Between stimulus and response is our agency

Stephen Covey said he found this quotation in a book in Hawaii.

Between stimulus and response, there is a space. And in that space lies our freedom to choose our response. And in that space lies our growth and our happiness.

We are agents for ourselves. When something acts on us, we have received a stimulus of some kind. We are free to choose our response to that stimulus. Growth comes as we overcome our natural insticts, which are usually a negative response. By overcoming the "natural man" we achieve growth. This self-mastery gives us true freedom and lasting happiness.

Source: Follow Him podcast