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

> On May 19, 2009, I was taken to the White House to meet President Obama. We'd met once before when he'd visited the Pentagon during his first week in office, but as DJS I'd been in a collection of other civilian and military leaders, so it was unlikely he remembered the man who would soon command his military effort in Afghanistan. I'd been in the Oval Office before with President George W. Bush, but the atmosphere in the West Wing in the final and opening months of administrations differed perceptibly. Although it was four months into Obama's term, there was still a feeling of newness to the people, who moved with an air of excited purpose through the hallways. When the president was available, the door opened and Obama walked to the entrance to greet me into the room. The meeting was short, but cordial. The president offered no specific guidance but locked his eyes with mine and thanked me for accepting the responsibility.

- 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)
- Page: 288
- 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/on-may-19-2009

## 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)