained principles well enough for me to grasp what _he_ means by them, and how they're distinct from **values**. Some examples he's given definitely are also on people's lists of "my values" - such as "fairness", "honesty", "trust", and "integrity". I tend to think [[Principles are Verbs]]. # Principle-Centered Examples - Do not lie to seem more trustworthy - Do not cheat in the name of playing fair - In short, do what Captain America does **** ## Source - [[The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People]] ## Related - [[Begin with the End in Mind]] - [[Principles are Verbs]]