Publisher's Synopsis
This list of great self-made men is not all-inclusive; both the past and the present are studded with far too many remarkable strivers to possibly cover them all. But here we highlight some of the most extraordinary of these stories. While some of these varied men were far more virtuous than others, none were saints. All had flaws and made mistakes. Some were ruthless in their pursuit of success. Any time a man's life is held up for an example, it is incumbent upon the reader to glean the valuable lessons to be learned from that life, while discarding those things which he finds distasteful.
This is a list of men who have succeeded in the world starting from humble beginnings to become successful in different fields such as business, science, the arts and sport. The concept of a self-made man is generally associated with those who overcome obstacles of poverty, lack of education and lack of social connections to become successful through their own hard work, initiative, intelligence and good luck. It became popularised in America in the Nineteenth Century, when many people became successful, despite starting from humble roots. The concept is linked to the idea of the "American Dream."
