When A Man Comes To Himself

by Woodrow Wilson

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Genres: Nonfiction, American

48 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2003

About the author

Thomas Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. A devout Presbyterian and leading intellectual of the Progressive Era, he served as President of Princeton University and then became the Governor of New Jersey in 1910. With Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft dividing the Republican Party vote, Wilson was elected President as a Democrat in 1912. He proved highly successful in leading a Democratic Congress to pass major legislation that included the Federal Trade Commission, the Clayton Antitrust Act, the Underwood Tariff, the Federal Farm Loan Act and most notably the Federal Reserve System. Wilson was a proponent of segregation during his presidency.

Narrowly re-elected in 1916, his second term centered on World War I. He tried to maintain U.S. neutrality, but when the German Empire began unrestricted submarine warfare he wrote several admonishing notes to Germany, and eventually asked Congress to declare war on the Central Powers. He focused on diplomacy and financial considerations, leaving the waging of the war primarily in the hands of the military establishment. On the home front he began the first effective draft in 1917, raised billions through Liberty loans, imposed an income tax, set up the War Industries Board, promoted labor union growth, supervised agriculture and food production through the Lever Act, took over control of the railroads, and suppressed anti-war movements. He paid surprisingly little attention to military affairs, but provided the funding and food supplies that helped the Americans in the war and hastened Allied victory in 1918.

In the late stages of the war he took personal control of negotiations with Germany, especially with the Fourteen Points and the armistice. He went to Paris in 1919 to create the League of Nations and shape the Treaty of Versailles, with special attention on creating new nations out of defunct empires. Largely for his efforts to form the League, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1919. Wilson collapsed with a debilitating stroke in 1919, as the home front saw massive strikes and race riots, and wartime prosperity turn into postwar depression. He refused to compromise with the Republicans who controlled Congress after 1918, effectively destroying any chance for ratification of the Versailles Treaty. The League of Nations was established anyway, but the U.S. never joined. Wilson's idealistic internationalism, calling for the U.S. to enter the world arena to fight for democracy, progressiveness, and liberalism, has been a highly controversial position in American foreign policy, serving as a model for "idealists" to emulate or "realists" to reject for the following century.

Reviews

[Sam Newton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up on a whim after finding a first edition book for $6 at a used bookstore. I was enticed by it being over a century old, but found its content to be relevant today. But boy I did not expect this to open a new deep-dive for me. And thus, a fixation on Woodrow Wilson was born. I've since been plunging into his biographies, his philosophies, his writings, his legacy, growing evermore fascinated by his profound life and complex character. Seriously, if you aren't familiar with the life of President Wilson, check it out.

But onto the book. It's a quick, short read. Eloquent yet sometimes repetitive in messaging.
Wilson opens by suggesting that every man at some point in his life will "come to himself," that is, achieve moment of self-realization or awakening. He conveys the idea that there is a point in an individual's life when a man truly understands and embraces his own identity, values, and purpose. It's a metaphorical expression: a person finding his true self or achieving a deeper understanding of who exactly he is.

This short collection of observations explores the themes of personal development, self-discovery and the various aspects of life, character, and the individual's journey which amount to this moment of awakened individualism. It's interesting as a whole, particularly when you feel you are entering the mind of President Wilson (a man whose speeches I've read always invoke his passion for the common man's self worth). I wouldn't call it entirely memorable or thought-provoking, but I would recommend it for any curious reader with an hour to kill.

[Rizky Pongdatu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woodrow Wilson, salah seorang presiden terkenal di Amerika Serikat. Dia adalah presiden yang bertanggung jawab terhadap netralitas AS pada perang dunia pertama. Dia memiliki visi internasionalisme yang cukup unik dibanding presiden - presiden AS lainnya. Tahun 1919, setelah World War I, Woodrow Wilson menginisiasi untuk mendirikan League of Nations, organisasi antar bangsa-bangsa, embrio awal berdirinya PBB.

Buku ini, salah satu dari banyak buku yang dia tulis, penuh dengan kebijaksanaan. Buku ini mengajarkan konsep kepemimpinan paling dasar yaitu memimpin diri sendiri. Tanpa bisa memimpin diri sendiri, mustahil bisa memimpin orang lain, bahkan memimpin komunitas dan bangsa. Wilson mengajak para pembacanya untuk selalu mencintai diri sendiri, keluarga, Tuhan, bahkan juga mencintai musuh, kekalahan, kegagalan dan mencintai nasib buruk.

Dengan mencintai semua aspek kehidupan, seorang manusia dapat memahami dirinya sendiri dan dapat mengeluarkan semua yang terbaik dalam dirinya, sehingga mampu memberikan hasil maksimal dalam setiap karya dan pekerjaannya

#kikipongbookreview

[Gurpreet Dhariwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfectly penned down with significant truth of life!!

[Bongani Mashisane]

A good book I would recommend every man to read it.

[Amitbhanu Pandey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read. Words of wisdom and experience.. philosophy of life .. a quick read

[Bruce Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short read, written over one hundred years ago. May have some relevance in today's world, but those that need to read it wouldn't. Even if they did, they would ignore it.