4 ms·
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who started his new autobiography, My Life, with a reference to the book: When I was a young man just out of law school and
by dimitar 17y ago
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who started his new autobiography, My Life, with a reference to the book:
When I was a young man just out of law school and eager to get on with my life, on a whim I briefly put aside my reading preference for fiction and history and bought one of those how-to books: How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life, by Alan Lakein. The book’s main point was the necessity of listing short-, medium-, and long-term life goals, then categorizing them in order of their importance, with the A group being the most important, the B group next, and the C the last, then listing under each goal specific activities designed to achieve them. I still have that paperback book, now almost thirty years old. And I’m sure I have that old list somewhere buried in my papers, though I can’t find it. However, I do remember the A list. I wanted to be a good man, have a good marriage and children, have good friends, make a successful political life, and write a great book.
- jdminhbg 17y agoOne out of five for your bigtime life goals isn't bad.
- jfoutz 17y agoi know you're a troll... but which one? 1. still married in spite of everything, I'm pretty sure that puts him in the good 50% of all marriages. 2. kids seem fine. (i don't remember bill's kids on robot chicken) 3. friends. no idea. i bet he's fun at parties. 4. pretty sure u.s. president is the best possible politically. 5. nyt bestseller. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/books/bestseller/0923besthardnonfiction.html?_r=1 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/books/bestseller/0923besth... I understand you don't like the guy, but wtf?
- chrischen 17y agoMaybe he was just trying to make a quip.
- tokenadult 17y agostill married in spite of everything, I'm pretty sure that puts him in the good 50% of all marriages. Statistical quibble: MORE than 50 percent of marriages stay together and never end in divorce. http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/d/divorce.htm http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/d/divorce.htm http://www.divorcereform.org/rates.html http://www.divorcereform.org/rates.html http://www.divorcereform.org/nyt05.html http://www.divorcereform.org/nyt05.html But, yes, your specific point is correct that former President Clinton is still married to the only wife he has ever had.
- theycallmemorty 17y agoJust because you've stayed married that doesn't mean you have a good marriage.
- mynameishere 17y agoI wanted to be a good man He's a rapist and a murderer. Deal with it. have a good marriage and children Hillary stayed with him for her own political reasons. No shit. have good friends No clue, but if he's like most successful men, his friends are in it for the money. make a successful political life Yep. and write a great book Well, he didn't use a ghostwriter, so that's something. But most of the non-starfucker reviews were mediocre. So, "great" if not "okay", is probably out.
- dimitar 17y agohis own assessment: Whether I’m a good man is, of course, for God to judge. I know that I am not as good as my strongest supporters believe or as I hope to become, nor as bad as my harshest critics assert. I have been graced beyond measure by my family life with Hillary and Chelsea. Like all families’ lives, ours is not perfect, but it has been wonderful. Its flaws, as all the world knows, are mostly mine, and its continuing promise is grounded in their love. No person I know ever had more or better friends. Indeed, a strong case can be made that I rose to the presidency on the shoulders of my personal friends, the now legendary FOBs.
- aaronblohowiak 17y agoThis humbly reverent stance is a deeply Christian sentiment. Within the Christian modality, it is recognizing the basic flaw of the individual as an unworthy and sinful creature only blessed by the grace of God. Here, Mr. President is eschewing Pride for an admission of fallibility and attributing his success to an external locus of control. This sentiment is what made him so very appealing to a wide selection of voters. Contrast it with the tone of Gore's self-talk, which was overshadowed by a shame of his fortunate upbringing -- he was disproportionately self-concious of having lucky pedigree that it backfired, further alienating him from the common voter and making him seem "elitist." As further evidence, post-election Gore further embraced populist iconography by growing a beard and focusing exclusively on common concerns.
- theycallmemorty 17y agoHis book was a new york times best-seller. Does that necessarily imply that it is a good book? Also, are we sure it wasn't ghost written?
- runjake 17y agoI like Clinton, but let me play devil's advocate & defend jdminhbg's answer anyway: "Good man" -> adulterer & impeached POTUS "Good marriage & children" -> adulterer, but we have no real idea of the health of his marriage. It could be healed, or it could be a facade to preserve political and professional careers. "Good friends" -> Can't argue here, except maybe for the dead or imprisoned ones (Whitewater) "Successful political life" -> Impeached POTUS "Write a great book" -> Being on the NYT BS list doesn't qualify it as a "great book" to me. When I hear great, I think Hemingway and such, books that people will care to read decades from now. It's all a matter of perceptions and viewpoints.