Forbes Magazine ran an excellent article this month by author and biographer Paul Johnson about the lessons learned from the lives of a handful of great men, and by great they mean well-known. Some of them made drastic mistakes that we can learn from. Others lived lives of nobility that we would do well to follow. I was a bit disappointed that they didn’t include any women in the article; I’ll draft that one shortly.
I highly encourage you to read Johnson’s full article – it’s articulate and very well-organized, exactly what a biography should be. In the mean time, here’s the condensed version listing the great men he includes in the article and the lesson we should take from each of their lives:
Napoleon: “The important thing about success is knowing when to stop.”
Washington: “A successful general should not seek political power; he should wait to be called by the unanimous voice of the people.” [Johnson adds here that business people who seek political power would be wise to follow Washington’s example. Donald Trump, I think he’s talking to you.]
Churchill: “Never give up.”
Jesus: “People are infinitely more important than things.”
Socrates: “Never think you know all the answers. Wisdom lies not in possessing knowledge – which quickly becomes outdated – but in perpetually seeking it.”
Darwin: “Nothing is so small as to be insignificant. Success in business is getting countless small things right. The big things then naturally follow.” [This is my favorite part of the article!]
Mozart: “Start early.”
We have much to learn from the lives of others. Noted.
Christa Avampato 