Book Review: History of the Peloponnesian War

I've recently finished reading Thucydides' classic History of the Peloponnesian War. It was not an easy read, and I would not recommend it to the layperson. There are other, easier texts to read when starting out in the history genre and military history genre specifically. Thucydides' style can be difficult to follow. In his criticism of his predecessors such as Herodotus, Thucydides sought to embark on a different path for his own History - one that was explicitly factual, free from speculation and poetic license as much as possible. While from the standpoint of veracity this is commendable, Thucydides' strictly factual approach can often be exhausting to the reader. At times, his History reads like a Linear B tablet from Greece's Bronze Age, an exhaustive list of places and things (somewhat like the Catalog of Ships in Book 2 of Homer's Iliad, a poem that Thucydides criticized on historical grounds).

However, despite these exhaustive lists, the heart of Thucydides' History is excellent and well worth reading. His exploration of human behavior in the face of power, man as a political animal, the nature of international relations, war's impact on the civilizations and states that fight them, and the frailty of civilized regimes in general, is timeless. The conflicts between the Athenian Empire and Sparta and its allies, and more importantly, the way people at the time responded to those conflicts, could easily have been transplanted to any other time or place.

One chapter that was particularly compelling to me was when Thucydides described the civil war in Corcyra. Corcyra, it will be noted, was one of the reasons why the Peloponnesian War itself was instigated. Now, civil unrest occurred between the pro-Athenian faction and the pro-Spartan faction in the city. The civil unrest led to poison partisanship and a power vacuum, in which cruelties abounded. Civilization quickly fell away, the restraining mask removed. Unfortunately, the relevant passages are too long to be quoted here, but they can be found in the "Civil War in Corcyra" chapter in Book 3.

Another compelling part of Thucydides' History was his recount of the disastrous Sicilian Expedition, which permanently crippled Athenian power. It is at once a magnificent tale of a city's optimistic celebration of its resources (he is quite detailed about the amount of troops and ships gathered at the harbor of Piraeus as a grand display before the start of the expedition) at the peak of its power, the warnings against overreach and demagoguery in the case of Alcibiades, the struggle of a people against those that would conquer them, and the disastrous results of hubris.

The military exploits themselves ranged from hard to read lists as described above, to vivid details of campaign, maneuver, and battle, as at the Sicilian Expedition. In his description of the Siege of Syracuse, it is quite obvious that Edward Creasy's primary source is Thucydides.

While much of the book was tedious, and some chapters, such as the chapter on Persian intervention after Athens' defeat in Sicily, are too long and stray beyond the main topic discussed, Thucydides' History is an invaluable insight into human nature and political organization, and the foundation of political realism. I would not recommend it to the layperson, but if you have some experience under your belt in this genre, it is definitely well worth your time. The version I read was the Penguin Classics version (affiliate link), which flowed very well, but you can easily find other translations for free on the internet.

The next book to be reviewed is Thomas Sowell's The Vision of the Anointed.

What is True Glory?

You will always find in me the same perseverance in labor, the same firmness of resolution, the same love for my people, the same passion for the prosperity of my state, and the same ardor for true glory.

So said Louis XIV, the most powerful and memorable man of his age.

For a long time now, I have been thinking about what it means to live a good, purposeful life. Those who know me will know that I detest the culture of the modern Western World, calling it degenerate and soulless. Why is it, I keep thinking to myself, that we now have people from first world countries joining ISIS? Albeit this only has happened in very small numbers, why would people from the West, often educated, even conceive of joining such a group?

I pondered this a bit further. The only conclusion that I can draw is it is part of a desperate search, because life in the West has completely lost all meaning. There is no "It" factor - no drive or guiding cause that people are fervently devoted to and will risk everything to bring to fruition. There is no drive to greatness. There is no greater call to labor for something magnificent. There is only a race to be the biggest degenerate attention whore.

The leader of the free world. This is it? Is this what the West is offering?

The West used to have "It." The followers of George Washington at Valley Forge and Morristown who didn't desert had "It." Joan of Arc's soldiers had "It." As a friend of mine rightfully remarked, Martin Luther King and his followers had "It" too. Henry V's speech in the Shakespeare play of the same name personifies "It:"

Having thus elucidated perhaps on a long tangent, I return to Louis XIV. He had "It" as well, as did France throughout his reign. Although he was born lucky, he did not rest on these laurels as did his successor, Louis XV. He had a clear vision of what he wanted France to be, a clear vision of bringing glory to himself and his country, and worked long and hard to fulfill that vision. He was not just attractive as a king, he was attractive as a man. He was willing to embrace hardship to make France and himself great.

Embracing hardship is another key concept that is required to attain True Glory, and it is a key component of why the West is spiritually dead, but more on that in a moment. Seeking True Glory is something akin to spirituality. When doing so it almost feels like you are conversing with your higher self.

For most of the existence of civilization, religion served as a guidepost for people's lives. It gave them direction and focus and it gave them a cause to serve. Religion was the great task for people to devote themselves to accomplishing, a task that went beyond mindless immediate self-gratification. It took effort and sacrifice to serve your god, and saving your soul, in certain traditions, was a lifetime commitment. Other traditions had other commitments, but they all had commitment in common. The tangible rewards might not have been apparent to most people, but they were certain that the otherworldly rewards for their spiritual labors would eventually come.

Joan of Arc's devoted service to France was, in her mind, the same as her pious service to God.

Let's turn back to Louis XIV once again:

Two things were without doubt necessary: very hard work on my part, and a wise choice of persons capable of seconding it.

Louis was a man that would not be satisfied with anything less than sensational, and the only way to achieve something of that nature is precisely through the method he outlined above - very hard work on your part and the right kind of help.

So.......what is True Glory? How, exactly, do we define it?

In my mind, True Glory is the achievement of something spectacular, something that people will remember you by for a long time to come. The story of Achilles is one that exemplifies this. He had two choices: stay in Greece and have a loving family, but be forgotten, or go to Troy and live a short life full of glory, where his feats, and hence his name, would be spoken of from the lips of the countless generations yet to be. Although the Troy movie didn't quite do the story right, I think it more or less got that part down as well as it could:

Which fate would you choose?

Fortunately, in the real world we likely won't have to choose an early death to achieve True Glory.

The ending of this video about Louis XIV also I think gives us a good obituary, and lets us know unmistakably that he had achieved True Glory.

True Glory can thus be seen as a massive and...glorious accomplishment (or accomplishments), worthy enough for people to remember you by long after you die. The ancient Greeks called this kleos (everlasting glory and renown - "what others hear about you."). Fortune is too fickle regarding who gets remembered in the end, but living a life worthy of remembrance and admiration is a goal the elect who choose to strive for it can achieve. All of the Twenty Men on my list achieved (or have achieved) states of True Glory in their lifetimes, but in their own different ways.

The physical, tangible reminder of Louis XIV's glory.

However, that end is a privilege. Very few people wind up achieving states of True Glory.

As you can see, this is quite different from simply, "finding your life's purpose." Quite often "finding your life's purpose" means the following:

Flailing about in, to again quote Louis XIV, "inactivity and indolence," a narcissistic hedonism from which you essentially accomplish nothing. #YOLO, it's all about me and what makes me happy, yo.

Someone can easily say that his life's purpose is to sleep with as many girls as he possibly can, devolving into the worst PUA bullshit along the way. While a good sex life is certainly a component of living a fulfilling life, and Giacomo Casanova (one of the above-mentioned Twenty Men) did achieve a state of True Glory partially in this way (through the literary acumen he had to pass his exploits down), better things can likely be done, and Casanova was more than a seducer, but an interesting adventurer.

Breaking out of prison was one of Casanova's feats.

And we can go down the list to even less worthy endeavors. Some might say that they can achieve True Glory in bullshit causes that simply make them feel good, or even worse, basking in attention whoring. None of these are worthy of remembrance, and none of these will bring True Glory, only mediocrity.

The difference between True Glory and "finding your life's purpose" can therefore be seen as an added objective element - will the sum of your life's work be worthy of remembrance in the eyes of others ("what others hear about you")? While you must not live for others, this element requires a degree of contemplation beyond hedonistic drives. In essence, it ensures you are not an island unto yourself, which "finding your life's purpose" can often be an excuse to mean.

Attaining True Glory requires a great deal of discipline and fortitude to deal with setbacks. You must fervently believe that the thing you're doing is right. If you don't, you will not have the vigor to achieve the glory. All of the men on the linked list, even though there was surely an undercurrent of opportunism, felt to their bones that they were doing the right thing for themselves. People that achieve states of True Glory are filled with unbridled enthusiasm, ready to go out into the world and kick some ass, even when at times, it's their own asses that get kicked.

Modern Western culture does not have this, and it is not promoted. We are told instead to be isolationist automatons whose purpose in life is to be consumers. Technology has made this worse. It is perhaps not so surprising that destructive ideologies take root, as they offer adventure and meaning where there is little to be found in a sedentary, consumerist lifestyle.

The iPhone camp. This is, so we are told, the good life.

In that same regard it's not so surprising to me that many people are becoming social justice warriors. While the rise of the social justice warrior is I think a confluence of many factors, this is one of them. Our lives in the industrialized world, long devoid of any real hardship or challenges, inspire a lack of drive, especially with decreased economic opportunities (despair is the other side of this particular equation, but that will be addressed in another post). There is a very primal quality in philosophies that offer not comfort, but struggle. They call to our deepest needs. Part of the reason that war stories resonate with so many people, and why people are fascinated by war, is because it requires a courage, valor, self-sacrifice, and discipline that peacetime rarely does. This is why, in the absence of any other struggle, people seem to need to make up their own struggles, no matter how irrational or destructive, to find meaning. ISIS and "social justice" are both manifestations of this.

Mattress girl's lying attention whoring is a perfect example of the deep-seated human need for struggle, even when none can be found.

The trick then, seems to be to call up that wartime zeal and enthusiasm and direct it toward doing something great - to achieving kleos - everlasting fame, by doing something worthy of having your name spoken of on the lips of countless generations. Perhaps you yourself have no need to be so remembered. However, your deeds should be worthy of remembrance, because such remembrance means that you accomplished something truly magnificent.

You must wake up every day with enthusiasm. You must know yourself and where you want to go, and have a vision for the direction of your work. You must make tireless day to day efforts to bring that vision to reality. You should want to achieve something great, something worthy of remembrance and praise - not for others, but to achieve your own immortality. Athena says it best in this 1997 adaptation of Homer's Odyssey:

Odysseus: I see you're no longer with me, Athena, and it's alright. I can do everything myself.

Athena (appearing with a laugh): Is that any way to speak to your protector?

Odysseus: Athena!

Athena: I think the wine swells your head, my Odysseus. Are you drinking because you fear your future?

Odysseus (drinking, laughing, smirking): Me? I'm afraid of nothing!

Athena: I'm teasing you. You're angry with me.

Odysseus: Athena! You could have helped me persuade Agamemnon, on the day of my son's birth no less!

Athena: I'm a goddess after all. I have other duties. And don't forget, I can be seen by whom I choose. I did not want you to escape this journey, because I want you to go. I want you, my brave Odysseus, to defeat the Trojans.

Odysseus: I've fought long enough.

Athena: No. You're destiny's to do battle, to become immortal, to have your name on the lips of endless generations!

Odysseus: No! I have no need to be remembered by endless generations.

Athena: Odysseus! You cannot lie to me! I know your true character! I know your pride, your vanity!

(Some more dialogue.)

Athena: You see the good in them (your men) because they love you. You must use this good to defeat the Trojans. You must be brave, my Odysseus.

Odysseus: I have no fear, as long as you're with me (Athena vanishes before he finishes).

This conversation encapsulates the Homeric hero, and indeed it is Homer's example which I wish to emulate on my own journey to this True Glory, as it is most in line with my natural talents. He became like his heroes, achieving a state of True Glory, of kleos, by writing about them. I hope to do the same.

Homer became, like the heroes he wrote about - immortal, by writing for posterity his stories of Troy.

"Hero" is actually an operative word here, because while we think of it as describing something grand these days, something almost superhuman, its original meaning was simply "he who is worthy." Those worthy of glory will be those who are worthy of it - who contribute the most to acquiring it.

True Glory is different from happiness and contentment. It's of course important to be happy, and I do not need much to be happy and content. However, happiness and contentment are most often excuses for stagnation - the very disease Western civilization is suffering from, while others are hungry for something more. We of course need to be happy in life, but we must never rest on those laurels, lest we become complacent. The greatest part of being human is our ability to do feats of greatness, to leave a legacy for eternity in finding and experiencing this beauty and this True Glory, which are only possible in this time and place in the universe's history - a universe whose future likely promises to be cold and dark, and the possibility of glory will sink into the blackness with it. We owe it to ourselves and to the universe that created us to burn as brightly as we can while time still allows, to be living (for life is a unique creation of the universe) expressions of the natural beauty of the cosmos.

Carl Sagan used to say that "we are a way for the cosmos to know itself." In the same tradition, True Glory is a way for us to be agents for the universe to glorify itself through the deeds of life.

Louis XIV wrote:

Praise is of a very delicate texture, and we should be very careful how we are caught by its dazzling appearance, as it requires much penetration to discern truly our flatterers from our real admirers.

But however obscure the intentions of our courtiers may be, there is nevertheless, a certain mode by which we may turn everything they say to our advantage; which is simply, to examine ourselves closely on the subject of praise which others have bestowed on us; for when we hear certain encomiums which we ourselves are unconscious of deserving, it will immediately lead us to reflect on them (according to the temper of those who bestowed them) either as a malignant reproach for some error, which we, in consequence, should immediately endeavor to correct, or as a secret exhortation to a virtue to which we have hitherto been insensible.

Supposing even that we conceive ourselves really deserving of that which is spoken in our favor, instead of simply contenting ourselves with the praises which we have received, they ought rather to serve us as a stronger stimulus to merit new encomiums; for this assuredly is one of those mediums whereby the elevated mind may be distinguished from those who never rise beyond mediocrity; to behold the latter charmed with the empty noise of applause which is incessantly flattering their ears, abandoning themselves to inactivity and indolence, eager to persuade themselves that they have done enough; while the former, continually burning with an equal ardor, seem never fully satisfied, as if everything which is lavished to allay that fire with which they seem to burn only to increase its violence.

It is only after this manner, my son, that glory becomes amiable; the thirst for which it inspires is not a weak passion which becomes cloyed with possession; it is never obtained but by strong efforts, and never becomes satiating; and he who can rest contended without seeking new favors is unworthy even of those which he has already received.

Although we may never achieve the state, it is the desire, the zeal, and the work that make life meaningful and which rescues us from indolence and nihilism. That is its greatest virtue - fulfilling this deep human need. The journey to True Glory is equally as great as the destination.

At the conclusion of this entry, I'm still somewhat unsatisfied. Is this the true way to live a good life? I think I'm heading in the right direction, and I believe my underpinnings are right, but is what I've said the correct path? I'm still not entirely sure what it all means. I'll just have to keep looking, and adding to this thesis, with words and deeds, as time goes by.

The fate of the universe doesn't look good. Burn brightly now!

The Need for a Higher Calling

A couple of months ago I found myself outside, enjoying the October scenery. It was the height of autumn, and the colorful tapestry of the trees glowing in shades of red and yellow was quite pleasing to the eyes. Amidst the contrast of the concrete jungle that is New York City, it’s quite a welcome diversion to enjoy the parks and get a feel for the natural world as best a city slicker might. That environment is also a natural place to day game, and the fall portrait was not the only thing that pleased my eyes that day.

I quickly spotted a girl to approach, but I began to hesitate. I’m quite a logical and analytical person, as some of you may have figured out by now, and while my analysis is usually correct regarding women to approach versus women to not, I sometimes may miss out on opportunities. She was sitting on a bench, fiddling with her phone. I thought about approaching, but decided against it at first, and walked away. Then I looked back and saw her still sitting there. My mind began to stir, and an inner voice called out to me – “can you stand?” Remembering that encounter, I decided to go back. When the opportunity came, I took it. I’m glad I did.

Out of all the women I have met thus far since starting this journey, she was by far the most interesting. This will not surprise most of my natural readers, but she is from outside the Anglosphere. She’s from Russia, but isn’t an ethnic Russian, hailing instead from the Circassian ethnic minority group in the Caucuses. We sat there on that bench and talked for two hours straight that we didn’t know went by. Naturally we exchanged contact information and while it was troubled by delays and scheduling, I saw her again a few weekends later.

The timing was somewhat amusing to me, because I had another date not 24 hours earlier. My companion from that evening is a sweet, feminine girl whose company I enjoyed, but whose sophistication and grace couldn't compete. I could and did discuss any topic under the sun with her, ranging from the small things to the dilapidation in culture, historical figures in power, the psychology of crowds, whether or not there was free will, and on.

The most interesting part of the date came when she began to go a little bit further into her background and her faith. On our first encounter she told me that Circassians are somewhat of a scapegoat and face social disadvantages in Russia. Unlike her counterparts in the West however, she does not use any of this to play the victim or demand that other people conform to her opinions because she is somehow oppressed. In short: she lacks that element of solipsistic narcissism that comprises the social justice left here in the West.

Instead, she is the type to rise and meet her challenges and get past them, and she has been relatively successful. She mentioned her faith in God, and, no doubt showing my ignorance of the situation and her culture, I asked if she was Eastern Orthodox. She surprised me by replying that she was a Muslim, which is something I wouldn’t have believed. Obviously she practices her faith differently than her Middle Eastern counterparts, but she seemed at least somewhat grounded in it. I contrasted this somewhat with my own background, being an agnostic and believing fervently in extreme libertarianism in my early twenties. My reply was that while I still did not believe in any specific faith, I respect such things more now in my later twenties, and it’s evidenced by the fact that I would far rather spend time with someone like her than any of the people who espouse no true belief in anything other than themselves, who have no higher calling in life or higher devotion. Back in those days of my early twenties, I did not truly believe in anything either, as my extreme libertarianism was a crutch excusing mindless individualism at the expense of any greater culture or belief system, albeit it was a crutch with much more sophisticated logic and germs of truth as compared to the Cultural Marxists whose worldview is entirely based on falsehood.

Quintus Curtius mentioned in an article a while ago that people need to submit to a higher authority, a higher calling. There also needs to be hardship and challenges to overcome. Without these things, society and the self degenerate. I have no doubt that a big part of the reason why she is such a high quality girl – feminine and worldly, was that she grew up in a somewhat traditional family, faced a degree of hardship, and has a higher calling to keep her grounded. She brings value to the world, but her value system keeps her ego in check. She can accomplish things, but has not a hint of arrogance.

After our date ended, I began to contemplate my own existence. There is no question that I have had it very good. There’s also no question that I could have fallen very far and stayed there because of it. Were I a little different, were I someone that did not think as carefully as I do, did not immerse myself in the past and its great works as much as I do, I might very well have fallen into that Cultural Marxist malaise that plagues so many of my contemporaries. Attention whoring on social media never appealed to me, but if my consistent thoughts were only a bit different, who knows what might have happened?

But even though I was mentally grounded in some ways, I still lacked a conflict and a drive. I was taking the easy way out, abandoning myself to, as Louis XIV sneers in hismemoirs “inactivity and indolence.” I was content with mediocrity. There was no conflict to spur me to do great things or higher calling to meet. The Manosphere in a way provided me with that challenge to embrace my own kind of hardship and forge myself in fire. It seemed to have been the missing ingredient and this is its ultimate service to its inhabitants. In a world of untold wealth, an internal, personal conflict to overcome is needed to keep you in a sane place.

Glory is a fleeting thing however, and while I enjoy my newfound glories and still seek more, I wonder if there’s still something more out there that is needed for the soul, something perhaps irrational. I doubt I’ll start to believe in any kind of religion any time soon, but I wonder if its abandonment made me, and society, perhaps shallower than I otherwise would have been. I don’t particularly feel any spiritual void at the moment, but I can safely say that she made me contemplate such matters a bit more thoroughly.

That is perhaps the most rewarding experience of all with meeting her, and why I think it’s important for men here to, in addition to finding their own personal challenges and hardships, to date women from other cultures, since our own is so substantially dead. In addition to soaking in the more typical feminine energy of a foreign girl, you are exposed to a culture that is perhaps not so neurotic, that values more than the mindless license of someone to be an automaton of a consumer culture. There simply needs to be more to life than competing over who can be the first one to get the new iPhone, the most likes on Facebook, or the most orbiters on Instagram.

One Year

It's been a year since I made the first post on this blog. It is aptly titled and deserves a link: Laziness is a Cancer.

Laziness and hesitation will kill your chances of success and doom you to a life of mediocrity. As Arnold Schwarzenegger said: none of his rules of success will work unless you do.

Make no mistake, this is still something I struggle with and still something I need to work on. It is still difficult for me to concentrate on one thing for too long.

However, in the year since I began this blog, I have more improvements in my life than in the rest of my time alive.

A year ago I was a scrawny twig with no muscle definition. Today, I am very well defined for my frame and have gained an additional ten pounds of muscle. I'm at 11% body fat, I have a solid visible four pack and good obliques, a well-muscled chest, a solid v taper, shoulder striations, much larger and more toned arms, tree trunk legs, and big, shaped traps. My shoulders are 1.45 times wider than my waist. Although I'm still not as big as I want to be, I no longer look like a complete wimp and have a better body than the large majority of the population. That's a very good accomplishment in a year, and I'm far from finished in my gains.

A year ago I was stuck in writer's block, making excuses not to continue working on the greatest creative project in my life, my long epic novel. Today, I have written around 700 additional pages and the novel is reaching its completion, though I have been stalling for the past couple of weeks. When I finally finish it, which is not far off, it will be a very gratifying accomplishment.

A year ago I was rather indifferent to my social and economic advancement. I said I wanted it but didn't put in the serious work that was needed and was more content with a "go with the flow" attitude. I will confess I still need much work in this area, and the job market being what it is, finding a new, higher-paying job is still a grind, even when your resume has been described as impressive by prospective employers. This area is frustrating because there is so much more outside your control than what you want, but nevertheless I must keep at it, and have been looking for a better position more fervently and sprucing up my resume.

Additionally I have begun to take steps in other areas. I have no intention of working for someone else forever. That's the path to a mediocre life and you will never get rich that way. Instead, this plan is as a stepping stone towards building the necessary economic and social capital I need to get a business off the ground. I have attended some local SCORE events and met with some of its councilors regarding starting your own business in the past year, and while I'm not ready just yet, I have made it my long term plan. I'm still only in my 20's, and I may need to use the remainder of them to get to where I need to be to start that business when I'm in my 30's. That isn't a bad course of action. I've also begun entry into the world of real estate sales, which is a nice way to make extra money and increase people skills at the same time.

I've also ramped up my efforts to make money online. My websites are up, these blogs are running, and ad and affiliate revenue is steadily coming in, though not enough to make a living on, obviously. It is however, enough to pay for dates, which leads me to the next accomplishment.

A year ago I was very anxious when it came to approaching women and asserting my masculinity. Now I'm doing it almost every day. It's very gratifying to overcome a real, immediate fear like approach anxiety and discover it was bullshit all along. Now I'm having a bit of the opposite problem - instead of approaching too little, I think I'm approaching too much! Nowadays when I see a hot girl my mind immediately thinks 'approach' which is a good thing, but sometimes it makes more sense not to. There are so many hot girls that you just need to pay attention as to who you approach, and spend your time approaching girls that will give you the highest chance of success. As of now I'm still learning what that is, but I should pay more attention to certain demographic areas such as college campuses and tourist spots. Nevertheless, these are good problems to have indeed!

A year ago I didn't put as much effort into my appearance as I should have. Although I was always decently handsome, I simply wasn't doing as much as I could, and that is not the path to glory. Bodybuilding is one thing, but using the appropriate products and assessing your style is something else. I'm happy to say that this has also reversed. I'm much more conscious of what I wear, and I take a few extra minutes to groom myself to a much higher degree. As a result, I look more masculine, my skin is more radiant, and I dress appropriately to attract the kind of women I'm into. This takes the least effort as compared to everything else. A little really does go a long way.

A year ago I had a big problem controlling my temper. I would get angry over stupid little things. That has almost entirely disappeared. I'm calmer, more focused, and more rational. I get less anxious and have a mentality and mindset that my path will continue onward unabated.

While I was always well-read, a year ago I was missing out on some important information and life-changing advice. Now I have become far more enriched in both the abstract and the concrete after reading great works like the 48 Laws of Power, Think & Grow Rich, and some of the writings associated with my Twenty Men Exercise. Because I'm associating with good people and good thoughts, I've become a much better man myself.

Of course, I haven't gotten here alone. I've had the help and advice of good people. Some people I'd like to thank specifically are as follows:

• Roosh, for keeping up a great forum and ROK, wherein you can get good advice (though you must also be wary of the negatives as well).
• Christian McQueen and Chris at Good Looking Loser for their raw game tips and advice in making yourself more attractive.
• Mark Manson for his excellent advice on keeping all of this in perspective and having a solid grounding.
• Wycked, for his great articles at ROK critiquing the cultural absurdities that are a negative influence on men.
• Scooby, for his no-nonsense bodybuilding advice.
• And mostly, Quintus Curtius, whose excellent articles have dispensed a wide array of advice in all the important areas in life - body, mind, spirit. In him I have seen a mentor of sorts, someone to be like when I reach his station in life.

Obviously, I won't forget the rest of the community. For all the weird aspects of it, it is an indispensable resource for men in this oversensitive, politically correct world that is creating quite the identity crisis among us.

I'm still not where I want to be and much work remains to be done, but it has been an immensely satisfying year. I can only imagine what the next one will bring.

The Glory & Grind Cycle

If you talk with some guys who have been out in the field for a while, they'll tell you that meeting women is a real grind, and there are a lot of things that to a degree are outside of your control, even when things are going well. Even when you do everything right, The Fates just seem to conspire against you in some ways. As I've come out of my shell, I'm beginning to experience this too.

Two days ago I went out to Central Park. There I saw a real beautiful girl walking by. I hesitated for a moment, but walked towards her and had my opener ready. I went direct, telling her that I saw her and I wanted to meet her. By the way she stopped and looked at me, I could tell that it was on immediately. When she answered in a foreign accent I knew she was from somewhere in Northern or Eastern Europe, and she had that look to her too. After playing a short guessing game, she answered that she was from Denmark.

Now, Denmark has had a bit of an infamous reputation in the community ever since Roosh wrote his Don't Bang Denmark guide, but I'm happy to say that this girl was great. I took her on an instant date. She was very elegant and feminine, and I could have a conversation with her without being bored out of my mind or talking about vapid stupidity. Much to my delight, she dislikes the spread of things like social media just as much as I do, and she had a really deep personality. One of the things she said that was most memorable was how there was no hardship anymore, that people just have it too easy. It was at that point that I relayed the story of my grandfather to her, which she really liked. I was even able to talk about the Homeric epics with her, and she had a lot to say about them too. I've remarked in the last post about the lack of femininity in American women (on average). It's true. There was just no comparison. This girl was simply a cut above the majority of American women you will meet, even here in New York.

Alright, so maybe I'm harping now, but I really liked her. She was such a breath of fresh air compared to the girls I normally speak to. I approached another girl just before I met this one, and while she was generally cool too and I got her number (even while her boyfriend was in the vicinity), she did not have nearly the dimensions or the femininity that this one had.

The basic game principles still applied of course. I made sure that I was the leader of that interaction. The fact that she was essentially a wandering tourist helped maintain this frame. Aside from leading her, I made jokes about her being the future soccer mom of my kids, and was aggressive with the physical contact. I made sure to touch her early, putting my hand on her waist to guide her to different places. One hilarious thing that really helped was that someone came up to us at one of the fountains and was passing this ad for a palm reader. When this guy left I made fun of it by doing a mock palm reading. I kissed the back of her hand after that. She complained about how she had mosquito bites. I kissed one of those too, which sounds kind of stupid here, but it was cool and even romantic at the time. She's a rather modest girl, and began to remark at how aggressive I was when I held her hand, and shit tested me by asking "what if I were to have a boyfriend?" I can't exactly remember what I said to blow past this, but I just shook it off because it legitimately didn't bother me. I mean, if she were to have a boyfriend (at least one she really cared about), she wouldn't have been doing any of this with me.

As Chris says at Good Looking Loser: "don't be smooth, be aggressive."

And since I'm interesting and such a naturally good conversationalist, I can get away with being aggressive and smooth at the same time. Of course it just helped that I knew she was rather attracted to me from the start, which will induce you to be more aggressive.

Anyway, I led her to a bunch of different places over many hours, in and out of the park. It was a great date by all accounts. It was a day of glory.

Now comes the grind.

Bad logistics can just really fuck you up, and to a large extent, it's outside your control. Unfortunately this girl was leaving New York the next day. What shitty luck.

We exchanged contact information of course. However, more logistical problems have arisen.

Because of her international calling code, when I tried to send the customary text messages, I got them returned for having an invalid number.

Fuck.

I made a huge ass mistake in not getting her email. Newbie mistake. I know never to do this again.

The only card I seemed to have left to play was the dreaded Facebook card. She gave me that.

I found her last night. No friend request option. I grudgingly had to pay $1.13 to send her a message that would go directly to her inbox.

Now, my text game I think is comparatively weak, but I tried the best I could, trying to convey some flirtation and rapport. But still, it's fucking Facebook.

Now I can only hope she'll respond.

It sucks. It sucks because not only was this girl one of the two best-looking girls I've approached so far, but she also had the best personality, hands down. Her sophistication and femininity really drew me in. She is everything I could ever ask for in a woman.

Now, I understand the importance of not getting one-itis, and I just wrote an article about Louis XIV's memoirs wherein he advised his reader to have no attachments or favorites. It is good advice. I am therefore making sure to be as detached from this as possible. You do that by moving forward toward your goals every day like a perpetual motion machine and having the proper priorities, as well as of course going out and approaching other women.

The reason I say this is because it's just something you need to be aware of, in the world at large and in meeting women. You could have an excellent date and then that momentum might be lost either through logistical problems, her fickleness, or just horrible luck. You need to have a strong inner game and grounding to keep things in the proper perspective and not get too emotional.

She is considering coming to New York to go to school, and did say she wants to see me again. So all I can do at this point is try and do what I can.

The weather of life is unpredictable. It could be a sunny day and then a stormy one. The only thing you have is yourself and how you choose to respond to these things. The fact that I did (mostly) everything right with this approach/date, and with a very beautiful girl, is a grand victory in itself.

As a humorous end note, I'll say that when I was walking around with her, arm on her waist, I noticed that I was getting many more eyefucks from other women than usual. Pre-selection really is the most powerful attraction trigger there is.

Ten Lessons in Life from Louis XIV

Louis XIV was King of France and Navarre from 1643 to 1715. His reign was the longest in European history, and he presided over a period of immense transformation. Under him, France emerged as the leading power in Europe, and not just in military or political affairs, but in the arts and culture as well. He bent the nobility to his will. The great nobles who had once participated in the Fronde and their heirs had been reduced from being lords of vast estates to quarreling with one another over who had the right to hand Louis his clothing in the morning. Louis' territorial gains were immense, and he forever ended the threat of an aggressive Spain by placing his grandson on the Spanish throne in 1700, and successfully defending that claim (admittedly not without great cost).

Throughout his long life, Louis was motivated by an insatiable desire for glory and the attaining of magnificence. Unbeknownst to most, however, is that Louis left behind a significant collection of memoirs and letters. These were eventually coalesced into a book. It is not widely read today, but I was pleasantly surprised to be able to find the work online.

It is a long read, and admittedly can get tedious at times. However, there are a large number of extremely relevant passages within its pages that teach invaluable lessons on being a great man - leadership, the wielding of power, the psychology and motivation to win, and how to live a fulfilling life. I've collected what I thought were some of the most relevant lessons that Louis has to teach us, and present them below:

1. Be Informed, Learn From History, and Follow the Examples of Other Great Men

Poor information will lead to poor decision-making, as Louis writes:

"Whoever is poorly informed cannot avoid poor thinking."

"A sovereign should take the greatest care to be informed of his own times, for if a man is fully informed he will always do what he should."

Louis was no stranger to history. He knew that he needed to learn the valuable lessons that other men could teach and pass on. Just as we are now learning from him, he learned from others:

"The example of illustrious men provides very useful perspectives for war and peace, so that a naturally great and generous soul, contemplating these actions, would be inspired by them and ensure that the lessons of history can inspire others as well."

"I have heard it said that all the great heroes of the past were conversant with literature and that part of their greatness was due to their literary study. Particularly I found the study of the past to be very useful in becoming wise in the art of war..."

“It is not sufficient for a prince who wishes to distinguish himself from others merely to know what is passing in his own time, but that he ought also to inform himself of every remarkable circumstance which took place at a more remote period. I considered that the knowledge of those great events which have taken place in different centuries, when meditated upon by a solid and active mind, would tend to fortify his reason in all important deliberations; that the example of those illustrious men and singular achievements which antiquity furnishes us with, would supply with useful hints either for war or peace, and that a generous and enlightened mind, intent on the ideas of those glowing virtues, would ever find a stimulus to the practice of great actions.”

2. Shut the Fuck Up

It is wiser to say less than it is to say more:

 “One of the best experiences to practice is to listen oftener than to speak; for it is a difficult matter for persons who are fond of speaking to refrain from saying something too much.”

Admittedly, I still have much practicing to do in this area.

Although Louis did not write this himself, the notes at the end of the first volume reveal this bit of information from a contemporary, Madame de Calyus, writes:

"He carefully examined the respective dispositions and thoughts of his hearers: he was extremely prudent: he knew how every word which a monarch utters is canvassed over in public, and he often kept to himself those discoveries which his penetration had enabled him to make. If important affairs were the subject in question, the most learned and enlightened persons were astonished at the knowledge he displayed; they saw that he was more thoroughly conversant with the matter than they, and were charmed with the manner in which he expressed his thoughts."

The abbe de Choicy also said of Louis:

"His unprepared and least studied answers outdid the most carefully digested speeches of others."

3. Regulate Your Conduct Wisely

As Louis found it wise and necessary to regulate his speech wisely, he says the same regarding one's overall conduct and moral character:

"A bloody and ferocious temper is despicable in a man, and beneath the dignity of a king."

"On every occasion declare yourself to be on the side of virtue and against vice."

"The greater the merit and virtue of the prince, the harder the envious will try to dim his brilliance. Therefore some faults will be attributed to him which he is entirely innocent. Therefore a sovereign cannot live too wisely or too innocently. It is not enough to provide for general affairs, but you must regulate your own morals."

4. Make Decisions with Conviction

What ultimately separates the successful from the unsuccessful in life is the ability to make good decisions. Louis knew intimately that all avenues of thought must be considered, but that holding off too long will only create timidity or worse. In this vital area of life he has this to say:

"There are often troublesome occasions which may cause you to hesitate in making a decision, but once you do, and think you have seen the best course, you must take it."

“Uncertainty will sometimes make a prince pass very painful moments; but when a reasonable time has been bestowed on the examination of an affair, he must take a determination according to his best judgment, without protracting that state of suspense any longer.”

However, Louis warned the Dauphin not to make decisions too hastily either:

“Better to conclude our business somewhat late than to ruin it by using too much precipitancy. Our impatience only tends to delay that which we eagerly wished to forward.”

5. Get off Your Ass

Louis XIV did not simply cultivate France as the leading power in Europe by engaging in idle hedonism. He in fact astonished the country when he said that he would rule without a prime minister after the death of Cardinal Mazarin in 1661. He was determined to do the work himself, and devoted himself to his work so much that on the very same day that he had an operation for an anal fistula in 1686 (an extremely serious condition at the time), he still attended his council meeting later. On the subject of working hard he notes:

“You will always find in me the same perseverance in labor, the same firmness of resolution, the same love for my people, the same passion for the prosperity of my state, and the same ardor for true glory.”

 “Two things were without doubt necessary: very hard work on my part, and a wise choice of persons capable of seconding it.”

A typical day for him might have gone like this:

“The morning, as usual, was taken up with the different councils of justice, commerce, finances, and dispatches; the afternoon, with the current affairs of the state, and in the evening, instead of following any diversion, as I had been accustomed to, I reentered my closet in order to business, either to talk about the war with Luvois, who had that department, or on other affairs which I had resolved to examine myself; and if after that I had any time left, I employed it in writing these Memoirs which you are now reading.”

Louis in fact made it a rule to work twice a day with various other people aside from the hours he worked alone or devoted to extraordinary affairs. He notes:

“I cannot tell you what fruits I immediately gathered from this decision. I could feel my spirits and my courage rising. I was a different person. I discovered something new about myself and joyfully wondered how I could have ignored it for so long. That first shyness, which always comes with good sense and which was especially disturbing when I had to speak at some length in public, vanished in less than no time. I knew then that I was king and born for it.”

The biggest impediment to glory is sitting around and doing nothing. This is a sort of suicide by stasis, and I know this intimately because that's how I used to be. Louis notes in great detail just these dangers:

"Nothing is more taxing than prolonged idleness. You will be disenchanted first with affairs, next with pleasures, and third with idleness itself. You will seek everywhere in vain for what cannot be found. That is the problem with rest and leisure without some labor to precede it."

6. Have No Favorites

Louis XIV, in consolidating absolute power in the monarchy, made sure to elevate himself above anyone else. He clearly understood the danger of placing too much esteem in a single person, even his own family, as such attachments could prove dangerous:

"Have no attachment ever to anyone."

"My brother, who, without doubt, in the state things were in, could not have very urgent business, and who from his own inclination did not think proper to occupy his time with anything that was useful or agreeable, had at his leisure hours resolved to demand that his wife when in the presence of the Queen might be allowed an arm chair. In consequence of the friendship which I entertained for him I could have wished never to deny him anything, but aware of the consequence this encroachment might be, I let him know, immediately, with all possible delicacy, that I could not grant his request; that I was willing to do everything to elevate him beyond my other subjects, and would always do it with pleasure; but that such demands which seemed to interfere with my own dignity, I thought it my duty to refuse. In short, I begged him to never indulge in any such thoughts, and endeavored to convince him by good reasoning how necessary it was that I should respect the rank which I held, how much his own pretensions were ill-founded, and how useless it would be for him to persist in them."

7. Your True Friends Are Never Yes Men

In his instructions to his grandson, the Duke of Anjou, who was soon to become Phillip V of Spain, he remarked:

"Love all people attached to you, do not give preference to those who flatter you most, and hold in high esteem those who for a good cause venture to displease you. They are your real friends."

In the main memoirs to his son the Dauphin, he wrote this about the nature of courtiers and their flattery:

“Praise is of a very delicate texture, and we should be very careful how we are caught by its dazzling appearance, as it requires much penetration to discern truly our flatterers from our real admirers.

“But however obscure the intentions of our courtiers may be, there is nevertheless, a certain mode by which we may turn everything they say to our advantage; which is simply, to examine ourselves closely on the subject of praise which others have bestowed on us; for when we hear certain encomiums which we ourselves are unconscious of deserving, it will immediately lead us to reflect on them (according to the temper of those who bestowed them) either as a malignant reproach for some error, which we, in consequence, should immediately endeavor to correct, or as a secret exhortation to a virtue to which we have hitherto been insensible.

“Supposing even that we conceive ourselves really deserving of that which is spoken in our favor, instead of simply contenting ourselves with the praises which we have received, they ought rather to serve us as a stronger stimulus to merit new encomiums; for this assuredly is one of those mediums whereby the elevated mind may be distinguished from those who never rise beyond mediocrity; to behold the latter charmed with the empty noise of applause which is incessantly flattering their ears, abandoning themselves to inactivity and indolence, eager to persuade themselves that they have done enough; while the former, continually burning with an equal ardor, seem never fully satisfied, as if everything which is lavished to allay that fire with which they seem to burn only to increase its violence.

“It is only after this manner, my son, that glory becomes amiable; the thirst for which it inspires is not a weak passion which becomes cloyed with possession; it is never obtained but by strong efforts, and never becomes satiating; and he who can rest contended without seeking new favors is unworthy even of those which he has already received.”

8. Maintain The Frame of the Master

Louis was a firm believer in his divine right to rule. This seeped into his internal psychology from the time he was a small child. It became his standard programming and he acted in that part without fail throughout his life. When it comes to maintaining this frame, Louis has much to say throughout the memoirs:

"The mistakes I have made, and which have caused me infinite trouble, have been caused by kindness, and by allowing myself to surrender too heedlessly to the advice of others."

"If you must punish people who you are naturally disposed to, do it, as the interests of the state must come first."

"Treat your servants well, but do not allow them too much familiarity, and trust them still less. Use them when they are well behaved. Dismiss them on the least fault."

"Divide the execution of your confidence. Do not entirely trust it to anyone. Assign various persons various functions in keeping with their talents. This is perhaps the foremost talent of princes."

"Men are always tempted to use the power they have. No one shares in your work without participating in your power. Leave only as much of it to others as you must, for however careful you are, you will always lose much more of it than you should."

“Take particular care to avoid granting favors to those persons who have their way with offering bribes. Be bountiful yourself, and time your liberalities as well as you can, but receive no presents, excepting very insignificant ones. If it should so happen that, on certain occasions, you cannot refuse accepting some, do not fail to make more valuable ones in return, as soon after as you conveniently can.”

"Never allow yourself to be ruled. Have no favorites or prime minister. Listen to and consult with your council, but decide yourself."

“Nothing is so dangerous as weakness, of whatever kind it be. To command others, one must raise oneself above them; and after having heard all sides one must decide on the judgment one may come to with an open mind, always keeping in view to order or do nothing unworthy of oneself, of the character one bears, or of the greatness of the State.”

"When we behold a prince busily employed in looking after every thing which is done for the good of the service; when we see that nothing can escape his sight; that he discerns every thing, weighs every thing, and that sooner or later he punishes or rewards every person; it is impossible that but he must be better obeyed, and better esteemed."

Louis also understood the psychology of crowds, and the arrogance of the mob mentality. In this day and age especially, the advice he gives is very sage:

“In a popular assembly, the more you assent to, the more they grasp after: the more you caress them, the more they will despise you; and that which they are once put in possession of is retained by so many hands that you cannot deprive them of it but by extreme violence.”

“Of so many persons who compose those numerous assemblies, the most ignorant are those who often take the greatest liberties; and if you pay any deference to their opinion on any one occasion, they pretend to the right ever after to regulate your projects according to their own fancy; and the continued necessity you will find yourself under to guard against their attempts will be more troublesome to you than all the other interests of your crown; for which reason the Prince who is desirous that his people should enjoy a durable tranquility, and that his dignity should descend entire to his successors, cannot be too careful in suppressing such audacious assemblies.”

9. Never Take Serious Advice From Women

Louis XIV had many mistresses during his reign (or rather, during the early part of it - his string of mistresses lasted from the late 1650's to the early 1680's). This combined with his astute mastery of social dynamics and the maintenance of power meant he was speaking from very extensive experience. On matters of the heart, he has this to say:

“While we abandon our heart we should remain masters of our own mind. We should separate the tenderness of the lover from the resolutions of the sovereign, and the beauty in whose possession we rejoice should never be allowed the right of speaking to us on business, or interfering about the persons we employ.

“In the same manner as a fortified place is attacked, so is the heart of a prince. The first step is to take possession of every post or avenue leading to it: an artful woman at first sets about removing all those who are not in her own interests; she inspires us with suspicions against some and excites our displeasure against others, in order that she herself and her own friends alone may be listened to; and unless we are well on our guard against these practices, we are exposed to the necessity of giving offense to every person in order to gratify her alone.

“From the instant that you allow a woman the liberty of speaking to you on affairs of importance, it is impossible but what she must mislead you. This predilection we feel for her, induces us to approve of arguments that are bad in themselves, hurries us insensibly into her way of thinking, and her own weakness, causing her to prefer frivolous interests to more solid considerations, she infallibly adopts ill-timed and pernicious resolutions.

“Women are eloquent in their expressions, pressing in their requests, obstinate in their notions; and all this is often found merely on some aversion against some individual, some wish to promote another, or some promise imprudently given. No secret can be safe in their keeping for they may, from mere simplicity and ignorance, discover what should be concealed, or if they possess wit and knowledge, they seldom fail to form secret intrigues and connections; they have them a certain set of counselors, who are to advise them how to preserve or promote their own greatness, to whom they never fail to impart everything which they know, with a view merely to those advantages which they may derive from the circumstance.

“It is in these councils that they in every instance deliberate about what course they shall take, what means they shall adopt to accomplish what they have undertaken, to rid themselves of those who may have hurt them, to advance their friends, to entangle us still closer in their fetters; while we all along have no other means left to escape than to forbid their speaking about any subjects, save those of pleasure and amusement, and make up our minds not to believe any one of their suggestions concerning matters of business and our confidential servants.

“I will candidly confess, however, that a prince whose heart is strongly possessed by love, being at the same time disposed to esteem her whom he loves, will find it hard to observe these precautions; but the more painful the trial the brighter our virtue appears; besides it is certain that these precautions are most indispensable and that it is for want of their being attended to that we behold in history so many fatal instances of royal houses extinct, thrones destroyed, provinces laid waste, and empires overturned.”

10. You Alone are Responsible for Your Fortune

Most people are keen to blame other people or circumstances for the misfortunes that they are suffering. This is in fact a form of narcissism, because it holds the implicit belief that you are essentially infallible. We've all fallen into this trap, and modern society only encourages this innate narcissism far further than it should go. Louis admonishes this mindset:

“The greater part of mankind are accustomed to regulate their conduct by their humor more than by their reason, and very often have nothing to guide them in their designs but their honor and their passions, that disposition of theirs, which always remains the same, always keeps them in the same route; so that in any disorders which they see in their affairs, or any misfortunes which happen to them, they have not the good sense to seek the cause in their conduct, but they impute every evil to the simple caprices of Fortune, and do not consider that if after they had felt her first blows they had adopted a new method of acting with her, they would most assuredly have secured themselves from greater evils; for it is certain that one of the safest remedies against the changes of Fortune is to know how to change with her, and you ought not to think my son, that the firmness of which I spoke to you at other times is at all opposed to the maxim which I have established for your guidance here, as that virtue does not consist in always doing the same thing, but in doing the thing which tends to the same end."

“Habit is the most safe and most convenient mistress to render all things easy to us; the most arduous labor in itself insensibly becomes easy to those who are inured to it for a long time, and such dangers as at first astonish the multitude have so little effect upon those who are accustomed to them that they behold them undismayed.”

"The surest way of acquiring glory is always to follow the dictates of reason."

"Those who have enough merit to succeed often find a certain greatness in recognizing their errors."

"Time, action itself, and the aid of heaven usually break a thousand paths and uncover a thousand unexpected solutions."

There is much more wisdom to be gleaned from the pages of these memoirs, and brevity requires that I cut the entry off here. If you want to learn more I suggest taking up Roosh's big ass book challenge and reading them yourself. You can find the full book here. There are also some valuable excerpts here and here.

A more condensed version of this post can now be found at Return of Kings.

Always Be In Motion

The key to being a complete man? I've discovered that it's actually very simple, and it's independent of anything external. It's easy. It's not something you need to work for. It's not something that needs to be handed to you. It's not something that you need to take. You have the ability in you all along. Much discussion has been centered around acquiring a good frame, well, I think it's pretty simple.

Always be in motion.

Stasis is death. I should know.

It doesn't matter how fast you move. On some days you will move faster, and on others you will move slower. Just have your ends defined and move toward them. Do what you can do, every day.

If you can't do one thing, do something else.

Injured and can't work out? You've got another end, I hope. If you're writer, write something, and hold yourself accountable for not getting to where you intended.

If you aren't working for some reason, lift weights. Lift and look for something.

Afraid to approach women? That's OK. Everyone is. Work on it and at the same time progress in other goals. It will build you into a better man and thus give your more confidence.

Everyone has different goals, but progress towards them. Never remain in stasis.

Most people are in stasis. They're not serious about getting the things they say they want. They live day-to-day, doing their menial tasks.

Don't be like that. I used to be like that until a year ago. But I changed my thought process and resolved to take action, and I have continued in that ever since.

And it's important that you change your thoughts, because they are your constant companions. You become what you think about, but you need to have the desire and the dedication to take action, big and small. This is how you are in motion, you put your thoughts into motion by your actions.

If there is one thing that can be described as "alpha," this is it. Alphas are always in motion. They always lead, always take the initiative. They are never supplicating (unless it's a ploy for power, in which case it's still proactive). They are never in stasis, never passive.

It's really this simple. Examine any successful man in history and he will have this quality. Look at my list of the twenty men whose traits I seek to incorporate into my own personality. It is a diverse list. It ranges from vagabonds to kings, but they all had one thing in common: they were always in motion.

This is the secret to "alphadom" and success. Even when you talk of pure game, it involves you being in motion with women, you leading, commanding, never being passive.

Doing things, even if only a little at a time, adds up to a big difference over a relatively short period. Just keep at it. Keep on moving, and never lose sight of your goals. Never let a thought of doubt poison your mind.

You must have a grounded identity (which you acquire also through thinking, hobbies, the books you read, etc.) and an unfailing confidence in your own greatness. Being constantly in motion, even if only in your thoughts, will give you that confidence, which will increase with accretion.

If you are internally grounded, and externally in motion, there will be little that can get in your way.

Wisdom from the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

In continuing with the Twenty Men exercise, I dusted off my copy of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass recently. It's the first time I've read it in its entirety in eleven years, and the passage of time naturally makes you see things you did not see before as a teenager.

Note: The pages cited are those found in the Dover Thrift edition of the Narrative.

The first passage I found particularly enlightening was in his description of how he, by blind luck, managed to avoid the true dregs of slavery (if only for a time):

"I look upon my departure from Colonel Lloyd's plantation as one of the most interesting events of my life. It is possible, and even quite probable, that but for the mere circumstance of being removed from that plantation to Baltimore, I should have to-day, instead of being here seated by my own table, in the enjoyment of freedom and happiness of home, writing this narrative, been confined in the galling chains of slavery. Going to live at Baltimore laid the foundation, and opened the gateway, to all my subsequent prosperity. I have ever regarded it as the first plain manifestation of that kind providence which has ever since attended me, and marked my life with so many favors. I regarded the selection of myself as being somewhat remarkable. There were a number of children that might have been sent from the plantation to Baltimore. There were those younger, those older, and those of the same age. I was chosen from among them all, and was the first, last, and only choice.

I may be deemed superstitious, and even egotistical, in regarding this event as a special interposition of divine Providence in my favor. But I should be false to the earliest sentiments of my soul, if I suppressed the opinion. I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and incur my own abhorrence. From my earliest recollection, I date the entertainment of a deep conviction that slavery would not always be able to hold me in its foul embrace; and in the darkest hours of my career in slavery, this living word of faith and spirit of hope departed not from me, but remained like ministering angels to cheer me from the gloom. This good spirit was from God, and to him I offer thanksgiving praise." (pg 18-19)

This is quite a powerful passage. Firstly Frederick Douglass is here recollecting how monumentally lucky he was. Ultimately he was not going to waste that opportunity under any circumstances. Secondly, he tells of how, even in the deepest depths of his enslavement (his memories of which are brutally detailed in previous chapters), he would never let his mind for one moment believe that he would remain a slave throughout his life.

This conviction, and the opportunity he was given, was the catalyst for Frederick to defy his predetermined role in society. Frederick Douglass was already beginning to take a route from the 48 Laws of Power: that of recreating himself.

When in Baltimore, his mistress begins to teach him the alphabet, and he gets to the point of being able to read three-letter words, but his master then discovers the practice and forbids it to continue any further. However, this did not discourage Frederick. He'd been given another opportunity, and he wasn't going to waste it:

"Whilst I was saddened by the thought of losing the aid of my kind mistress, I was glad of the invaluable instruction which, by the merest accident, I had gained from my master. Though conscious of the difficulty of learning without a teacher, I set out with high hope, and a fixed purpose, at whatever cost of trouble, to learn how to read." (pg 20)

When Frederick continuously comes under suspicion by his mistress for trying to read, he creatively, even deviously, finds another plan to get around this obstacle - anything to achieve his goal:

"From this time I was most narrowly watched. If I was in a separate room any considerable length of time, I was sure to be suspected of having a book, and was at once called to give account to myself. All this, however, was too late. The first step had been taken. Mistress, in teaching me the alphabet, had given me the inch, and no precaution could prevent me from taking the ell.

The plan which I adopted, and the one by which I was most successful, was that of making friends with the little white boys whom I met in the street. As many of these as I could, I converted into teachers. With their kindly aid, obtained at different times and in different places, I finally succeeded in learning to read. When I was sent of errands, I always took my book with me, and by going one part of my errand quickly, I found time to get a lesson before my return. I used also to carry bread with me, enough of which was always in the house, and to which I was always welcome; for I was much better off in this regard than many of the poor white children in our neighborhood. This bread I used to bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in turn, would give me that more valuable bread of knowledge." (pg 22-3)

Frederick Douglass gets even more creative when it comes to teaching himself how to write:

"The idea of how I might learn to write was suggested to me by being in Durgin and Bailey's ship-yard, and frequently seeing the ship carpenters, after hewing and getting a piece of timber ready for use, write on the timber the name of that part of the ship for which it was intended. When a piece of timber was intended for the larboard side it would be marked thus - "L." When a piece was intended for the starboard side, it would be marked thus - "S." A piece for the larboard side forward would be marked thus - "L. F." When a piece would be marked for the starboard side forward, it would be marked thus - "S. F." For larboard side aft, it would be marked thus "L. A." For starboard aft it would be marked thus - "S. A." I soon learned the names of these letters, and for what they were intended when placed upon a piece of timber in the ship-yard. I immediately commenced copying them, and in a short time was able to make the four letters named. After that, when I met with any boy who I knew could write, I would tell him I could write as well as he. The next word would be "I don't believe you, let me see you try it." I would then make the letters which I had been so fortunate to learn, and ask him to beat that. In this way I got a good many lessons in writing, which it is quite possible I should never have gotten in any other way. During this time, my copy-book was the board fence, brick wall, and pavement; my pen and ink was a lump of chalk. With these, I learned mainly how to write. I then commenced and continued copying the italics in Webster's Spelling Book, until I could make them all without looking on the book. By this time, my little Master Thomas had gone to school, and learned how to write, and had written over a number of copy-books. These had been brought home, and shown to some of our near neighbors, and then laid aside. My mistress used to go to class meeting at the Wilk Street meeting-house every Monday afternoon, and leave me to take care of the house. When left thus, I used to spend the time in writing in the spaces left in Master Thomas' copy-book, copying what he had written. I continued to do this until I could write a hand very similar to that of Master Thomas. Thus, after a long, tedious effort for years, I finally succeeded in learning how to write." (pg 25-6)

Frederick Douglass showed extreme ingenuity here, because, as in Think & Grow Rich, he dedicated himself and all of his thoughts for a specific goal and had a specific purpose, one which built in to his overarching life purpose which he would not give up: being a free man. Despite the setbacks, he still devoted all of his thoughts to these purposes, and was willing to do anything to fulfill them.

Frederick Douglass is now in the employ of a cruel Mr. Covey, and he is sadly and longingly looking upon the ships in the Chesapeake Bay:

"Our house stood within a few rods of the Chesapeake Bay, whose broad bosom was ever white with sails from every quarter of the habitable globe. Those beautiful vessels, robed in purest white, so delightful to the eye of freemen, were to me so many shrouded ghosts, to terrify and torment me with thoughts of my wretched condition. I have often, in the deep stillness of a summer's Sabbath, stood all alone upon the lofty banks of that noble bay, and traced, with saddened heart and tearful eye, the countless number of sails moving off to the mighty ocean. The sight of these always affected me powerfully. My thoughts would compel utterance; and there, with no audience but the Almighty, I would pour out my soul's complaint, in my rude way, with an apostrophe to the moving multitude of ships:— 

"You are loosed from your moorings, and are free; I am fast in my chains, and am a slave! You move merrily before the gentle gale, and I sadly before the bloody whip! You are freedom's swift-winged angels, that fly round the world; I am confined in bands of iron! O that I were free! O, that I were on one of your gallant decks, and under your protecting wing! Alas! betwixt me and you, the turbid waters roll. Go on, go on. O that I could also go! Could I but swim! If I could fly! O, why was I born a man, of whom to make a brute! The glad ship is gone; she hides in the dim distance. I am left in the hottest hell of unending slavery. O God, save me! God, deliver me! Let me be free! Is there any God? Why am I a slave? I will run away. I will not stand it. Get caught, or get clear, I'll try it. I had as well die with ague as the fever. I have only one life to lose. I had as well be killed running as die standing. Only think of it; one hundred miles straight north, and I am free! Try it? Yes! God helping me, I will. It cannot be that I shall live and die a slave. I will take to the water. This very bay shall yet bear me into freedom. The steamboats steered in a north-east course from North Point. I will do the same; and when I get to the head of the bay, I will turn my canoe adrift, and walk straight through Delaware into Pennsylvania. When I get there, I shall not be required to have a pass; I can travel without being disturbed. Let but the first opportunity offer, and, come what will, I am off. Meanwhile, I will try to bear up under the yoke. I am not the only slave in the world. Why should I fret? I can bear as much as any of them. Besides, I am but a boy, and all boys are bound to some one. It may be that my misery in slavery will only increase my happiness when I get free. There is a better day coming." (pg 38-9)

Those last sentences are quite telling, as his employment with Mr. Covey was the nadir of Frederick Douglass' life, but "as bad weather comes, good must also." Frederick knew that whatever he would value later on, he would value more because of the hardship he faced. This thought certainly allowed him to avoid the depression that could be described earlier on in that passage. If a man is to give in to such thoughts, the rest of his life will surely follow them.

Later, Frederick is exhausted and cannot work. Still, he ran seven miles to seek his master's protection (the man who had sent him to Mr. Covey). When he returned, Covey had set out to whip him, but Frederick did the unthinkable and began to fight back.

"This battle with Mr. Covey was the turning-point in my career as a slave. It rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood. It recalled the departed self-confidence, and inspired me again with a determination to be free. The gratification afforded by the triumph was a full compensation for whatever else might follow, even death itself. He only can understand the deep satisfaction which I experienced, who has himself repelled by force the bloody arm of slavery. I felt as I never felt before. It was a glorious resurrection, from the tomb of slavery, to the heaven of freedom. My long-crushed spirit rose, cowardice departed, bold defiance took its place; and I now resolved that, however long I might remain a slave in form, the day had passed forever when I could be a slave in fact. I did not hesitate to let it be known of me, that the white man who expected to succeed in whipping, must also succeed in killing me." (pg 43)

A man pushed to the brink will be forced to discover the true depths of his soul. Frederick was willing to fight for himself - a very big thing in those times for a man in his position. Law 28: Enter Action with Boldness. And it was a bold thing indeed for a slave to strike back at a master. It is no wonder that such experience - of striking a master (and essentially getting away with it), would fill him with confidence, and spur him still forward, ever upward, to his goal.

In the employment of a Mr. Freeland, Frederick Douglass begins to put his first serious plan at escape into motion. He resolved that 1835 would not go by without him making a major attempt at winning his liberty. He is joined by a group of other slaves:

"As the time drew near for our departure, our anxiety became more and more intense. It was truly a matter of life and death with us. The strength of our determination was about to be fully tested. At this time, I was very active in explaining every difficulty, removing every doubt, dispelling every fear, and inspiring all with the firmness indispensable to success in our undertaking; assuring them that half was gained the instant we made the move; we had talked long enough; we were now ready to move; if not now, we never should be; and if we did not intend to move now, we had as well fold our arms, sit down, and acknowledge ourselves fit only to be slaves." (pg 51-2)

Listen to these words. They are applicable for a whole assortment of life situations. Half is truly gained the instant you make the move, because fear is the greatest burden in holding a man back. I must tell myself this more often.

Frederick Douglass is at this point determined on a hard course that will prepare him for his ultimate goal of freedom:

"About two months after this, I applied to Master Hugh for the privilege of hiring my time. He was not acquainted with the fact that I had applied to Master Thomas, and had been refused. He too, at first, seemed disposed to refuse; but, after some reflection, he granted me the privilege, and proposed the following terms: I was to be allowed all my time, make all contracts with those for whom I worked, and find my own employment; and, in return for this liberty, I was to pay him three dollars at the end of each week; find myself in calking tools, and in board and clothing. My board was two dollars and a half per week. This, with the wear and tear of clothing and calking tools, made my regular expenses about six dollars per week. This amount I was compelled to make up, or relinquish the privilege of hiring my time. Rain or shine, work or no work, at the end of each week the money must be forthcoming, or I must give up my privilege. This arrangement, it will be perceived, was decidedly in my master's favor. It relieved him of all need of looking after me. His money was sure. He received all the benefits of slaveholding without its evils; while I endured all the evils of a slave, and suffered all the care and anxiety of a freeman. I found it a hard bargain. But, hard as it was, I thought it better than the old mode of getting along. It was a step towards freedom to be allowed to bear the responsibilities of a freeman, and I was determined to hold on upon it." (pg 61)

This was a sort of mental and physical exercise that certainly prepared him for his destiny. It was a hard choice, but he made it and got it done. He did not shrink from responsibility, but gladly took it, and became a better man because of it.

Chapter 11, the final chapter of the Narrative, also has a number of other potent scenes. Frederick plays the part of deceiver beautifully (Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions). He describes how he softened up his master to make him think that he was not going to run away, when that was his plan. He also resolved on a specific date to run, which is again, a manifestation of some of the philosophy described in Think & Grow Rich.

Frederick also demonstrated some other tact in this chapter. By refusing to state how he actually escaped, he did not expose his tactics or anyone who might have helped him, thus making it easier for other slaves to escape and harder for slaveholders to detect them. (Law 4: Always Say Less than Necessary)

In Frederick Douglass' career as a slave and his ultimate escape from it, we see how his determination allowed him to overcome all hardships, and that he was willing to pay any price to be free. He clearly had his desire set, his goals in mind, and a plan to get them, and he did. Out of all of the Twenty Men I've chosen, Frederick Douglass' life was perhaps the hardest. The fact that he overcame such hardships, and became a successful man, when every aspect of society tried to forbid his doing so, should truly inspire and galvanize those of us in much better circumstances to make the most of ourselves. It is a lesson well-worth incorporating.