A Message to Garcia is a widely distributed essay written by Elbert Hubbard in 1899. Hubbard was inspired by a daring escapade performed by an American soldier, 1st Lt. Andrew S. Rowan, just prior to the Spanish-American War. According to Hubbard, Rowan carried a message from President William McKinley to "Gen. Calixto García, a leader of the Cuban insurgents somewhere in the mountain fastness of Cuba-no one knew where." Hubbard compared Rowan's heroic effort to "the imbecility of the average man-the inability or unwillingness to concentrate on a thing and do it."

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