Month: January 2018

The title says it all really. Basic argument is that perseverance (i.e.  “grit”) is  the most  important factor in “success”. I would debate that her measurement of  success is too conventional.  Based on my personal experience and child-raising experience, I think her idea is valid.
Duckworth is  a  social scientist. Her thoughts are backed-up to a degree by science.

William Taft was born in Cincinnati, to a upper-middle class family (his father was Attorney General under Ulysses Grant), attended Yale(finishing second in his class),  then the Cincinnati Law School.
He was appointed to the Superior Court of Cincinnati, and subsequently was reelected five times to that  position. Later appointed the US Solicitor General. Next became a federal judge.
He became the governor of the Philippines, then Secretary  of War under Roosevelt. In 1908 he was elected President, benefiting greatly from the endorsement of Roosevelt, whose progressive policies were popular with the public.
Taft’s presidency was a mixed-bag. On the one hand, he was a man a great integrity. He tried to do what was he believed was right, often in disregard of the political consequences. To a large degree, that was also his downfall.
Taft had some successes, among them the revision of tariffs, shoring up the legal status of Roosevelt’s conservation initiatives, new railroad regulations, postal banks, parcel posts, two new states, two new amendments, establishment of the  Department of  Labor, and six new Supreme Court justices who served well.
On the other hand, Taft was not politically adroit. He managed to antagonize both the  progressives and the conservatives at various times, and ended up losing the 1912 election by a very large margin.
Roosevelt also played a large role in his problems. First, Roosevelt helped  him get elected by vigorously claiming  that he would  champion Roosevelt’s progressive policies. However, deep-down Taft was a conservative. He simply did not always agree with Roosevelt, and as a man of integrity instead of expediency, he often took actions that infuriated the progressives. Roosevelt ended-up running against Taft in 1912 for the Republican nomination, and although he lost, he  managed to make the  general election for Taft nigh-on impossible.
Taft was appointed to the Supreme Court  later in life, the job he  always wanted.
I’m not a big fan of this book. It’s part of the Presidential Series, but unlike most of the others, is not written for a reader looking for just a  quick summary.  This book goes into much greater detail than I  was looking  for and contains little biographical information.
Fun facts… The  cherry trees on the Mall were planted during Taft’s time. Taft loved to play golf. Didn’t read. Liked to dance. Was very fat. Got stuck in the White  House bathtub.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Same basic story, perhaps a  bit  more  readable than the  others.

While Dale Carnegie’s most famous and enduring book is How to Win Friends and Influence People ( check out this excellent summary) this somewhat overlooked gem is one of his most important works.
Life inevitably brings with it problems and stress. When this book was written,Carnegie’s generation had been through the Great Depression, World War II, and the post-war boom. Nowadays in these advanced times people still go through, much like before, times of business setbacks, illness, family troubles, and many other hardships.
This book’s ultimate message is that the worry and anxiety created by all of life’s challenges can be controlled. Not only that, worry is optional. If we wish to live with happiness, and peace of mind, we must first deal with worry before we tackle our problems.