# Quote — General Stanley McChrystal, My Share of the Task

> At the heart of the story is Afghanistan itself, a complex swirl of ethnic and political rivalries, cultural intransigence, strains of religious fervor, and bitter memories overlaid on a beautiful, but harshly poor, landscape. Without internal struggles or outside influence, Afghanistan would be a difficult place to govern, and a challenge to develop. And there have always been struggles and interference. But it's not just that. In her beauty and coarseness, in her complexity and tragedy Afghanistan possesses a mystical quality, a magnetism. Few places have such accumulated layers of culture, religion, history, and lore that instill both fear and awe. Yet those who seek to budge her trajectory are reminded that dreams often end up buried in the barren slopes of the Hindu Kush or in muddy fields alongside the Helmand River.

- Author: [General Stanley McChrystal](https://www.leafyquotes.com/general-stanley-mcchrystal.md)
- Book: [My Share of the Task](https://www.leafyquotes.com/general-stanley-mcchrystal/my-share-of-the-task.md)
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stanley_A._McChrystal#My_Share_Of_The_Task_(2013)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/general-stanley-mcchrystal/my-share-of-the-task/at-the-heart

## More from this book

> As visible symbols, soldiers often receive praise or condemnation, and both reactions feel curiously undeserved.

p. 13 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/general-stanley-mcchrystal/my-share-of-the-task/as-visible-symbols.md)

> In the end, leadership is a choice. Rank, authority, and even responsibility can be inherited or assigned, whether or not an individual desires or deserves them. Even the mantle of leadership occasionally falls to people who haven't sought it. But actually leading is different. A leader decides to accept responsibility for others in a way that assumes stewardship of their hopes, their dreams, and sometimes their very lives. It can be a crushing burden, but I found it an indescribable honor.

p. 394 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/general-stanley-mcchrystal/my-share-of-the-task/in-the-end.md)

> When the ceremony ended Anne and I stayed on the field to greet friends, many of whom had traveled to share the ceremony with us. In one respect it was a difficult day at the end of a difficult month. But in the broader view of life, it was a magical evening at the end of an incredible journey we shared. We walked back over to the quarters we would move out of a few days later, and found friends in the yard and almost every room. At one point I saw Mike Hall, Charlie Flynn, Shawn Lowery, and Casey Welch standing in the fading summer light. I thought of my father, of my first day at West Point, and of our cold Christmas Eve flight over Afghanistan seven months before. The final words of my last speech in uniform, spoken just an hour before were repeated in my mind: "If I had it to do over again, I'd do some things in my career differently, but not many. I believed in people, and I still believe in them. I trusted and I still trust. I cared and I still care. I wouldn't have it any other way... To the young leaders of today and tomorrow, it's a great life. Thank you."

p. 394 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/general-stanley-mcchrystal/my-share-of-the-task/when-the-ceremony.md)