Dan Crenshaw Quotes

Government does not exist to end your suffering; it exists in order to create the proper structure, based on equality and justice, so that you may pursue your own happiness.

Unfortunately, these days, too many people are overcoming their knowledge deficits with passion, and too many more people are mistaking “passion” and “authenticity” for righteousness and sophistication. It is an unhealthy trend.

The number of decibels your voice hits as you scream about how right you are is not necessarily an indicator of how much sense you are making.

But in fact, a truly democratic society is one that protects its citizens’ rights to be who they want, while also not forcing others to believe the same.

Carl Jung, the renowned psychologist, summed it up: “The foundation of all mental illness is the avoidance of true suffering.

It has grown terribly difficult to separate objective journalism from opinion journalism.

If you’re losing your cool, you are losing. If you are triggered, it is because you allowed someone else to dictate your emotional state. If you are outraged, it is because you lack discipline and self-control. These are personal defeats, not the fault of anyone else. And each defeat shapes who you are as a person, and in the collective sense, who we are as a people.

I seek out hardship. I do not run from pain but embrace it, because I derive strength from my suffering.

John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

The basic message is this: If you’re losing your cool, you are losing. If you are triggered, it is because you allowed someone else to dictate your emotional state. If you are outraged, it is because you lack discipline and self-control. These are personal defeats, not the fault of anyone else. And each defeat shapes who you are as a person, and in the collective sense, who we are as a people. This book is about actively hardening your mind so that you can be the person you think you should be. It is about identifying who that person is in the first place, and taking responsibility for the self-improvement required to become them. It is about learning what it means to never quit. It is about learning to take a joke and giving others some charity when they make a bad one. It is about the importance of building a society of iron-tough individuals who can think for themselves, take care of themselves, and recognize that a culture characterized by grit, discipline, and self-reliance is a culture that survives.

Outrage is weakness. It is the muting of rational thinking and the triumph of emotion. Despite what you’ve been hearing and seeing as of late, it is not a virtue. It is not something to be celebrated, nor praised, nor aspired to. It is a deeply human emotion—even understandable at times—but rarely is it productive, virtuous, or useful. It is an emotion to overcome, not accept, and overcoming it requires mental strength. This book is about acquiring that necessary mental fortitude.

More and more, we are putting a preference on victimhood, glorifying weakness instead of strength, and outright shaming anyone with more traditional characteristics.

The phrase “check your privilege” becomes the favorite tactic used to discredit opponents and subvert real discourse.

While our own citizens burn our flag or sneer at our pledge of allegiance, millions of people around the world would do anything to be here.

A shallow reading of a problem begets outrage; a detailed approach to a problem encourages moderation.

You want to be humble. This can mean a lot of things, so let’s be a little specific. You say “please” and “thank you” often, and practice the good manners that are a timeless doctrine of civil society. You do not expect people to do things for you that you can do yourself. You put your shopping cart away instead of leaving it in the parking lot, for instance. You have confidence but it isn’t overbearing.

Dan Crenshaw, who had lost an eye in Afghanistan, brought out a display case of variously designed glass eyes he always carried with him, and began popping in one after another and asking us which we liked best.

Thomas Sowell, the preeminent economist and social theorist, put it in stark terms. “One of the sad signs of our times,” he wrote, “is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce, and canonized

The question isn’t about the existence of injustice, but whether our reaction to said injustice is productive—or strewn with self-pity. The former reaction allows for growth beyond the injustice, and the latter imprisons you in victimhood.

The common story being told by many people, especially in the outrage mob Twitter-sphere, is that their opinion is true simply because it is their truth. There is no sense of shame whatsoever in their inability to explain why they hold that opinion

I am a conservative. We can define conservatism generally as an approach to governance that values individual freedom, personal responsibility, and moral virtue as a bulwark for that same freedom. We believe in a limited role for government, fiscal discipline, and an understanding that government exists to protect our inalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Government does not exist to end your suffering; it exists in order to create the proper structure, based on equality and justice, so that you may pursue your own happiness.

There is nothing wrong with saying, “I don’t know.” Ignorance on its own is not cause to feel ashamed. There are plenty of things that I am not an expert on and never will be. But ignorance coupled with strong opinions is a reason to feel ashamed, and it is one of the hardest things to get people to actually feel ashamed about.

Admiral McRaven, the senior Navy SEAL who planned the Bin Laden mission, said this starts with the mundane: making your bed. “If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.

I will not quit in the face of danger or pain or self-doubt; I will not justify the easier path before me. I decide that all my actions, not just some, matter. Every small task is a contribution toward a higher purpose. Every day is undertaken with a sense of duty to be better than I was yesterday, even in the smallest of ways. I seek out hardship. I do not run from pain but embrace it, because I derive strength from my suffering. I confront the inevitable trials of life with a smile. I plan to keep my head, to be still, when chaos overwhelms me. I will tell the story of my failures and hardships as a victor, not a victim. I will be grateful. Millions who have gone before me have suffered too much, fought too hard, and been blessed with far too little, for me to squander this life. So I won’t. My purpose will be to uphold and protect the spirit of our great republic, knowing that the values we hold dear can be preserved only by a strong people. I will do my part. I will live with Fortitude.

Thoughtful conversations have been substituted by social media snark and insult, where your opponent is assumed to have the worst intentions—simply because they are an opponent.

The meme has replaced good argument, the tweet has replaced the well-reasoned op-ed, and the op-ed has replaced objective journalism.

this is the difference between normal citizens and the abnormal outraged: One tells stories about what they’ve done, and the other tells stories about what was done to them.

Identity politics becomes the new normal, and cultural leaders and politicians take advantage of these stories and even encourage them.

A mentally tough, confident person does not have a problem admitting they are wrong or unknowledgeable on a subject.

of the sad signs of our times,” he wrote, “is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce, and canonized those who complain.

The dismissive and insulting tone of today’s political debate is a reflection of mental weakness.

Forming an opinion without the relevant facts is a phenomenon that I believe is getting worse—probably because of social media and the echo chamber of disinformation it can create.

The stories we tell ourselves ultimately make up our characters and decide our fate. These small stories make up the larger narrative that we build together as Americans.

Which person do you think is happier? Which one do you think has less stress? The person who finds ill intent with every interaction, or the person who chooses to give the benefit of the doubt?

A good rule of thumb is this: If you aren’t making someone laugh with your complaints, then you might be doing it wrong. Lighthearted humor wrapped up in your menial grumbling should be the goal.

If you find yourself calling someone a communist, traitor, or RINO because they disagree with you, it is a good indication that your arguments are shallow and your emotions are driving your thinking.

Wealthy celebrities in particular are all too eager to jump onto the proverbial bandwagon of oppression, and lecture us about the evils within our country. In Vogue magazine, Taylor Swift said, “Rights are being stripped from basically everyone who isn’t a straight white cisgender male.” Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, elected to Congress at twenty-nine years old, famously said that her generation “never saw American prosperity.” Such overstatements, totally devoid of evidence, only make sense in the context of a culture that has become accustomed to seeking victimhood over self-empowerment

Run down the list of those who felt intense anger at something: the most famous, the most unfortunate, the most hated, the most whatever: Where is all that now? Smoke, dust, legend…or not even a legend. Think of all the examples. And how trivial the things we want so passionately are. An emotional response is a human response, I get it. I too have succumbed to emotion, more often than I care to admit. But it is also a futile response. It isn’t an objectively beneficial response. This is central to Stoicism.

You have a duty to accomplish something every day. You have a duty to live up to your best self, the person you want to be, the hero archetype that you admire. You have a duty to embrace shame and learn from it. You have a duty to be polite, thoughtful, patient. You have a duty to overcome your hardships and not wallow in self-pity. You have a duty to contribute, even if your contribution is small. You have a duty to be on time. You have a duty to do your job, even if your job sucks. You have a duty to stay healthy, both for yourself and so that you do not become a burden on others. You have a duty to be part of the solution, not the problem. In other words, don’t join the Twitter mob. You have a duty to try hard not to offend others, and try harder not to be offended.

My mental outcomes were a consequence of my habits—and my habits were a consequence of my choices. It is true that character is to some extent innate. Our genetic makeup imbues in us certain proclivities. But it is as true that character is mostly a consequence of choices. We all make them. And we should make them deliberately, with the knowledge that these choices are part of our responsibility toward a purpose other than our own selfish aims. That responsibility is to your family, friends, community, and country.

Thoughtful conversations have been substituted by social media snark and insult, where your opponent is assumed to have the worst intentions—simply because they are an opponent. Fairness and due process have been supplanted by self-righteous hysteria and public shaming. The meme has replaced good argument, the tweet has replaced the well-reasoned op-ed, and the op-ed has replaced objective journalism. The result is nothing short of information chaos, a culture of contempt, and a deep sense of unhappiness that is blamed on everyone but ourselves

Acceptance for what you truly can’t control, but responsibility for what you can control. The Stoic does not believe in categorizing so many things as ‘outside your control’ that you simply become a victim of circumstance. Far more is within your control than you might think.

In Hate Inc., Matt Taibbi notes that this is partly because the financial incentives for incendiary opinion journalism are so strong: “There is a financial pull toward research-free stories. Writing 1,200 words of jokes about a Trump tweet costs less than sending a reporter undercover into a Mexican maquiladora.

When describing the importance of duty, that is one of my favorite phrases: “If not me, then who?” It isn’t just applicable to joining the military; it applies to everyday life. If you won’t help that homeless person get a meal, who will? Why is it someone else’s job? If you care, if you really care, then why not take action?

Perspective doesn’t necessarily have to be gained through experience, though it certainly helps. It can be self-taught. You can open your mind to the obvious truth that your experience, your hardship, your inclination to outrage, can be overcome because others have done so. Perspective, and the benefits of it, can be a simple choice you make.

You will be someone who is never late. You will be someone who takes care of his men, gets to know them, and puts their needs before yours. You will be someone who does not quit in the face of adversity. You will be someone who takes charge and leads when no one else will. You will be detail oriented, always vigilant. You will be aggressive in your actions but never lose your cool. You will have a sense of humor because sometimes that is all that can get you through the darkest hours. You will work hard and perform even when no one is watching. You will be creative and think outside the box, even if it gets you in trouble. You are a rebel, but not a mutineer. You are a jack of all trades and master of none.

Outrage culture is the weaponization of emotion, and the elevation of emotion above reason. It is the new normal, where moral righteousness rises in proportion to your level of outrage. The more outraged one is, the more authentic one is perceived to be. And the more authentic one is, the greater one’s moral standing. Reason, rationale, and evidence be damned.

When failure comes, there are a series of questions we have to ask ourselves: ‘Which actions of mine caused this? What could I have done differently? What will I do when and if it happens again?’ Note something important about these three questions: They’re all inwardly focused. They’re all about personal responsibility. They all accept and face circumstances.

I will not quit in the face of danger or pain or self-doubt; I will not justify the easier path before me. I decide that all my actions, not just some, matter. Every small task is a contribution toward a higher purpose. Every day is undertaken with a sense of duty to be better than I was yesterday, even in the smallest of ways. I seek out hardship. I do not run from pain but embrace it, because I derive strength

For an individual or a group to move forward or to progress, something unpleasant must be endured (suffering) or something pleasant must be given up (sacrifice). Humanity’s most effective and inspiring spiritual leaders have sustained immense suffering, made harrowing sacrifices, or both. These leaders’ suffering and sacrifice set them apart from ordinary people who deny, decry, or defy these seemingly unsavory experiences.49

My ancestors’ history gives me perspective when I want to complain about the Wi-Fi on a passenger jet being too slow or intermittent. I need only recall that Sarah Howard, my first ancestor to settle in Texas, at age sixteen, had to walk across the frontier for weeks. Drinking water had to be discovered daily. During her travels, she had a run-in with Comanches that resulted in the death of her first husband. She remarried, and her new husband was killed in similar circumstances, as was her infant. She was held captive and miraculously escaped. She remarried again.2 And here I am, complaining about the Wi-Fi.

The media’s goal is to literally challenge your ability to be still. A tough American, intent on improving upon their current self, is not tricked into an emotional reaction by these headlines. You do not write an angry tweet, you do not hurl an insult. You are cool and measured, and skeptical. You are curious what the agenda of the journalist might be and what facts or context they might be leaving out. You seek out a different story on the same topic from an opposing view, and you find out that many of the claims made in the original story were convincingly debunked. And just like that, you are a Zen master of stillness and Stoicism.

You have purpose in this life. God has you here for a reason. You may not know it, but He does. Your job is to find it. No one else can. You need to understand that your purpose may be great in the eyes of the world, or it may be commonplace and seemingly small. Your purpose might be your family, your children. Your purpose might be tutoring a child and changing their life. Your purpose might be the business you started. Your purpose might be cleaning up your block. Your purpose might be in the help you give others. Your purpose might be in the example you set. Only you and God know. Only you and God need to know. Search until you find it - and until then, act as if you have it, because you're wasting time otherwise.

Be someone who is cool under pressure. Value serenity instead of outrage. It seems that our culture is moving in the wrong direction here. If you are blessed enough to not be on social media, you might be surprised to learn that the angriest, most passionate public figures are rewarded with the most clicks and biggest audiences. Our culture has begun to confuse passion with substance, reward the loudest and angriest voices, and thus incentivize behavior wholly at odds with Stoic wisdom. The number of decibels your voice hits as you scream about how right you are is not necessarily an indicator of how much sense you are making. As a society founded on reason and Western Enlightenment ideals, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard. We have to collectively stop allowing emotion and passion to pass for reason and factual debate.

After every failure, after every hardship, we create a personal narrative to account for that moment. We tell ourselves a story. We may not control the event itself (though we probably have more control than we think), but we certainly control the story that comes out of it.

Now I wonder how a generation shaped by the comforts of victimhood culture, unaccustomed to adversity and allergic to sacrifice, with less and less desire to preserve our values and way of life, will react when we are faced with the next great war, or depression, or civil conflict. We can’t even be sure of their reaction to offensive Halloween costumes, let alone invading armies.

You don’t need to live in the 1800s or an impoverished war-torn country to gain perspective and gratitude, but you can simply learn about them. And maybe that’s all you need to adjust the lens through which you view your current situation.

If you’ve ever cared for a loved one in terminal decline, you know what that’s like. There is an intensity of loss that is immeasurable. Words don’t do it justice. The hole deep down in your gut feels like it will never go away. As a child, the intensity of the experience is made worse as grief is amplified by incomprehension. Going from kindergarten to fourth grade knowing that your mother is dying—that the center of a small boy’s world is collapsing—is an experience I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

Sheriff Jeffries sat on the corner of his desk, two men I didn’t know standing near him, hands in their pockets. The conversation stopped when he stood and looked my way. The moment I saw his face, my mad dissolved into terror. “I need help.” In two strides he stood before me, his lips pressed into a tight line, concern visible in his eyes. He laid gentle hands on my shoulders. “What’s wrong?” “We can’t find James anywhere. We’ve been searching all morning.” Desperation streaked each word. Dan hid himself behind my skirt. Ollie and Janie both began to cry. I wanted to join them, but I forced myself to calm. He nodded once. “Come with me.” He took my hand and led us to Mr. Crenshaw’s store.

It is no accident, I think, that the most vocal members of the outrage mob, the angriest and the most passionate, tend to be those with the easiest lives. Few places on earth are as sheltered, and accommodating, and insulated from adversity as an American college campus. And college campuses are the petri dishes where most outrage and protest and grievances multiply and spread.

Footnotes 1 Note to the Fact Checkers: THIS IS A JOKE. Taliban don’t have health insurance.

this day and age, victimhood is power.

Failure becomes inevitable the moment it is embraced as a possibility.

I will do my part. I will live with Fortitude.

When you see yourself as a victim of America, permanently on the receiving end, then the inevitable outcome is the desire to denounce America in its entirety

Who gets more traction on social media: a think tank spending millions of dollars on careful research, or a kid making memes on Instagram?

These activists did what they did because they knew their excessive passion would get more traction on social media than a reasonable conversation with me would.

Thoughtful argument is downgraded while fist-shaking activism is rewarded. There is an assumption that anger must be connected to righteousness. Passion replaces reason. Attitude—owning the libs or the cons—replaces sophisticated argument.

The problem with our current cultural trend is that we are far more likely to be cheered on if we embrace victimhood.

There is a financial pull toward research-free stories. Writing 1,200 words of jokes about a Trump tweet costs less than sending a reporter undercover into a Mexican maquiladora.

The basic message is this: If you’re losing your cool, you are losing. If you are triggered, it is because you allowed someone else to dictate your emotional state. If you are outraged, it is because you lack discipline and self-control. These are personal defeats, not the fault of anyone else. And each defeat shapes who you are as a person, and in the collective sense, who we are as a people.

Envisioning yourself as the hero you want to be is always the first step.

In this day and age, victimhood is power.

The basic message is this: If you’re losing your cool, you are losing. If you are triggered, it is because you allowed someone else to dictate your emotional state. If you are outraged, it is because you lack discipline and self-control.

I say, “Dude, don’t get blown up. It sucks.” He laughs and tells me to shut up. I

fabric. With many big problems cured, reduced, or eliminated, our small problems have been elevated remarkably in our public discourse. Now that society is immensely safer, kinder, and better for children’s aggregate survival, we complain vehemently about proper pronoun usage and disrespectful remarks on Twitter.

The extreme nature of the outrage mob, willing to pounce at even the slightest offense, devoid of any benefit of the doubt, has forced the shame response into extreme categories. Everyone has two options now:

For instance, should we be taking political advice from pop music stars? Or just singing advice? In the pop music hierarchy, they have been successful in moving up. In the political hierarchy, not so much.

these new hero archetypes, manifested by the angriest and most passionate voices, start to be rewarded by public opinion. This phenomenon is clearly observed in mainstream and social media.

it demonstrates how hungry mass media is to find a public figure to humiliate and thus toss to the wolves of an outrage mob.

Itu bukan cuma. Teman khayalan itu seperti buku. Kami diciptakan, dinikmati, dilipat dan dibuat kusut, lalu disimpan sampai dibutuhkan lagi.

Discrimination and Disparities,

Not only do the slightest of disagreements trigger their emotions, but they see value in being the aggrieved victim.

The victim-hierarchy ideology has actually encouraged people to seek out injustices to be proudly worn as badges of honor.

Votes are bought, yes, but not by some murky corporatist overlord. They are bought with the currency of politicians’ false promises.

And you would be right. Everything is easy to say. Many things are hard to do. Perseverance in the face of hardship is a pretty simple concept, but what is simple isn't always easy. The simplest things - courage, force, perseverance - can also be the hardest.

Let's define "quitting" by stating what it isn't. Quitting isn't bowing to reality or unavoidable facts. .... Quitting isn't about succumbing to reality or failing to change what can't be changed. Quitting is not the same as failure. Quitting means giving up - in a context where there are other options. Options you know you have.

Rogue Warrior.

Normal tactics for CNN, which like all cable news networks favors spectacle and drama over informing the public.

The miracle of modernity has done some amazing things, but it has also softened us a great deal. The likelihood of experiencing a truly harrowing situation, let alone many of them, is near zero and our resilience has suffered for it. This means you’ll never know how you would react, and it means you have very few opportunities to practice for it when the time comes. It is one reason why even the smallest hardships elicit emotional breakdowns from many Americans, why so many are diagnosed with anxiety disorders, and why therapy and psychiatry are booming industries.

A Conflict of Visions,

This is the simple reality: Others have had it harder than me. Many, many others. From that darkness comes realism. From that realism comes gratitude. From gratitude comes perspective. A healthy sense of perspective is an antidote to outrage. It is an antidote to self-pity, despair, and weakness.

And it seems that the more just our society becomes, the louder the progressives scream, “Injustice!” This isn’t surprising when in fact their entire governing philosophy is predicated on fighting injustice. You’re out of a job if the problem begins to disappear.

Give us power, say the progressives, and we will end human suffering. We will end failure. But until we do, stay angry. Stay outraged.

They think they deserve more responsibility but aren’t willing to start at the bottom in order to earn it. They move between jobs rapidly, thereby making investments in job training a real challenge. There is no sense of loyalty to an organization, no sense of duty to be part of that organization’s success.

Instead of seeking understanding, people are increasingly interpreting the actions of others in the least generous way possible and assuming

With many big problems cured, reduced, or eliminated, our small problems have been elevated remarkably in our public discourse.

But this book is about mental toughness and

According to the Stoics, mental toughness and freedom from passion were directly related. A mind free from passion is a “citadel,” and “fortified.” I think this is a fairly intuitive concept. After all, what does an intense emotional outburst get us? Do you make better decisions when you’re angry? Do raw displays of emotion improve anyone’s opinion of us? Probably not.

Unless the goal is to manipulate other people’s emotions—the goal of a political activist, for instance—then outrage is neither a moral nor a productive response.