#294 Napoleon

#294拿破仑

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2023-03-14

43 分钟
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What I learned from reading Napoleon: A Concise Biography by David Bell.

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  • It surprised none who knew him well that in old age, Rockefeller compared himself to Napoleon.

  • The revelation came while vacationing in France, not far from a spot where the general had won a great victory.

  • A casual remark from a companion led to an extraordinary soliloquy.

  • Rockefeller's longest on record.

  • This is what he said.

  • It is hard to imagine Napoleon as a businessman, but I have thought that if he had applied himself to commerce, he would have been the greatest businessman the world has ever known.

  • My, what a genius for organization.

  • He also had what I've always regarded as the prime necessity for large success in any enterprise.

  • That is, a thorough understanding of men and ability to inspire in them confidence in him and confidence in themselves.

  • See the men he picked as marshals and the heights to which they rose under his inspiration and leadership.

  • It is by such traits as these that men get the work of the world done.

  • It is all a battlefield.

  • Napoleon, without the able marshals he had about him, would not have been the master of his age.

  • He went into a battle with the knowledge that his marshals could be depended on, that in a given situation they could be relied upon to do the necessary things.

  • Their devotion to him coupled with their enthusiasm, that's another great attribute.

  • And the qualities with which his influence upon them brought out won the fight.

  • Another thing about Napoleon was his humanity.

  • I mean, humanity in the broad sense, of course.

  • He came direct from the ranks of the people.

  • There was none of that stagnant blood of nobility or royalty in his veins.