Character Is Destiny

Introductory notes

In McCain's words from the book's introduction:

Sections

Each section provides examples of a specific characteristic, with essays on a well known person, historical or (then) living, whose life reflected a particular aspect of that characteristic.

Part One: Honor

• HONESTY — Thomas More
• RESPECT — Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
• AUTHENTICITY — Joan of Arc
• LOYALTY — Sir Ernest Shackleton
• DIGNITY — Viktor Frankl

Part Two: Purpose

• IDEALISM — Sojourner Truth
• RIGHTEOUSNESS — Roméo Dallaire
• CITIZENSHIP — Pat Tillman
• DILIGENCE — Winston Churchill
• RESPONSIBILITY — Lord Nelson and His Lieutenants
• COOPERATION — John Wooden

Part Three: Strength

• COURAGE — Edith Cavell
• SELF-CONTROL — George Washington
• CONFIDENCE — Elizabeth I
• RESILIENCE — Abraham Lincoln
• INDUSTRY — Eric Hoffer
• HOPEFULNESS — John Winthrop

Part Four: Understanding

• FAITH — Christian Guard at Hua Lo Prison
• COMPASSION — Maximillian Kolbe
• MERCY — Mother Antonia
• TOLERANCE — The Four Chaplains
• FORGIVENESS — Nelson Mandela
• GENEROSITY — Oseola McCarty

Part Five: Judgment

• FAIRNESS — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• HUMILITY — Dwight D. Eisenhower
• GRATITUDE — Tecumseh
• HUMOR — Mark Twain
• COURTESY — Aung San Suu Kyi

Part Six: Creativity

• ASPIRATION — Ferdinand Magellan
• DISCERNMENT — Leonardo da Vinci
• CURIOSITY — Charles Darwin
• ENTHUSIASM — Theodore Roosevelt
• EXCELLENCE — Wilma Rudolph

Part Seven: Love

• SELFLESSNESS AND CONTENTMENT — Mother Teresa

Editions

• McCain, John. Character Is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember. New York: Random House, 2005. Print.

References

References

1. (2005). "Character Is Destiny". Random House.