#773: Andrew Roberts on The Habits of Churchill, Lessons from Napoleon, and The Holy Fire Inside Great Leaders

Andrew Roberts has written twenty books, which have been translated into twenty-eight languages and have won thirteen literary prizes. These include Napoleon: A Life, Churchill: Walking with Destiny, and most recently, Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Gaza, which he co-authored with General David Petraeus. Sponsors: Our Place's Titanium Always Pan® Pro using nonstick technology that’s coating-free and made without PFAS, otherwise known as “Forever Chemicals”: https://fromourplace.com/tim (10% off all products from Our Place using code TIM) Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: https://shopify.com/tim (one-dollar-per-month trial period) LinkedIn Jobs recruitment platform with 1B+ users: https://linkedin.com/tim (post your job for free) Timestamps: [00:00:00] Start [00:06:14] Expelled from Cranleigh school. [00:07:14] Why MI6 considered Andrew for recruitment. [00:09:56] The teacher who made history exciting to 10-year-old Andrew. [00:13:05] Words Andrew avoids when writing about history. [00:14:20] Are steady-nerved leaders naturally born or nurtured? [00:16:05] The thinkers who influenced Winston Churchill and his sense of noblesse oblige. [00:18:26] What made Napoleon Bonaparte the prime exemplar of war leadership? [00:24:37] Lessons from Winston Churchill's autobiography, My Early Life. [00:26:22] Napoleon's relationship with risk. [00:29:26] Andrew's signed letter from Aldous Huxley. [00:30:49] When historical figures carry a sense of personal destiny. [00:33:07] The meeting Andrew wishes he could've witnessed as a fly on the wall. [00:34:30] When historical villains carry a sense of personal destiny. [00:37:14] What Churchill and Napoleon learned from their mistakes. [00:39:38] "Dear Diary..." [00:44:00] Maintaining creative flow during the writing process. [00:47:18] On working with brilliant publisher Stuart Proffitt (aka Professor Perfect). [00:52:53] Why