Quotes by William H. McRaven

About William H. McRaven:

William Harry McRaven is a former United States Navy admiral who last served as the ninth commander of the United States Special Operations Command from August 8, 2011, to August 28, 2014. He previously served from June 13, 2008, to August 2011 as Commander, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and from June 2006 to March 2008 as Commander, Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR). In addition to his duties as COMSOCEUR, he was designated as the first director of the NATO Special Operations Forces Coordination Centre (NSCC), where he was charged with enhancing the capabilities and inter-operability of all NATO Special Operations Forces. After retiring from the military, Admiral McRaven began his role as the next chancellor of The University of Texas System in January, 2015. McRaven is a 1977 graduate of The University of Texas at Austin. He retired from the Navy on August 28, 2014, after more than 37 years of service. He is the son of Anna Elizabeth (Long) and Col. Claude C. "Mac" McRaven, a Spitfire fighter pilot in World War II who played briefly in the NFL. McRaven attended the University of Texas at Austin on a track scholarship, and was a member of the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps. He graduated in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. McRaven holds a master’s degree from the Naval Postgraduate School, where he helped establish and was the first graduate from the Special operations/Low intensity conflict curriculum.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

You can't change the world alone - you will need some help - and to truly get from your starting point to your destination takes friends, colleagues, the good will of strangers and a strong coxswain to guide them.

William H. McRaven

I think the best way to get a good night sleep is to work hard throughout the day. If you work hard and, of course, work out.

William H. McRaven

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

William H. McRaven

SEAL training was a great equalizer. Nothing mattered but your will to succeed. Not your color, not your ethnic background, not your education and not your social status.

William H. McRaven

My wife and I make the bed every morning, but it's a queen size bed today, as opposed to a rack, you know, a small single bed, which I had in basic SEAL training.

William H. McRaven

If you can't do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.

William H. McRaven

Basic SEAL training is six months of long, torturous runs in the soft sand, midnight swims in the cold water off San Diego, obstacles courses, unending calisthenics, days without sleep and always being cold, wet and miserable.

William H. McRaven

To me, basic SEAL training was a lifetime of challenges crammed into six months.

William H. McRaven

I'm not a political guy.

William H. McRaven

I think ninjas are probably quieter than SEALs, but we are better swimmers, and also better with guns and blowing things up.

William H. McRaven

Author Bio

  • NameWilliam H. McRaven
  • DescriptionUnited States admiral
  • BornNovember 6, 1955
  • CountryUnited States Of America
  • ProfessionOfficer
  • AwardsBronze Star Medal; Legionnaire Of Legion Of Merit