Stanley A. McChrystal Quotes

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Stanley A. McChrystal

Profession : Footballer

Birth : August 14, 1954

We are a nation of innovators and problem-solvers who sparked revolutions in democratic government, civil rights, communications, flight, rural electrification and technology. We are a country defined by ideals now in need of rescue.

Stanley A. McChrystal

America needs a big idea that plays to its strength. It should look to national service.

Stanley A. McChrystal

We should get to the business of providing at least one million opportunities each year for young Americans to spend a service year with peers who are different from them - by race, ethnicity, income, politics and religious belief.

Stanley A. McChrystal

The reality is when you make 'America First' a bumper sticker and pump it overseas, what you're telling them is 'America Only'.

Stanley A. McChrystal

How we present ourselves matters a lot, and that's every American, not just at the senior levels.

Stanley A. McChrystal

If we want to be members of the world community, we need to think that way.

Stanley A. McChrystal

If every soldier is authorized to make one mistake, then we lose the war.

Stanley A. McChrystal

My dad was always the soldier I wanted to be.

Stanley A. McChrystal

One of the big takeaways from Iraq was that you have to not lose confidence in what you are doing. We were able to go to the edge of the abyss without losing hope.

Stanley A. McChrystal

Throughout history, the organizational evolution of the military has been inextricably linked with that of the business world.

Stanley A. McChrystal

Our bureaucracy had excelled at compartmentalizing intelligence - we had a 'need to know' system - but by 2004, it was impossible to foresee what elements of our organization would and would not need to know a given piece of information.

Stanley A. McChrystal

Industrial technologies that allowed for increased mechanization in 19th-century armed forces also spurred Frederick Winslow Taylor to develop his 'Scientific Management' doctrine in Philadelphia steel mills.

Stanley A. McChrystal

What I really want are students who want to partner with other people, to be part of an organization and to influence people so that they can accomplish things that the organization would not have accomplished otherwise.

Stanley A. McChrystal

What I'm trying to do is teach people how to actually get individuals in organizations to do the kinds of things to make a difference. It starts with not just studying the mechanics but really understanding how people operate.

Stanley A. McChrystal

If you sit down with British officers or British senior NCOs, they understand the sweep of history. They know the history of British forces not just in Afghanistan but the history of British successful counter-insurgencies - Northern Ireland, Malaysia.

Stanley A. McChrystal

If you talk to a British officer or NCO about the strategic objectives of the end state, you'll often get a spirited discussion that's very well informed.

Stanley A. McChrystal

I'm a believer in the Afghan people, so I support an increase in forces there.

Stanley A. McChrystal

Caution and cynicism are safe, but soldiers don't want to follow cautious cynics.

Stanley A. McChrystal

I find that if the day is terrible but I worked out, at the end of the day I can go, 'Well, I had a good workout'. Almost no matter what happens.

Stanley A. McChrystal

As our leaders in Washington confront tough decisions about our budget priorities, I urge them to continue federal funding for public broadcasting.

Stanley A. McChrystal