In one of my favorite books, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill, the author of the book, tells his readers to study great men (or women). To study them intimately. Study them in such depth that we know their routine, even how they think and how they’d react to situations in our own lives. Know them in such a way that we can theoretically go to them for advice. Understand what made them great, even what led to their downfall. Incorporate the good into our lives, and steer clear of the bad.

I’ve started following Mr. Hill’s advice on this matter much more as of late. Most recently I’ve started studying another Napoleon; Bonaparte. A controversial figure. Even a war monger, a killer of thousands, often a cynic, a sexist, and a man only after one thing: power. Nonetheless, an ambitious man born into poverty who accomplished incredible things in his life. A man we can, and will, learn a lot from.