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The Miltary Maxims of Napoleon
This is a distillation of the knowledge, intuition and wisdom of history's greatest military commander. Napoleon's success was built upon practical experience combined with his own study of classical warfare and his natural grasp of the key principles of war. His thoughts, theories and commentaries on the subject are here presented in the form of accessible and readable maxims and these, with explanatory comments, reveal the fundamentals of Napoleon's art of waging war. David Chandler has added to the explanatory comments and provided the necessary context for modern readers to compare Napoleon's principles with the experience of war in the modern age. This revealing guide presents Napoleon's principles of war and his art of conducting statecraft; it is a fascinating insight into a great mind and a unique collection of tenets on warfare in the Napoleonic era.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1993
65 people are currently reading
1445 people want to read
About the author
Napol¨¦on Bonaparte
1,547?books513?followersNapoleon I, originally Napoleon Bonaparte and known as "the Little Corporal," a brilliant strategist, overthrew the directory in 1799 and proclaimed first consul and later emperor of the French and king of Italy from 1804; his military and political might gripped Continental Europe, but after a disastrous campaign in Russia in winter 1812, people forced him to abdicate in 1814 and exiled him to the island of Elba, whither he escaped and briefly regained power before they ultimately defeated him at Waterloo in 1815 and he lived on Saint Helena, yet his code still forms the basis of civil law.
Josephine de Beauharnais wed Napoleon I Bonaparte in 1796 and from 1804 served as wife and empress of the French to 1809; her alleged infertility caused annulment of the marriage in 1810.
Near Austerlitz on 2 December 1805, Napoleon decisively defeated the armies of Alexander I, czar of Russia, and of Francis II, emperor of Austria.
Napoleon I Bonaparte later adopted French soldier and statesman Eug¨¨ne de Beauharnais, son of Josephine, as viceroy and then heir apparent to the throne of Italy in 1806.
A mother bore Charles Louis Napoleon III Bonaparte, a nephew of Napoleon I Bonaparte, in 1808.
Trained in mainland as an artillery officer, he rose to prominence as a general of the revolution and led several successes against the arrayed coalitions. In late 1799, Napoleon staged a coup d'¨¦tat and installed for five years. In the decade of the 19th century, he turned the armies and dominated almost everyone through extensive alliance systems and a lengthy streak of major victories, epitomized through battles, such as Austerlitz and Friedland. He appointed close friends and several members of his family as monarchs and important government figures of dominated states.
Napoleon developed relatively few innovations, although virtually all large modern armies accept his doctrines that placed artillery into batteries and elevated the corps as the standard unit. From a variety of sources, he drew his best tactics, and he scored several major victories with a modernized army. Academies over the world study this widely regarded greatest commander of history. Aside from achievements, people also remember Napoleon for the establishment that laid the bureaucratic foundations for the modern state.
This leader significantly affected modern history. He, a general during the revolution, ruled as premier of the republic, mediator of the Swiss confederation, and protector of the confederation of the Rhine.
The invasion marked a turning point in fortunes of Napoleon. The wrecked grand army never recovered its previous strength. In October 1813, the sixth coalition at Leipzig then invaded. The coalition triumphed over Napoleon in April 1814. After less than a year, he returned and controlled the government in the hundred days prior to his final demise on 18 June 1815. Napoleon spent the six years under British supervision.
Josephine de Beauharnais wed Napoleon I Bonaparte in 1796 and from 1804 served as wife and empress of the French to 1809; her alleged infertility caused annulment of the marriage in 1810.
Near Austerlitz on 2 December 1805, Napoleon decisively defeated the armies of Alexander I, czar of Russia, and of Francis II, emperor of Austria.
Napoleon I Bonaparte later adopted French soldier and statesman Eug¨¨ne de Beauharnais, son of Josephine, as viceroy and then heir apparent to the throne of Italy in 1806.
A mother bore Charles Louis Napoleon III Bonaparte, a nephew of Napoleon I Bonaparte, in 1808.
Trained in mainland as an artillery officer, he rose to prominence as a general of the revolution and led several successes against the arrayed coalitions. In late 1799, Napoleon staged a coup d'¨¦tat and installed for five years. In the decade of the 19th century, he turned the armies and dominated almost everyone through extensive alliance systems and a lengthy streak of major victories, epitomized through battles, such as Austerlitz and Friedland. He appointed close friends and several members of his family as monarchs and important government figures of dominated states.
Napoleon developed relatively few innovations, although virtually all large modern armies accept his doctrines that placed artillery into batteries and elevated the corps as the standard unit. From a variety of sources, he drew his best tactics, and he scored several major victories with a modernized army. Academies over the world study this widely regarded greatest commander of history. Aside from achievements, people also remember Napoleon for the establishment that laid the bureaucratic foundations for the modern state.
This leader significantly affected modern history. He, a general during the revolution, ruled as premier of the republic, mediator of the Swiss confederation, and protector of the confederation of the Rhine.
The invasion marked a turning point in fortunes of Napoleon. The wrecked grand army never recovered its previous strength. In October 1813, the sixth coalition at Leipzig then invaded. The coalition triumphed over Napoleon in April 1814. After less than a year, he returned and controlled the government in the hundred days prior to his final demise on 18 June 1815. Napoleon spent the six years under British supervision.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
September 18, 2024
I always like books like this: 'distilled' ideology that lets you get a firm grip on what the person really thought. I get the feeling that Napol¨¦on is being very truthful here: he does not seem to pay much attention to if the topics he is talking about have a contrary perspective. This is the culmination of what he has learned from leading from the front lines; simple truths that often equate to life or death decisions. This is another example of a military text that has 'cross over' appeal for those in business and management.
January 7, 2012
Napoleon wasn't just a military genius he was also a brilliant mathematian and great writer.
And this book gives analysys on his Italian and Egyptian campaign with shrewdness. And if you are interested in history, read it immediately.
And this book gives analysys on his Italian and Egyptian campaign with shrewdness. And if you are interested in history, read it immediately.
October 12, 2018
This is too specific to Napoleon's era to really be useful- Sun Tzu's Art of War was all about overall strategy and tactics that could be applied to any time. This is all about grenadier placement and the use of cavalry and regiment flanking, so it's not that useful anymore. The notes do help provide context for the less straightforward advice.
July 2, 2013
Not actually by Napoleon. Selected from his writings. I didn't know that and was somewhat disappointed. Still a good read.
January 5, 2015
Per la prima volta alcune massime sulla guerra e sulla politica di Napoleone sono state raccolte in un¡¯unica opera. Da questi aforismi, scritti in tempi diversi e perci¨° spesso contraddittori, emerge la figura di Napoleone: militare, ma soprattutto uomo politico e sovrano. Alcune massime sembrano difendere la Costituzione, la democrazia e la Rivoluzione Francese, altre manifestano il pieno disprezzo per il popolo ignorante e rozzo e l¡¯incapacit¨¤ dei cittadini di governarsi da s¨¦. Insomma, un uomo contraddittorio che riflette l¡¯epoca stessa in cui ha vissuto.
September 4, 2020
This is a great version of Napoleon's "Maxims of War." Still the same great advice from one of the world's greatest military theoreticians and practitioners (with illustrating notes drawn from the campaigns of Gustavus Adolphus, Turenne, Frederick, and Napoleon), all while being highly legible, and above all, searchable. Well done and highly recommended!
I bought it as a reference to use while writing an upcoming war/business/life strategy book and to update an earlier book: Strategy Pure and Simple: Essential Moves for Winning in Competition and Cooperation
Bottom line: highly recommended by a fellow author.
I bought it as a reference to use while writing an upcoming war/business/life strategy book and to update an earlier book: Strategy Pure and Simple: Essential Moves for Winning in Competition and Cooperation
Bottom line: highly recommended by a fellow author.
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February 27, 2022I. Nap¨®leon francia cs¨¢sz¨¢rra az eg¨¦sz vil¨¢g ¨²gy fog tekinteni haditettei ¨¦s ¨¢llamszervez? tev¨¦kenys¨¦ge folyt¨¢n, mint egy ¨²j korszak kezdet¨¦re, ¨¦s j¨® okkal.
Az ¨¢ltalam ismert uralkod¨®k k?z¨¹l ? volt eddig az els?, aki ny¨ªltan v¨¢llalta a gyakorlatiass¨¢g eszm¨¦j¨¦t. Azaz minden, hagyom¨¢nyosan nagyra ¨¦rt¨¦kelt elvet f¨¦lre tudott tenni, ha v¨¢lasztott haz¨¢ja (Tudniillik huszon¨¦ves kor¨¢ig korzikai identit¨¢sa volt.), Franciaorsz¨¢g felemelked¨¦se l¨¢tta volna k¨¢r¨¢t egy ilyen alapelv megtart¨¢s¨¢nak. ?gy a n¨¦p j¨®l¨¦te sz¨¢m¨¢ra az els?k k?z¨¦ tartozott, de csak az¨¦rt, hogy ne a kizs¨¢km¨¢nyolt n¨¦pnek kelljen eltartania megsz¨¢ll¨® seregeit.A cenz¨²r¨¢t csak az obszc¨¦n ¨¦s ¨¢llamellenes m?vek kisz?r¨¦s¨¦re tartotta sz¨¹ks¨¦gesnek. Manaps¨¢g azt is mondhatn¨¢nk, hogy a cs¨¢sz¨¢r klasszikus liber¨¢lis n¨¦zetekkel b¨ªrt.
?rdekes volt bepillant¨¢st nyernem a cs¨¢sz¨¢r szem¨¦lyes n¨¦zeteibe is. A francia n¨¦pet zabol¨¢tlannak l¨¢tta, ez¨¦rt rendszeresen ¨ªrt a katon¨¢k, de a n¨¦p fegyelmez¨¦s¨¦r?l is. Csal¨¢dj¨¢t pedig ¨²gy kezelte, ami legink¨¢bb M¨¢ria Ter¨¦zia magyar kir¨¢lyn? ¨¦s le¨¢nyai kapcsolat¨¢ra eml¨¦keztet: ¨¢lland¨® ellen?rz¨¦s, ¨¦s kioktat¨¢sok t?mkelege.
Mindez id¨¢ig rendben is lenn¨¦nk, elv¨¦gre egy cs¨¢sz¨¢r legyen szigor¨², prec¨ªz, ¨¦s c¨¦lrat?r?. Ugyanakkor Nap¨®leon legbens?bb gondolatai is kivil¨¢glanak a v¨¢logat¨¢sk?tet soraib¨®l. Istentagad¨®nak nem nevezhetj¨¹k, mert konkr¨¦tan isten l¨¦tez¨¦s¨¦t ¨¦rint? k¨¦rd¨¦sek nem foglalkoztatt¨¢k. Ugyanakkor meglehet?sen vall¨¢stalan volt. Ugyanis a p¨¦ldak¨¦peinek v¨¦lt Caesarr¨®l ¨¦s Alexandrosr¨®l is, amikor megtudta, hogy az egyh¨¢z szerint akkor is a pokolban szenvednek, ha nem ismerhett¨¦k J¨¦zus tan¨ªt¨¢sait, term¨¦szetszer? reakci¨®t adott: a katolikus kultusz k¨¹ls? elemeit?l teljesen megszabadult. A katolicizmus ¨¢llamvall¨¢ss¨¢ t¨¦tel¨¦t a n¨¦p akarat¨¢nak v¨¦lte, ez¨¦rt is vitte v¨¦gbe.
B¨¢r Bonaparte besz¨¦dei ¨¦s napiparancsai ugyanazzal a pragmatizmussal visznek el a v¨¦gletekhez -a harag m¨¦lys¨¦gei ¨¦s a diadal magaslatai- ugyanaz az agg¨¢lyos-ir¨¢ny¨ªt¨¢sm¨¢ni¨¢s szem¨¦lyis¨¦g k?sz?n vissza bel?l¨¹k, mint m¨¢s ¨ªr¨¢saib¨®l. Tal¨¢n, csak a feles¨¦geinek ¨ªrt levelekben nincs meg egy¨¦rtelm?en ez a pattog¨® hangnem, de az¨¦rt ezekben az esetekben is a kac¨¦rkod¨® kifejez¨¦sek mellett ott duruzsol a monitoroz¨¢s v¨¢gya.
?sszess¨¦g¨¦ben elmondhat¨®, hogy Nap¨®leon volt a felvil¨¢gosult abszol¨²t uralkod¨® megval¨®sult mint¨¢ja. Minden c¨¦lja Franciaorsz¨¢g, a sereg ¨¦s saj¨¢t csal¨¢dja felemel¨¦se volt. A mag¨¢n¨¦letben viszont semmilyen kapcsolatba nem ker¨¹ltem volna vele sz¨ªvesen, mert a st¨ªlusa ki¨¢llhatatlan volt.
Megjegyz¨¦s: Mivel a k?tet forr¨¢sgy?jtem¨¦ny is lehetne, nem csillagoztam. Ugyanakkor az egyetemi oktat¨¢sban csak kezd? k?tetnek javasolhatom, mert a forr¨¢sokat nem tudt¨¢k pontosan megjel?lni, azok csak a felsorol¨¢s szintj¨¦n szerepelnek a k?nyv v¨¦g¨¦n.
Az ¨¢ltalam ismert uralkod¨®k k?z¨¹l ? volt eddig az els?, aki ny¨ªltan v¨¢llalta a gyakorlatiass¨¢g eszm¨¦j¨¦t. Azaz minden, hagyom¨¢nyosan nagyra ¨¦rt¨¦kelt elvet f¨¦lre tudott tenni, ha v¨¢lasztott haz¨¢ja (Tudniillik huszon¨¦ves kor¨¢ig korzikai identit¨¢sa volt.), Franciaorsz¨¢g felemelked¨¦se l¨¢tta volna k¨¢r¨¢t egy ilyen alapelv megtart¨¢s¨¢nak. ?gy a n¨¦p j¨®l¨¦te sz¨¢m¨¢ra az els?k k?z¨¦ tartozott, de csak az¨¦rt, hogy ne a kizs¨¢km¨¢nyolt n¨¦pnek kelljen eltartania megsz¨¢ll¨® seregeit.A cenz¨²r¨¢t csak az obszc¨¦n ¨¦s ¨¢llamellenes m?vek kisz?r¨¦s¨¦re tartotta sz¨¹ks¨¦gesnek. Manaps¨¢g azt is mondhatn¨¢nk, hogy a cs¨¢sz¨¢r klasszikus liber¨¢lis n¨¦zetekkel b¨ªrt.
?rdekes volt bepillant¨¢st nyernem a cs¨¢sz¨¢r szem¨¦lyes n¨¦zeteibe is. A francia n¨¦pet zabol¨¢tlannak l¨¢tta, ez¨¦rt rendszeresen ¨ªrt a katon¨¢k, de a n¨¦p fegyelmez¨¦s¨¦r?l is. Csal¨¢dj¨¢t pedig ¨²gy kezelte, ami legink¨¢bb M¨¢ria Ter¨¦zia magyar kir¨¢lyn? ¨¦s le¨¢nyai kapcsolat¨¢ra eml¨¦keztet: ¨¢lland¨® ellen?rz¨¦s, ¨¦s kioktat¨¢sok t?mkelege.
Mindez id¨¢ig rendben is lenn¨¦nk, elv¨¦gre egy cs¨¢sz¨¢r legyen szigor¨², prec¨ªz, ¨¦s c¨¦lrat?r?. Ugyanakkor Nap¨®leon legbens?bb gondolatai is kivil¨¢glanak a v¨¢logat¨¢sk?tet soraib¨®l. Istentagad¨®nak nem nevezhetj¨¹k, mert konkr¨¦tan isten l¨¦tez¨¦s¨¦t ¨¦rint? k¨¦rd¨¦sek nem foglalkoztatt¨¢k. Ugyanakkor meglehet?sen vall¨¢stalan volt. Ugyanis a p¨¦ldak¨¦peinek v¨¦lt Caesarr¨®l ¨¦s Alexandrosr¨®l is, amikor megtudta, hogy az egyh¨¢z szerint akkor is a pokolban szenvednek, ha nem ismerhett¨¦k J¨¦zus tan¨ªt¨¢sait, term¨¦szetszer? reakci¨®t adott: a katolikus kultusz k¨¹ls? elemeit?l teljesen megszabadult. A katolicizmus ¨¢llamvall¨¢ss¨¢ t¨¦tel¨¦t a n¨¦p akarat¨¢nak v¨¦lte, ez¨¦rt is vitte v¨¦gbe.
B¨¢r Bonaparte besz¨¦dei ¨¦s napiparancsai ugyanazzal a pragmatizmussal visznek el a v¨¦gletekhez -a harag m¨¦lys¨¦gei ¨¦s a diadal magaslatai- ugyanaz az agg¨¢lyos-ir¨¢ny¨ªt¨¢sm¨¢ni¨¢s szem¨¦lyis¨¦g k?sz?n vissza bel?l¨¹k, mint m¨¢s ¨ªr¨¢saib¨®l. Tal¨¢n, csak a feles¨¦geinek ¨ªrt levelekben nincs meg egy¨¦rtelm?en ez a pattog¨® hangnem, de az¨¦rt ezekben az esetekben is a kac¨¦rkod¨® kifejez¨¦sek mellett ott duruzsol a monitoroz¨¢s v¨¢gya.
?sszess¨¦g¨¦ben elmondhat¨®, hogy Nap¨®leon volt a felvil¨¢gosult abszol¨²t uralkod¨® megval¨®sult mint¨¢ja. Minden c¨¦lja Franciaorsz¨¢g, a sereg ¨¦s saj¨¢t csal¨¢dja felemel¨¦se volt. A mag¨¢n¨¦letben viszont semmilyen kapcsolatba nem ker¨¹ltem volna vele sz¨ªvesen, mert a st¨ªlusa ki¨¢llhatatlan volt.
Megjegyz¨¦s: Mivel a k?tet forr¨¢sgy?jtem¨¦ny is lehetne, nem csillagoztam. Ugyanakkor az egyetemi oktat¨¢sban csak kezd? k?tetnek javasolhatom, mert a forr¨¢sokat nem tudt¨¢k pontosan megjel?lni, azok csak a felsorol¨¢s szintj¨¦n szerepelnek a k?nyv v¨¦g¨¦n.
September 4, 2020
This is a great version of Napoleon's "Maxims of War." Still the same great advice from one of the world's greatest military theoreticians and practitioners (with illustrating notes drawn from the campaigns of Gustavus Adolphus, Turenne, Frederick, and Napoleon), all while being highly legible, and above all, searchable. Well done and highly recommended!
I bought it as a reference to use while writing an upcoming war/business/life strategy book and to update an earlier book: Strategy Pure and Simple: Essential Moves for Winning in Competition and Cooperation
Bottom line: highly recommended by a fellow author.
I bought it as a reference to use while writing an upcoming war/business/life strategy book and to update an earlier book: Strategy Pure and Simple: Essential Moves for Winning in Competition and Cooperation
Bottom line: highly recommended by a fellow author.
July 30, 2011
Read it carefully, and you¡¯ll understand how the guy managed to grab most of Europe ¨C and how he lost it.
January 6, 2016
"Morrer n?o ¨¦ nada,mas viver derrotado e sem gl¨®ria ¨¦ morrer cada dia".
(Napole?o Bonaparte,1769/1823)
(Napole?o Bonaparte,1769/1823)
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March 1, 2025Sz¨®val Nap¨®leon olyan t¨ªpus¨² f¨¦rfi volt. Ok¨¦, vettem.
F¨¦lre¨¦rt¨¦s ne ess¨¦k, abszol¨²t ¨¦rthet? mi¨¦rt b¨¢lv¨¢nyozz¨¢k annyira, v¨¦gt¨¦re is hatalmas dolgokat vitt v¨¦ghez, de ahhoz a k¨¦pmutat¨¢shoz kellett egy t¨¢rsadalom is k?r¨¦ ami valameddig elfogadta, s?t t¨¢pl¨¢lta a t?rekv¨¦seit.
Vanna nagyon j¨® gondolatai ¨¦s hasznos katonai megl¨¢t¨¢sai, csak van egy konkr¨¦t t¨ªpus¨² h¨ªmsovinizmus a st¨ªlus¨¢ban ami¨¦rt nem vagyok oda.
A franci¨¢kr¨®l sz¨®l¨® r¨¦sze nekem f¨¢jdalmasan ¨¢ltal¨¢nos¨ªt¨®nak t?nt (vagy embereke vagyunk mind hasonl¨®k, vagy rossz a ford¨ªt¨¢s, vagy maga Nap¨®leon v¨¦lekedett ilyen semmit mond¨®an r¨®luk)
De ?szint¨¦n felkeltette az ¨¦rdekl?d¨¦semet, hogy milyen szem¨¦lyes ellenvet¨¦sei voltak ez ellen a Murat figura ellen? Fogalmam sincs, hogy az ki, de biztos oda lehet a feles¨¦g¨¦¨¦rt
F¨¦lre¨¦rt¨¦s ne ess¨¦k, abszol¨²t ¨¦rthet? mi¨¦rt b¨¢lv¨¢nyozz¨¢k annyira, v¨¦gt¨¦re is hatalmas dolgokat vitt v¨¦ghez, de ahhoz a k¨¦pmutat¨¢shoz kellett egy t¨¢rsadalom is k?r¨¦ ami valameddig elfogadta, s?t t¨¢pl¨¢lta a t?rekv¨¦seit.
Vanna nagyon j¨® gondolatai ¨¦s hasznos katonai megl¨¢t¨¢sai, csak van egy konkr¨¦t t¨ªpus¨² h¨ªmsovinizmus a st¨ªlus¨¢ban ami¨¦rt nem vagyok oda.
A franci¨¢kr¨®l sz¨®l¨® r¨¦sze nekem f¨¢jdalmasan ¨¢ltal¨¢nos¨ªt¨®nak t?nt (vagy embereke vagyunk mind hasonl¨®k, vagy rossz a ford¨ªt¨¢s, vagy maga Nap¨®leon v¨¦lekedett ilyen semmit mond¨®an r¨®luk)
De ?szint¨¦n felkeltette az ¨¦rdekl?d¨¦semet, hogy milyen szem¨¦lyes ellenvet¨¦sei voltak ez ellen a Murat figura ellen? Fogalmam sincs, hogy az ki, de biztos oda lehet a feles¨¦g¨¦¨¦rt
April 6, 2022
Like Sun Tzu stated the active participation in warfare is a kind of art. Both sides want to avoid the loss of life as much as possible, and if both are well studied will avoid entering into confrontation where the advantage is given to the other party.
Aggression, quick strong towards symbolic landmarks¡ªand yet we know this conquest is a failed enterprise, you overreach... you over extend yourself... you inspire the hatred of the conquered...
But in a game of defense... or in a war to liberate, the odds are in your favor.
Aggression, quick strong towards symbolic landmarks¡ªand yet we know this conquest is a failed enterprise, you overreach... you over extend yourself... you inspire the hatred of the conquered...
But in a game of defense... or in a war to liberate, the odds are in your favor.
September 23, 2022
I LOVE the legend of Napoleon. I wanted to learn more about his military maxims and bought this book.
There¡¯s a lot to chew off here and I think it¡¯s easier to digest if you read it versus listen to it.
A printed list of all his maxims will inspire both civilian and military excellence.
To glory and excellence of Emperor Napoleon I, I salute him for instilling adventure, curiosity, and aiming for excellence. His story is one of the ages and should inspire people of all ages to shoot for maximum potential.
There¡¯s a lot to chew off here and I think it¡¯s easier to digest if you read it versus listen to it.
A printed list of all his maxims will inspire both civilian and military excellence.
To glory and excellence of Emperor Napoleon I, I salute him for instilling adventure, curiosity, and aiming for excellence. His story is one of the ages and should inspire people of all ages to shoot for maximum potential.
April 28, 2025
Napoleon has been called a giant for the ages, and his influence resonates to this day not only in the field of military endeavor but also in law and governance. His military maxims, captured here in Napoleon's Art of War, are timeless principles applicable to many aspects of life. To contextualize each of the seventy-eight pithy maxims, General Burnod provides brief explanatory expositions.
February 25, 2023
This is barely a book, and frankly a poor excuse for anything approaching an introduction to Napoleon. Each chapter has one or two lines from Napoleon followed by badly formatted passages from the editor attempting to give context and application to the French maverick¡¯s quips. The style is jarring, disjoined and practically incomprehensible.
Currently reading
June 11, 2023awesome
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2024
Raccolta di pensieri e aforismi decontestualizzati. Buona la parte biografica.
November 7, 2024
Simplicity and overarching themes of warfare combined with detailed formation guide which for modern day user seems alien. Great way to look into mind of Napoleon himself
April 21, 2025
What an interesting man. For me, he is indeed among the most important and influential people of all time. First is Jesus, then in no particular order: Julius Caesar, Alexander the great, Napoleon¡
February 7, 2024
Nem neh¨¦z olvasm¨¢ny, gyorsan meg van vele az ember. Nagyon ¨¦rdekes l¨¢tni, hogy Nap¨®leon hogyan gondolkodott, voltak b?lcs megjegyz¨¦sei, amelyek a mostani h¨¦tk?znapi probl¨¦m¨¢inkban is seg¨ªthetnek.
July 21, 2019
It¡¯s like Napoleon¡¯s version of Sun Tzu. It¡¯s very brief, and the commentary of various editions is more or less irrelevant. This could do with a modern edition with expansive analysis of how the various maxims played out in Napoleon¡¯s campaigns. Still, if you¡¯re a fan, then it¡¯s available free and a quick read.
June 17, 2010
While I love reading source material so that I can make my own interpretations, I found the amount of actual source to be very light. There are 78 Maxims which cover 27 pages of this book, the other 225 are introductions, interpretations, and bibliographies. I realize that a text which is older needs some context (i.e. Sun Tzu's Art of War) but 200 pages worth of context? I believe if you picked up the book and know who Napoleon was, then you may already have context.
Maxims were interesting, but I worry something gets lost in translation from French.
Maxims were interesting, but I worry something gets lost in translation from French.
March 20, 2016
I discovered these maxims listening to a Jocko Willink podcast () and was interested in them from a business leadership perspective, as well as from the military angle. In all honesty I would have preferred to just stick with the podcast as Jocko pulls out the most relevant points anyway. The maxims are freely available online, as is the book, so at least I didn't have to pay for it.
December 4, 2020
I haven't read Sun Tzu's Art of War yet, but I wonder how many of these maxims are similar to or are also in the most well-known Art of War...
Anyway, there were some interesting tips on trench warfare. It was also surprising to realize that trench warfare has been going on before and during Napoleon's time (pre-American Revolutionary War) to World War I. It's fascinating that Napoleon thought that trench warfare was outdated in his time.
Anyway, there were some interesting tips on trench warfare. It was also surprising to realize that trench warfare has been going on before and during Napoleon's time (pre-American Revolutionary War) to World War I. It's fascinating that Napoleon thought that trench warfare was outdated in his time.
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March 2, 2016A collection of short maxims, complemented by historical examples courtesy of General Burnod.
I read this alongside a biography of Napoleon (The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte) and found it fascinating. On its own it may be a bit less enthralling.
I read this alongside a biography of Napoleon (The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte) and found it fascinating. On its own it may be a bit less enthralling.
July 11, 2019
Aranyos kis gy?jt¨¦s innen onnan elhangzott Napoleon id¨¦zetekb?l. Eg¨¦sz sok mindent meg lehet tudni a jellem¨¦r?l, gondolkod¨¢sm¨®dj¨¢r¨®l ¨¦s az 'nagy igazs¨¢gokat' ak¨¢r a saj¨¢t ¨¦let¨¦re is alkalmazhatja az ember.
January 6, 2022
Amellett, hogy beketint¨¦st nyerhet¨¹nk Nap¨®le¨®n ¨¦let¨¦be ¨¦s gondolkod¨¢s¨¢ba, a k?nyvb?l meg¨¦rthetj¨¹k t?rv¨¦nyszer? felemelked¨¦s¨¦nek ¨¦s buk¨¢s¨¢nak h¨¢tter¨¦t. N¨¦hol k?nnyen tetten¨¦rhet?, hogy mai akt¨ªv vezet?k is forgatj¨¢k ezt a m?vet.
January 2, 2013
Yawn, okay.
December 28, 2013
Very good overview of his art of war, without giving you too much of a headache. Where i would start if I was a beginner.
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