#232 Alexander the Great

What I learned from reading Alexander the Great: The Brief Life and Towering Exploits of History's Greatest Conqueror--As Told By His Original Biographers by Arrian, Plutarch, and Quintus Curtius Rufus.  ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com ---- [1:28] Heroes: From Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to Churchill and de Gaulleby Paul Johnson (Founders #226) [2:16] Each was brave, highly intelligent, almost horrifically self-assured, whose ambitions knew no bounds. [2:46] He was a man of formidable achievements. He was highly creative. He woke up early. His diet was spare. He was skilled with the sword and the spear and an expert at all forms of arms drills. He dressed to be seen. [3:50] He had supernatural self confidence and persistence. There is no substitute for will. [4:26] Churchill by Paul Johnson (Founders #225) [5:50] Addiontal research: Dan Carlin's Hardcore History Addenum Glimpses of Olympias [6:03] The Macedonians were a rugged people. [7:23] Think about this— At 19 years old you think it is your place in history to take revenge on something that happened 150 years previous. That is unapologetically extreme. [9:42] There’s a rule they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School. It is: If anything is worth doing, it’s worth doing to excess.” —Edwin Land [12:11] Alexander had excessive tolerance of fatigue [13:14] Combine an excessive tolerance of fatigue with an intolerance of slowness. [14:06]  Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy by Isadore Sharp (Founders #184) "Excellence is the capacity to take pain." [14:17] All the things you want in life are on the other side of difficulty and discomfort. [17:12] The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey (Founders #175) [21:59] He considered that the task of training and educating his son was too important to be true and trusted to the ordinary run of teachers. [22:14] Knowledge Project: Inside the Mind of A Famous Investor | Marc And