The True American Hero Heroism requires self-sacrifice, self-discipline, self-confidence, and self-respect. Ulysses S. Grant possessed these qualities in their fullest form. He started from humble beginnings and failed. At the age of 38 he was a conspicuous failure. Then, like few of us, he succeeded beyond all imagination. If he didn't have tremendous greatness within him, he never could have accomplished what he did. How did such a simple, honest and humble man rise in the eyes of his people and the world to the highest position a man or woman can achieve: that of a national hero? Grant remained in the heart of a child his entire life, and it seems he never realized he was one. His faith in the goodness of humanity was limitless and he took advantage of it. His simplicity of nature was remarkable, yet this simplicity was the mainspring of his success; it was certainly his general's first advantage. While McClellan could see nothing beyond his own operations and Halleck nothing beyond his textbooks, Grant saw things as they were, untainted by his or anyone else's ideas. He saw that the whole problem of winning the Civil War was nothing more than an equation between pressure and resistance. The side that pushed hardest along the lines of least resistance would win. His simplicity was the foundation of his modesty and honesty. He could not tolerate pretenses, pretenses and deceptions. He despised the after-dinner speeches and those orations because they seemed nonsense to him; he simply couldn't deliver them. His orders were always clear, because they were always simple, honest and modest. He couldn't understand why a man should be dishonest, because to him honesty had always been the best policy. His modesty taught him self-control, and his sense of duty was surpassed only by his duty to his country. Self-control leads to self-respect, dignity without arrogance, pride without vulgarity, ambition without selfishness, and Grant possessed all these numerous virtues to the highest degree. He was not "dignified" in the way that General Lee was, although rough and ready, he was always a gentleman, in the best sense of the word. He was proud of his soldiers and his work, and ambitious to do his best for his country. He had such great faith in the Union cause that he never for a moment lost hope that it would ultimately succeed.