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Character and Greatness of Winston Churchill: Hero in a Time of Crisis
Winston Churchill was one of the most extraordinary leaders of the twentieth century. What enabled him to stand so steadfastly when all those around him seemed to turn back in fear? What enabled him to inspire whole nations to endure the unendurable and to achieve the unachievable when all those around him had already surrendered all hope? The Character and Greatness of Winston Churchill is a remarkable study of Churchill's leadership skill and answers these questions and more. The result is an account that is no less inspiring today than it was three-quarters of a century ago when the great man's shadow fell large across the world stage. According to Henry Kissinger, "Our age finds it difficult to come to grips with Churchill. The political leaders with whom we are familiar generally aspire to be superstars rather than heroes. The distinction is crucial. Superstars strive for approbation; heroes walk alone. Superstars crave consensus; heroes define themselves by the ... future they see it as their task to bring about. Superstars seek success as a technique for eliciting support; heroes pursue success as the outgrowth of their inner values." Winston Churchill was a hero.
258 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2004
About the author
Stephen Mansfield
103 books161 followersStephen Mansfield is a New York Times bestselling author and a popular speaker who is becoming one of the nation’s most respected voices on religion and American culture. He is also an activist in a variety of social causes.
Stephen was born in Georgia but grew up largely in Europe due to his father’s career as an officer in the United States Army. After a youth filled with sports, travel, and mischief, he was recruited to play college football but turned down the opportunity when a Christian conversion moved him to attend a leading Christian college.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree in history and philosophy and then moved to Texas where he pastored a church, completed two Master’s degrees, hosted a radio show and began acquiring a reputation as a popular speaker of both depth and humor. He moved to Tennessee in 1991 where he again pastored a church, did relief work among the Kurds in Northern Iraq, served as a political consultant, and completed a doctorate.
It was during this time that he also launched the writing career for which he has become internationally known. His first book on Winston Churchill was a Gold Medallion Award Finalist. He also wrote widely-acclaimed biographies of Booker T. Washington and George Whitefield as well as a number of other books on history and leadership. In 1997, the Governor of Tennessee commissioned Mansfield to write the official history of religion in Tennessee for that state’s bicentennial.
In 2002, Stephen left the pastorate after twenty fruitful years to write and lecture full-time. Not long afterward he wrote The Faith of George W. Bush, which spent many weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and won numerous national awards. The book also became a source for Oliver Stone’s internationally acclaimed film W, which chronicled Bush’s rise to the presidency.
This international bestseller led to a string of influential books over the following eight years. Stephen wrote The Faith of the American Soldier after being embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq. He also wrote about the new Pope in Benedict XVI: His Life and Mission. His book The Faith of Barack Obama was another international bestseller and was often a topic in major media during the presidential campaign of 2008. To answer the crumbling values of portions of corporate America, he wrote The Search for God and Guinness and soon found himself speaking to corporate gatherings around the world.
Stephen continues to write books about faith and culture—recently on topics like Sarah Palin, Oprah Winfrey and America’s generals—but beyond his writing career he has founded The Mansfield Group, a successful consulting and communications firm, as well as Chartwell Literary Group, a firm that creates and manages literary projects. Together with his wife, Beverly, Mansfield has created The Global Leadership Development Fund, a foundation that sponsors leadership training and networking around the world.
In recent years, Stephen’s popularity as a speaker has nearly eclipsed his reputation as a bestselling author. He is often to be found addressing a university gathering, a corporate retreat or a fundraising banquet and stirring his audience with the humor and storytelling that have become his trademark.
Mansfield lives primarily in Nashville, Tennessee, with his beloved wife, Beverly, who is an award-winning songwriter and producer. For more information, log onto MansfieldGroup.com.
Stephen was born in Georgia but grew up largely in Europe due to his father’s career as an officer in the United States Army. After a youth filled with sports, travel, and mischief, he was recruited to play college football but turned down the opportunity when a Christian conversion moved him to attend a leading Christian college.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree in history and philosophy and then moved to Texas where he pastored a church, completed two Master’s degrees, hosted a radio show and began acquiring a reputation as a popular speaker of both depth and humor. He moved to Tennessee in 1991 where he again pastored a church, did relief work among the Kurds in Northern Iraq, served as a political consultant, and completed a doctorate.
It was during this time that he also launched the writing career for which he has become internationally known. His first book on Winston Churchill was a Gold Medallion Award Finalist. He also wrote widely-acclaimed biographies of Booker T. Washington and George Whitefield as well as a number of other books on history and leadership. In 1997, the Governor of Tennessee commissioned Mansfield to write the official history of religion in Tennessee for that state’s bicentennial.
In 2002, Stephen left the pastorate after twenty fruitful years to write and lecture full-time. Not long afterward he wrote The Faith of George W. Bush, which spent many weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and won numerous national awards. The book also became a source for Oliver Stone’s internationally acclaimed film W, which chronicled Bush’s rise to the presidency.
This international bestseller led to a string of influential books over the following eight years. Stephen wrote The Faith of the American Soldier after being embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq. He also wrote about the new Pope in Benedict XVI: His Life and Mission. His book The Faith of Barack Obama was another international bestseller and was often a topic in major media during the presidential campaign of 2008. To answer the crumbling values of portions of corporate America, he wrote The Search for God and Guinness and soon found himself speaking to corporate gatherings around the world.
Stephen continues to write books about faith and culture—recently on topics like Sarah Palin, Oprah Winfrey and America’s generals—but beyond his writing career he has founded The Mansfield Group, a successful consulting and communications firm, as well as Chartwell Literary Group, a firm that creates and manages literary projects. Together with his wife, Beverly, Mansfield has created The Global Leadership Development Fund, a foundation that sponsors leadership training and networking around the world.
In recent years, Stephen’s popularity as a speaker has nearly eclipsed his reputation as a bestselling author. He is often to be found addressing a university gathering, a corporate retreat or a fundraising banquet and stirring his audience with the humor and storytelling that have become his trademark.
Mansfield lives primarily in Nashville, Tennessee, with his beloved wife, Beverly, who is an award-winning songwriter and producer. For more information, log onto MansfieldGroup.com.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 9, 2017
First half is a good potted biography of WC.
Second half is a couple of pages per attribute which becomes a bit repetitive in form.
That said, a good way to process a distilled examination of the character of WC.
Second half is a couple of pages per attribute which becomes a bit repetitive in form.
That said, a good way to process a distilled examination of the character of WC.
January 30, 2023
A good introduction to Churchill’s life. It is far from being an exhaustive biography, but it’s a great way to start understanding this remarkable man and his character.
June 10, 2016
Um dos melhores livros que eu já li na minha vida.
Mudou totalmente meu mindset e ainda muda, porque o tenho como minha "Biblia Sagrada".
O consulto sempre que necessário, mesmo o lendo rotineiramente.
Winston Churchill, sem você não teríamos derrotado os Nazistas e o povo Judeu provavelmente não teria sobrevivido. OBRIGADO!
"Qual o sentido de viver se não for para lutar pelas causas nobres e fazer deste mundo confuso um lugar melhor para se viver depois que partirmos?"
As pessoas que não estão preparadas para fazer coisas impopulares e desafiar o clamor dos - "cidadãos de bens, "paladinos da moralidade, da Justiça e dos bons costumes" - não são adequadas para se tornarem Juízes e decidirem com Justiça.
"Você quer subir na vida?, pergunta o Herói. Tem que trabalhar enquanto os outros se divertem. Você quer ser conhecido por sua coragem? Arrisque a Vida. Quer ser moral ou fisicamente forte? Resista às tentações. Tudo isso é pagamento adiantado; finanças em potencial. Observe o outro lado da figura; as coisas ruins são pagas a posteriori!"
E aqui eu sigo, sempre em busca de uma nova aventura sob este imenso céu azul.
Mudou totalmente meu mindset e ainda muda, porque o tenho como minha "Biblia Sagrada".
O consulto sempre que necessário, mesmo o lendo rotineiramente.
Winston Churchill, sem você não teríamos derrotado os Nazistas e o povo Judeu provavelmente não teria sobrevivido. OBRIGADO!
"Qual o sentido de viver se não for para lutar pelas causas nobres e fazer deste mundo confuso um lugar melhor para se viver depois que partirmos?"
As pessoas que não estão preparadas para fazer coisas impopulares e desafiar o clamor dos - "cidadãos de bens, "paladinos da moralidade, da Justiça e dos bons costumes" - não são adequadas para se tornarem Juízes e decidirem com Justiça.
"Você quer subir na vida?, pergunta o Herói. Tem que trabalhar enquanto os outros se divertem. Você quer ser conhecido por sua coragem? Arrisque a Vida. Quer ser moral ou fisicamente forte? Resista às tentações. Tudo isso é pagamento adiantado; finanças em potencial. Observe o outro lado da figura; as coisas ruins são pagas a posteriori!"
E aqui eu sigo, sempre em busca de uma nova aventura sob este imenso céu azul.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews