Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...and Maybe the World

Does McRaven’s advice map easily onto the life of a civilian? Why or why not? What rhetorical techniques does he use to connect his very nonstandard life experience to that of the average reader?

McRaven is a strong proponent of individual responsibility. Is his conviction that no one should ever feel like a victim, and should instead take control of one’s circumstances universally applicable? Why or why not?

How does McRaven suggest we interact with other people? What kinds of emotional bonds does he endorse? Which does he reject or avoid?

Consider the role former dictator Saddam Hussein plays in this book. Why does McRaven return to this figure several times?

Explore McRaven’s position on quitting. Why does he so strongly urge readers not to quit? Are there limitations in this blanket argument?

Compare this book to its first incarnation as a commencement address. What did McRaven add to bring the speech to book length? How did these additions change the tenor of his ideas?

Do McRaven’s positions on quitting and his emphasis on taking personal responsibility conflict with his advice for facing obstacles completely outside one’s control? Why or why not?

What differences does McRaven see between external and internal obstacles? What approaches does he suggest for facing each?