Character Is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember is a 2005 book by United States Senator John McCain with Mark Salter. Published by Random House, it is a collection of biographies about individuals from the past and present who, in the authors' view, exemplify the best qualities of character. The book is divided into seven parts with further divisions of a characteristic and a person who is seen to exemplify it.

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

External links Presentation by McCain on Character Is Destiny, December 6, 2005, C-SPAN