The Story Of Marcus And Barbula

Quintus Curtius History, Thought , ,

In November of 43 B.C., Rome was gripped by a terrible sense of foreboding.  The historian Appian, in his Civil Wars (IV.1.4) relates that all kinds of strange portents were observed around the city.  Statues sweated blood; a newborn infant uttered words; lightning struck sacred temples; and cattle spoke with a human voice.  So alarmed were some senators that they summoned expert diviners from Etruria to weigh these ominous signs.  The most authoritative of these was an elderly man who told them, “The monarchical rule of ancient times is returning.  You will all be slaves except me.”  Once the Etruscan priest spoke these words to the startled senators, says Appian, he closed his mouth and held his breath until he dropped dead before them.

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Pursue The Phoenix

Quintus Curtius Thought , , , ,

One of Saladin’s advisors was a man known by the honorific title Al-Qadi Al-Fadil (“The Excellent Judge”).  We will not try the reader’s patience by recording his protracted real name, but we will note that he lived from 1135 to 1200.  Great conquerors in history always seem to be accompanied by wise counsellors; perhaps there is an important lesson to be derived from this fact. 

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How To Offer People Hope And Inspiration (Podcast)

Quintus Curtius Podcast , ,

As a leader or someone responsible for another person, you will often need to provide hope when your people are in dire situations. You must master techniques and strategies for alleviating people’s stress and anxiety, and for taking them across the finish line. Sincerity cannot be faked. You have to care, and to show you care. We discuss some of these techniques that I’ve learned from practicing law for twenty-five years.

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Speaking At The 2024 Stoicon In Melbourne, Australia

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I was grateful to have been invited to speak (via Zoom) at the 2024 Stoicon in Melbourne Australia. I was asked to say a few words about Cicero’s Stoic Paradoxes, which I had translated in 2015. The video of my presentation is below:

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Marcus Valerius Confronts A Gaul In Personal Combat

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There is a story told in Livy (VII.26) of a raven’s fortuitous intervention on behalf of a Roman soldier engaged in personal combat with a Gaul.  This event, if indeed it is not apocryphal, occurred in 348 B.C. during the consulship of Lucius Furius Camillus. 

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Ruses In War, And Schemes In Negotiation

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There is a humorous scene in the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid that you may be familiar with.  Paul Newman’s character (Butch), when confronted by a rebellious member of his gang who wishes to displace him as leader, is challenged to a knife fight.

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Implementing A Plan, Or Avoiding Action

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There is a tendency in conflict situations for inaction to take precedence over action.  In his chapter The Suspension of Action in War (III.16), Clausewitz explains why this is so.  Three determinants, he says, “function as inherent counterweights” to the impulse for positive action. 

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The Diffusion Of Knowledge

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During a recent panel discussion at the World Economic Forum on Green Energy, former American Secretary of State John Kerry made the following rather disconcerting statement:

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With More Success Come More Responsibilities And Burdens (Podcast)

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Some people think that as they become wealthier and more successful, their lives will resemble that of an idle aristocrat. They believe they will finally reach a point of perfect comfort. The reality is very different. With more success come more work, and more responsibilities, not less. You will have to develop a whole new set of skills to adapt to these changed circumstances. But you can do it.

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Straining At A Gnat, And Swallowing A Camel

Quintus Curtius Thought , , , ,

When we focus on what is insignificant, we are likely to neglect what is most crucial.  He who fixates on the irrelevant escrescence overlooks the significance of the larger structure.  It is with good reason that this admonition is of old date:

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