“This sense of initiative separates the great leaders from the mediocre ones.”

— William H. McRaven, The Wisdom of the Bullfrog, 2023, p. 71

About William H. McRaven

Retired U.S. Navy admiral and former Navy SEAL, chancellor of the University of Texas System, and author of 'Make Your Bed' (2017).

“If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.”

“If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day.”

“Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter.”

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.”

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”