Joseph Ellis authored a book about George Washington called “His Excellency.” All my years of formal education, including history classes, did not teach me what that book did. I must have missed the point of studying history or it wasn’t clearly communicated to me in school, but I recognized the relevance of history in Ellis’ book. This book revealed to me several timeless principles that provide guidance on greatness.
The reflection on principles has been tremendously valuable to me, especially when I see similar observations from others. My reading has been broad and it includes the writings of some iconic figures and thinkers. In them, I have found validation of the observations I made while studying “His Excellency.” History is a tremendous teacher and most great humans have recognized this.
For years now, I have been hungry for history, having read books such as “Walking With Destiny” (Churchill biography) by Andrew Roberts, “Alexander Hamilton” by Ron Chernow, “The Storm of War” by Andrew Roberts, “Against the Gods” by Peter Bernstein, and “On Grand Strategy” by John Lewis Gaddis. These books shed light on all kinds of useful subjects such as strategy, risk, resilience, principled decision-making, and so much more. (NOTE: The links are for reference. I am not an affiliate of the authors or sellers.)
Churchill was a master of history, having written 37 history books while reading hundreds more. Similarly, Hamilton was known to devour books on history and philosophy. These two men were at the center of history that is still relevant today. Both men leaned heavily on reflections of the past when making decisions that would shape the world.
History, when considered thoughtfully, can be a wonderful teacher of valuable principles and experiences. Most circumstances resemble something that has happened before. Yet even those who encounter firsts can benefit from the lessons of history in blazing a new trail. Churchill and Hamilton are prime examples of individuals who navigated firsts with the help of historic reflections.
I finish with a quote by Niccolò Machiavelli: “For since men almost always walk in paths beaten by others and proceed in their actions by imitation, a prudent man should always enter upon the paths beaten by great men, and imitate those who have been most excellent, so that if his own virtue does not reach that far, it is at least in the odor of it.”
