"This is an account of my life, not a blueprint for yours."

L.S. Shoen

Leonard Samuel Shoen is the plainspoken authority in this account of a life that spanned the twentieth century, shaped by hardship, conviction, and relentless work. Formed in a family general store and tested during the Great Depression, he came to regard both economic devastation and wealth as imposters.

Built from nothing into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise, he pioneered the one-way rental industry behind the iconic U-Haul trailer. He studied business, accounting, marketing, and law to build it, while a lifelong engagement with religion, literature, and human behavior shaped the way he lived and led. Crisscrossing the United States and Canada for

decades with a briefcase and a flight plan, he pursued the work with resolve, building it through the contributions of many others. 

A father of twelve who faced trials far beyond the ordinary, including a bitter struggle that fractured both family and company, he held himself accountable to his principles, his family, and to God.

Assembled from his archive of personal papers, autobiographical drafts, and fifty-seven years of daily diaries begun in 1942, this biography is a portrait of ambition and discipline, where failure is met, hope persists, and success is earned.

Leonard Samuel Shoen is the plainspoken authority in this account of a life that spanned the twentieth century, shaped by hardship, conviction, and relentless work. Formed in a family general store and tested during the Great Depression, he came to regard both economic devastation and wealth as imposters.

He built a company from nothing into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise, pioneering the one-way rental industry behind the iconic U-Haul trailer. He studied business, accounting, marketing, and law to build it, while a lifelong engagement with religion, literature, and human behavior shaped the way he lived and led. Crisscrossing the United States and Canada for decades with a briefcase and a flight plan, he pursued the work with resolve, building it through the efforts of many others. 

A father of twelve who faced trials far beyond the ordinary, including a bitter struggle that fractured both family and company, he held himself accountable to his principles, his family, and to God. Built from his archive of personal papers, autobiographical drafts, and fifty-seven years of daily diaries begun in 1942, this biography reveals a portrait of ambition and discipline, where failure is endured, hope persists, and success is earned.