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Alexander the Great

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15
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2022-02-16
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2022-02-16
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  1. “The entire world. So he says, as far as I can see, true men need no reward for their labors aside from those labors themselves. As long as they have noble consequences. Nevertheless, if any of you should wish to know what limit is set for our campaign, then let me tell you that it is only the whole of the earth. The boundaries of this empire will be those that God has laid for the entire world. And then he ends by summarizing himself. So stand firm, for it is toil and danger that lead to glorious achievements in a life of courage and in a death that brings undying fame.”

    2022-02-16 · Founders · #232 Alexander the Great · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  2. “There is some cause for reproach regarding the hardship that you have endured up to now or regarding my leadership, staking the opposite path that Darius had earlier. Regarding my leadership, it is pointless for me to continue addressing you but the result of the hardship that you have endured you now occupy, and then he's listing all these places that they conquered. So it's like if you were in, let's say, because I don't know the names of these things, I'm just going to give you an example of how long this goes on. So imagine that somebody came and you started conquering individual states in America. It's like as a result of the hardship you have endured, you now occupy Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Oklahoma, North Dakota, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming. It just goes on and on. Why then do you shrink from adding Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Florida? It goes on and on, and the people behind like Canada and Mexico, to your Macedonian Empire. And then he makes the point. He's like, I don't have any of these limits. My limit is...”

    2022-02-16 · Founders · #232 Alexander the Great · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  3. “I said that supporting cast of this book is hardship, right? It's difficulty, he's embracing it within, this is why I think it's fantastic because he really synthesizes his worldview and the fact that everything that you want is on the other side of discomfort and danger and uncertainty and terror. Macedonia resolve was flagging as the men watched their king pursue over relentless campaign that was fraught with hardship and danger. Within the camp, meetings were taking place where the more moderate among them complained about their predicament, while others utterly refused to follow any further, even though Alexander was leading them. As soon as Alexander heard what was going on and before the disorder and despondency among the soldiers could get any worse, he called a meeting and gave the following speech. Now that I see that you, my Macedonians and allies, no longer have the spirit to follow me into dangers, I have called you together so that I might either persuade you and forge ahead, or let myself be persuaded to turn back. If indeed there is a”

    2022-02-16 · Founders · #232 Alexander the Great · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  4. “And then now we got to the part where he's facing declining morale, and he gives, in my opinion, just a remarkable speech. So it says Macedonian resolve was flagging as the men watched their king pursuing a relentless campaign that was fraught with hardship and danger.”

    2022-02-16 · Founders · #232 Alexander the Great · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  5. “comments about other people winning. There was no trait of Alexander's more firmly held or enduring than his admiration for genuine excellence and brilliant achievement when a mediocre person is faced with genuine excellence they retort. They become negative because they see in themselves everything that they are not. The greatest founders, investors ever. They do not denigrate the past, they build on it. They go out and seek these people. Let's read that one more time. There was no trade of Alexander's more firmly held or enduring than his admiration for genuine excellence and brilliant achievements.”

    2022-02-16 · Founders · #232 Alexander the Great · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  6. “And we've seen that Alexander wouldn't cow or break an adversity. And Alexander felt obliged to treat him not only with mercy but with respect. He tended to his wounds just as if Porus had fought on his side, and when they recovered, contrary to everyone's expectations, they thought he was going to die, Alexander made him one of his friends. And shortly afterward bestowed on him an empire larger than Porus had formerly held. That's insane. In fact, no trait of Alexander's was more firmly held or enduring than his admiration for genuine excellence and brilliant achievement. And so that is what separates. We talk a lot about the naysayers, the negative people. We went over that with Dunkin' Donuts guy last week. He talked about just a part of human nature. You got to ignore these people, the 10% of people that overachieve have positive mental attitudes. That right there separates the losers from the winners. Winners don't go around leaving negative”

    2022-02-16 · Founders · #232 Alexander the Great · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  7. “I had not yet tested yours, and now the outcome of the war has shown you to be the stronger. Alexander questioned him further, asking his opinion on what his victor should do with him. What this day tells you to do, said Porus, the day on which you have discovered how transitory good fortune is Porus' advice did him more good than please would have done. His greatness of spirit, meaning Porus's, was not cowed or broken even in adversity, so Alexander's are like, this is another me. And when two people realize, okay, this is another me, I always use the example I've gone back and like, you know, I was obsessed with Michael Jordan when I was a kid, and I've read a lot about Kobe Ryan, listened to him speak because of his mindset, right? I wasn't even a Lakers fan, but I really enjoyed his mindset and he realized that too because there's a ton of examples when Jordan becomes an older brother to Kobe.”

    2022-02-16 · Founders · #232 Alexander the Great · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  8. “Alexander's talking to him. He's like, why didn't you give up? Essentially, what he's saying, he's like, You know who I am, you've heard my, now he's a decade into his conquest. Like, why would you even attempt to fight me and then die for this? And so let's pick up this conversation, which is just remarkable. What folly forced you know as you did the fame of my achievements to try the fortunes of war? Since you ask, replied Porus, I shall answer you with the frankness your inquiry has granted me. And again, there's always another you. You know, you're not the only, I love to Tim Urban, one of my favorite ideas I learned from him is like he's like, when I'm writing a post, I just envision 100,000 other TIMs. He's like, there's people out here. We have a similar traits. We're interested in the same things. And so what Alexander realizes, like, this is another me. And so Pora says, I shall answer you with a Franquist your inquiry has granted me. I did not think there was anyone stronger than I. Though I knew my own strength.”

    2022-02-16 · Founders · #232 Alexander the Great · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  9. “To give in to his men and begins his retreat. So that is as far as he gets. That's his Apex shortly after is when he's going to die. There's a line in this book that Jeff Bezos would be extremely proud of. Terrified by the unbelievable boldness of the Macedonians, so bold. I can't tell you how many times he uses that. If you've read Jeff's shareholder letters, it might be his favorite word. So he's having this great war with another almost like the version of Alexander if he was born in India. And it's just remarkable. Look at how Alexander treats and respects genuine excellence even in an enemy. This part was really surprising to me. This guy's a hell of a There's all these kinds of crazy stories in the book, but this guy's fighting the guy that Alexander is about to defeat has like an army of elephant. He shows up to battle with like 85 elephants and like 30,000 troops and all kinds of crazy things. And Alexander's like just defeated him. It looks like the guy's going to die.”

    2022-02-16 · Founders · #232 Alexander the Great · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  10. “So, this is very closely in the book. This is his apex. This is a description of the chapter before I read the chapter. So it says, yet, even though Alexander is advised that these lands are written, he's in India at the point. He's trying to overtake India. Yet even though Alexander is advised that these lands are rich and that the victory should be within his grasp, his men are exhausted, their spirits are broken at last by hardships of the monsoon. Old and respected general, they refuse to continue, having come so close to”

    2022-02-16 · Founders · #232 Alexander the Great · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  11. “another trait for you here it's interesting because my wife asked me this morning she's like what did you learn from Alexander the great the first thing that came out of my mouth was like he had a high tolerance for pain and again that was not I didn't have that prepared just that's what stumbled out immediately this is an example of that for besides all of his other hardships he had recently been wounded below the knee by an arrow which had splintered his shin bone on another occasion he had received such a violent blow on the neck from a stone that his vision became clouded in spite of all this he continued to expose himself unsparingly to danger. He had crossed the river, routed some other tribe, and pursued them for twelve miles even though all the while he was suffering from an attack of”

    2022-02-16 · Founders · #232 Alexander the Great · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  12. “To put their trust in her alone more thirsty for glory than capable of coping with it. Alexander was more thirsty for glory than capable of coping with it. The lesson for us there be careful what you wish for. Humans are terribly, terrible at predicting what they actually want.”

    2022-02-16 · Founders · #232 Alexander the Great · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  13. “And then some of his bait, not some, almost all of his behavior is unapologetically extreme because he believed and like he was a descendant of the God, he believed his fate was to rule the entire world. So this is why he's talked about 2,500 years later, whatever the case is. The scope of his ambition is just, it's limitless. So he's talking to the priest. He says, the oldest of the priests, Alexander proceeded to ask whether he was fated to rule over the entire world. The priest answered that he was going to rule over all of the earth and that he added, the priest added, that Alexander would remain undefeated until he went to join the gods. And then this is a hell of a line. A hell of a line considering that this was written 2,000 years ago, and it's a description of Alexander, but really of human nature. Fortune generally makes those whom she has compared.”

    2022-02-16 · Founders · #232 Alexander the Great · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  14. “And I'm just going to give you one example the fact that it is difficult makes it more important. That is something Alexander believed. Once he arrived to the city, Alexander gave orders for the siege to be put together, only to be advised by his engineers that the steepness of the hill would make it impossible to take the city by force. Alexander believed that these difficulties actually made the capture of the city even more essential, as such unexpected success would strike terrible fear into his enemies, whereas failure would bring disgrace upon him.”

    2022-02-16 · Founders · #232 Alexander the Great · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  15. “Alexander is said to have been greatly impressed by this answer, and full of admiration for the Hator and independence of mine of a man who could look down on him with such condescension that is a weird response, right? So much so that he remarked to his followers, as they were leaving, because they were laughing at the fact and mocking the philosopher, right? Alexander had a different point of view. He says, you may say what you like, but if I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes. And so one of my favorite books that I've ever read for the podcast, I think it's episode number 35. It's George Luke's biography. I will definitely reread it in the future and make another podcast on it. And what I found really fascinating about that is that there's a collection when they're in the early 30s, right? This is maybe the late 20s. So there's a group that is not yet famous, that will be famous, and they all know each other and hang out. So you got George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Stephen Spielberg.”

    2022-02-16 · Founders · #232 Alexander the Great · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source