,
, portfolio / penguin
An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
penguinrandomhouse.com
Copyright © 2025 by McChrystal Group LLC
Penguin Random House values and supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free
speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright
laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and
allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader. Please note that no part of this book may be used
or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems.
PORTFOLIO and PORTFOLIO with javelin thrower design are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.
Cover design by Henry Nuhn
book design by tanya maiboroda, adapted for ebook by molly jeszke
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: McChrystal, Stanley A., author.
Title: On character : choices that define a life / General Stanley McChrystal.
Description: [New York] : Portfolio/Penguin, [2025] |
Identifiers: LCCN 2024040136 | ISBN 9780593852958 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780593852965 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Character. | Conduct of life.
Classification: LCC BJ1521 .M225 2025 | DDC 170—dc23/eng/20250215
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2024040136
Ebook ISBN 9780593852965
The authorized representative in the EU for product safety and compliance is Penguin Random House Ireland, Morrison
Chambers, 32 Nassau Street, Dublin D02 YH68, Ireland, https://eu-contact.penguin.ie.
pid_prh_7.1a_151205520_c0_r0
, CONTENTS
Dedication
Epigraph
Introduction: The Last Full Measure
PART 1 ⏐ CONVICTION
A Time to Contemplate
The Search for Conviction
A Life of Conviction
Faith
“They”
The Matter of Perspective
Ditching the Rearview Mirror
Granddaughters
Life in the Alley
Navigating Work and Life
Gettysburg
Digital Leadership
Incentives
The “O” Club
On Civil Rights
The Great Divide
Balancing Ends and Means
Corruption
Taking a Side
The Constitution
The Costly Benefits of War
, portfolio / penguin
An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
penguinrandomhouse.com
Copyright © 2025 by McChrystal Group LLC
Penguin Random House values and supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free
speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright
laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and
allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader. Please note that no part of this book may be used
or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems.
PORTFOLIO and PORTFOLIO with javelin thrower design are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.
Cover design by Henry Nuhn
book design by tanya maiboroda, adapted for ebook by molly jeszke
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: McChrystal, Stanley A., author.
Title: On character : choices that define a life / General Stanley McChrystal.
Description: [New York] : Portfolio/Penguin, [2025] |
Identifiers: LCCN 2024040136 | ISBN 9780593852958 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780593852965 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Character. | Conduct of life.
Classification: LCC BJ1521 .M225 2025 | DDC 170—dc23/eng/20250215
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2024040136
Ebook ISBN 9780593852965
The authorized representative in the EU for product safety and compliance is Penguin Random House Ireland, Morrison
Chambers, 32 Nassau Street, Dublin D02 YH68, Ireland, https://eu-contact.penguin.ie.
pid_prh_7.1a_151205520_c0_r0
, CONTENTS
Dedication
Epigraph
Introduction: The Last Full Measure
PART 1 ⏐ CONVICTION
A Time to Contemplate
The Search for Conviction
A Life of Conviction
Faith
“They”
The Matter of Perspective
Ditching the Rearview Mirror
Granddaughters
Life in the Alley
Navigating Work and Life
Gettysburg
Digital Leadership
Incentives
The “O” Club
On Civil Rights
The Great Divide
Balancing Ends and Means
Corruption
Taking a Side
The Constitution
The Costly Benefits of War
