Impatience Is a Virtue: A Life Where the Buck Stops

Shortly after he was named president of Purdue University, Mitch Daniels was asked by the journalist Jonathan Alter if it bothered him that he could have been President of the United States instead. It bothered those who thought then and still do today that Indiana's chief executive should have been America's. Daniels, though, was off to the next chapter in one of America's most remarkable lives.

From the White House to the C-suite at Eli Lilly and Company to Indiana's Governor's Office to the presidency of Purdue, Daniels has brought transformative change to America's public, private and non-profit sectors. In Impatience Is a Virtue, he shares how. Along the way, Daniels reflects on an incredible American story, how the Harley-Davidson riding grandson of a Syrian immigrant became one of the nation's most admired leaders. It is also a vivid first-hand account of the last half-century of the nation, from the Reagan Revolution to 9/11, to the political upheavals of the 2010s, to the COVID pandemic to the fight for free expression and thought across our college campuses.

Impatience Is a Virtue is the story of Daniels' many lives, told with humility and humor. For the first time, he shares the lessons that led to success in every part of the American economy. At a moment when citizens' faith in institutions declines and cynicism about their leaders grows, Mitch Daniels' example matters more than ever.

Author: Mitch Daniels
Publisher: Lyons Press
Published: 09/15/2026
Pages: 600
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.15lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.30w x 1.80d
ISBN: 9781493096121

About the Author
Mitch Daniels is an accomplished American academic leader, businessman, author, and former politician. He served as Indiana's 49th governor from 2005 to 2013 and later as president of Purdue University from January 2013 to December 2022.

Daniels launched his career in politics as an assistant to Senator Richard Lugar, later becoming his chief of staff in the U.S. Senate from 1977 to 1982. He then went on to serve as the executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (1983-1984) when Lugar was chairman. In 1985, he worked as a top assistant to President Ronald Reagan. Daniels returned to Indiana to head the Hudson Institute, considered the nation's original think tank. His career in the private sector took him to Eli Lilly and Company, where he held senior positions, including president of North American Pharmaceutical Operations (1993-1997) and senior VP of corporate strategy and policy (1997-2001).

In January 2001, President George W. Bush appointed Daniels as the director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, a position he held until June 2003.

After leaving the Bush administration, Daniels ran for governor in one of the most imaginative and entertaining campaigns of modern times. Though he was widely urged to run for President in 2012, Daniels ultimately chose not to enter the race. After his terms as governor ended in January 2013, the trustees of Purdue University named him the school's next president.