Character Carved In Stone
By Pat Williams
One of the most intriguing reads of 2019 for my shelf. Pat Williams takes us to West Point, NY at the prestigious United States Military Academy to dive into the 12 virtues of the academy. Each chapter outlines one of the 12 virtues and connects it with a story about a West Point Grad.
Below are my notes and key hi-lighted passages from Character Carved In Stone by Pat Williams. (Italics = quotes from the book. Bold = my personal notes)
“If you exemplify these twelve character traits, you will be a leader, because you will stand head and shoulders above most of your peers as a person worthy of being followed and emulated. If you exemplify these twelve qualities, you will be a success in any endeavor you put your mind to, because no one who is a role model of these qualities could ever be considered a failure. Where you lead, these twelve virtues will magnify your influence and propel you toward great service, great goals, great achievements, and great distinction.”
“The compassionate leaders I have known were not necessarily feared, but they were always respected. They were tough when they had to be and compassionate when understanding was needed, but they were never “soft” or “weak.”
It is a hard up-hill battle for a leader to lead from a desire to have everyone like them.
“If your so-called compassion comes from a desire to have everybody like you, you will be a weak leader.”
“Moral courage is the commitment to stand utterly and friendless to do what is right.”
“EMOTIONAL COURAGE - This is the courage to face your life, your problems, your emotions without turning to “emotional anesthetics” such as alcohol, street drugs, opioids, gambling, promiscuity, pornography, and other self-destructing behaviors.”
A “cowardice leader” can stand and motivate the crowd but as the weight and pressure of leadership and life builds they self-medicate with addictive behavior instead of having the courage to face the realities of life and emotions.
“Instead of wishing your life was problem free, thank God that he finds you worthy to be his agent of healing and helping others in an uncertain world.”
“Replace fear with faith. Doubt produces fear, Faith replaces fear with courage. The more complete your trust in God, the more bold and courages you will be.”
“Our cravings, desires, and laziness are at war with our goals, aspirations and dreams. Undisciplined people may dream of accomplishing big goals - someday. But their dreams are really daydreams and never come to anything. Self-disciplines people don’t wait for someday. They start now and turn their dreams into reality.”
There will always be obstacles in the way of the first steps in chasing a dream. The time for dream pursuing is always inconvenient. “The time” never gets better, it is always slipping away. The clock is always ticking, act now.
“A person of integrity will be the same person in public and in private. The inner reality will match the outward reputation.”
Our integrity = We are the same person in front of God, in front of our family, and in front of the crowd
“Don’t think you can flirt with temptation and get away with it. Maintain absolute integrity. Always tell the truth. Always keep your promises. Always flee from temptation. Keep your moral firewall strong and impenetrable, and you integrity will never get scorched.”