Originally Posted by Rocky
"A man will fight harder for his interests than for his rights."
"It is not enough that I succeed - everyone else must fail."
“If I always appear prepared, it is because before entering an undertaking, I have meditated long and have foreseen what might occur. It is not genius where reveals to me suddenly and secretly what I should do in circumstances unexpected by others; it is thought and preparation.”
“The best cure for the body is a quiet mind.”
~ Napoleon
"There is no doubt that Napoleon repesents the very acme of primitivity."
~ A.A. Brill
"His obsession with his family, and his conviction that every man has his price, reveal Napoleon as closer to a modern Mafia godfather than a visonary European."
"The Corsican legacy may partly account for the ruthless pragmatism Napoleon's personality, the impatience with abstract theory and the conviction that, ultimately, human problems are solved by main force."
Napoleon was described, in the McLynn Biography, as, "... a reserved, meditative loner who would turn to violence if provoked", and a "misanthropic recluse". It was also said that, "If Napoleon's academic progress at Brienne was fair, his social and personal formation was disastrous", and his Inspector-General declared him to have, "... a docile expression, mild, straightforward, thoughtful." (You can see Napoleon's expression in portraits). Even Napoleon's brother, Lucien, thought of him this way, "Napoleon was broody and withdrawn, greeted him without affection and showed no tenderness or kindness."
"... when the children were taken for the afternoon walk, Napoleon liked to hold hands with a girl called Giacominetta. Noting also that Napoleon was sloppy with his appearance and often had his socks around his ankles, some juvenile wag composed the couplet:
Napoleone di mezza calzetta
Fa l'amore a Giacominetta.
If this provocative was uttered, the sequel would have been predictable, which was doubtless where the boy Napoleon got his early reputation for fistcuffs."
"... an unconscious desire for revenge against the opposite sex seems well grounded in the evidence of his later life."
"Brutality was visited on him by both boys and masters."
"Napoleon's response to such humiliations was to insult his fellow-pupils in turn, which led to further fistcuffs."
"He did not fit in, did not make friends easily, was unpopular and a lone wolf."
"He liked to retire inside this redoubt to be alone, private and au dessus de la melee."
"He had absolutely no lingustic talent."
"If the military schools ar Brienne and Paris had been designed to promote social inequality, as was claimed, they failed miserably with Napoleon."
"He experienced severe difficulty in making friends, was let down by most of those he did make, but on the other hand seemed to make bitter enemies by the mere fact of his existence."
"Although Napoleon tried to turn the whole thing into a joke (teasing), it was clear he was deeply affronted."