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Dorothy Day
George Marshall held countless positions in the U.S. Army and was known for his impressive character and leadership. He was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania in 1880. Marshall was embarrassed when his father’s coal business collapsed, sinking the family into poverty. He also learned at a young age that his family thought he would amount to nothing because he didn’t do well in school. Instead of defeating him, this made him resolved to prove everyone who doubted him wrong. Later, Marshall attended the Virginia Military Institute. When he was hazed by upperclassmen, he kept his self-control and held to a code of silence that earned his classmates’ trust. He was suspicious of emotion because he believed it robbed a person of their agency. Also, he never kept a diary for fear this would make him self-involved. After Military School, he boldly walked into the White House to ask for an appointment in the army. Once in the army, he rose in rank very slowly, always working for others and taking whatever positions were given to him. Like Frances Perkins, Marshall kept his private and public lives separate. He was extremely devoted to his wife Lily and was devastated when she died. However, his reticence in general led him to have very few friends. Marshall sacrificed his dream job of overall commander in World War II when Franklin Roosevelt asked him if he wanted it, and Marshall refused to say yes. In this way, he was always obedient to the institution he served and never put his desires before the desires of his higher-ups. Marshall tried to retire after the war but was appointed the ambassador of China at the last minute. Marshall’s character bore resemblance to traditional Greek heroes—what Brooks describes as magnanimous and great-souled. Although he sacrificed the chance to be known intimately by many people, he accomplished great feats through the controlled exercise of power.
George Marshall Quotes in The Road to Character
The The Road to Character quotes below are all either spoken by George Marshall or refer to George Marshall . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1: The Shift
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Character is not innate or automatic. You have to build it with effort and artistry.
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Chapter 5: Self-Mastery
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The customs of [an] institution structure the soul, making it easier to be good. They guide behavior gentle along certain time-tested lines. By practicing the customs of an institution, we are not alone; we are admitted into a community that transcends time.
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The magnanimous leader does not have a normal set of social relations. There is a residual sadness to him, as there is in many grandly ambitious people who surrender companionship for the sake of their lofty goals. He can never allow himself to be silly or simply happy and free. He is like marble.
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Chapter 10: The Big Me
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Eventually [humble people] achieve moments of catharsis when outer ambition comes into balance with inner aspiration, when there is a unity of effort between Adam I and Adam II, when there is that ultimate tranquility and that feeling of flow—when moral nature and external skills are united in one defining effort.
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George Marshall Quotes in The Road to Character
The The Road to Character quotes below are all either spoken by George Marshall or refer to George Marshall . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1: The Shift
Quotes
Character is not innate or automatic. You have to build it with effort and artistry.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5: Self-Mastery
Quotes
The customs of [an] institution structure the soul, making it easier to be good. They guide behavior gentle along certain time-tested lines. By practicing the customs of an institution, we are not alone; we are admitted into a community that transcends time.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
The magnanimous leader does not have a normal set of social relations. There is a residual sadness to him, as there is in many grandly ambitious people who surrender companionship for the sake of their lofty goals. He can never allow himself to be silly or simply happy and free. He is like marble.
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10: The Big Me
Quotes
Eventually [humble people] achieve moments of catharsis when outer ambition comes into balance with inner aspiration, when there is a unity of effort between Adam I and Adam II, when there is that ultimate tranquility and that feeling of flow—when moral nature and external skills are united in one defining effort.
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
