Having read the memoir thrice, I've noted he indeed had a never-give-up attitude. When he first ran for a political seat in 1974, he not only lost but also ran up debt. But that didn't dent his passion for politics, for he was elected Arkansas Governor five years later.
As a first-term governor, he did some things that led to his defeat in the next gubernatorial race, a loss he described as a near-death experience, but one that taught him valuable lessons.
Though he was elected governor again and again, he faced other challenges before becoming president. In 1988 for instance, critics lampooned him for giving a pathetic DNC speech, an experience that made him sensitive to the feelings of people who find themselves in embarrassing situations.
Such are the kind of beatings Bill Clinton endured on his way to presidency. And he became a great president given that America prospered in his time. Obviously drawing from his illustrious political career, he advised people:
If you live long enough, you'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you'll be a better person. It's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit.I've come to like that advice, perhaps because of the way I found my mistakes hard to swallow. And it's comforting to realize that even great men like Bill Clinton made mistakes.
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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed this story, you might also enjoy "Keeping Hope Alive".
