I just sent links to my DW so she can order both books. Awesome suggestion.

Originally Posted by Dbat
I heard the same kind of thing when I was a kid (about how one should try to be president, etc.) but had the impression it was due to the cultural influence of "The Little Engine That Could" and the like.

I'd say it's all a part of the American mythos of being able to rise to your level of abilities and effort. Like all such things, it has never been entirely true for all people in all times and places, and it's less true now than any time since the outbreak of WWII. Still, there has always been enough desire to believe, and there have always been enough contemporary stories about the unique intersection of ability and effort with opportunity, that the myth has persisted.