Full Idea
Values are ...an attempt to cope with contingencies by making the connection between our well-being and actions less contingent and more within our control.
Gist of Idea
Values help us to control life, by connecting it to what is stable and manageable
Source
John Kekes (The Human Condition [2010], Intro)
Book Reference
Kekes,John: 'The Human Condition' [OUP 2010], p.4
A Reaction
This sounds more like principles than values, since the former tell you what to do, but a value in itself is just a picture of possibilities.