This is great, John! Love the topic and the personal connection -- all really well rendered.
Now do the Great Man's siblings: Self-made and boot-strapped. No one is self-made. (See Warren Buffett quote about his potential if born in Madagascar.) And "pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps," was a joke. It is actually impossible: bootstraps were inside of boots for pulling them on. Imagine trying to pull yourself up by pulling on the tops of your boots. You would go nowhere!
Did you read Chuck Collins's book, Born on Third Base? (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30006175-born-on-third-base) Its fourth chapter tackles all this really well. It's titled, I Didn't Do It Alone, and calls bullshit on what Chuck calls the Great Man Theory of Wealth Creation. Highly recommend! Whole book -- actually all his books are great!
Loved this story about your grandfather .
Thank you, my friend. He was a character for sure. And my grandmother would be a fire breathing radical if she were alive today!
This is great, John! Love the topic and the personal connection -- all really well rendered.
Now do the Great Man's siblings: Self-made and boot-strapped. No one is self-made. (See Warren Buffett quote about his potential if born in Madagascar.) And "pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps," was a joke. It is actually impossible: bootstraps were inside of boots for pulling them on. Imagine trying to pull yourself up by pulling on the tops of your boots. You would go nowhere!
Thanks Bob! Oddly, Horatio Alger stories are also full of generous benefactors...and plenty of good luck. Oh well.
Exactly! They were bullshit!
Did you read Chuck Collins's book, Born on Third Base? (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30006175-born-on-third-base) Its fourth chapter tackles all this really well. It's titled, I Didn't Do It Alone, and calls bullshit on what Chuck calls the Great Man Theory of Wealth Creation. Highly recommend! Whole book -- actually all his books are great!
Onward in solidarity!