S R Nathan is one of Singapore's most distinguished public servants. Born into poverty, he survived family tragedy, destitution and the Japanese occupation. After getting a university diploma as an adult, he worked his way through the civil service ranks to become successively a mediator in trade union disputes, a foreign affairs expert, a manager of a media company, a diplomat and a two-term president of Singapore. He has been an eyewitness to Singapore's history before and after independence, with an insider's view of many key events at home and abroad. It is easy for the younger generations of Singaporeans to assume that the good fortune they now enjoy was easily won. For them, and for anyone interested in Singapore and its history, Mr Nathan has selected 50 episodes from his personal and official life, which offer insights from which the up-and-coming generation will benefit.