There is much to learn from the man and this biographer-who himself was a great strategist and mind. All these myths belies his strategic acumen, his mastery of terrain and his deep understanding of statesmanship and politics. It is that kind of thinking that immediately displaces any preceding notions about Sherman's reputation as a general or a legend. There is a stunningly profound quote from Hart in the book that I'll paraphrase here that defines his genius: Sherman's success was rooted in his grasp that the way to success is strategically along the line of least expectation and tactically along the line of least resistance. it has some useful advice and good stories about how ego can lead to your downfall. As in Ego is the Enemy this book has a lot of real-life examples and Stoic wisdom. He talks about persistence (action) and perseverance (endurance). It starts with how we perceive things and then how we take action to respond to them. I almost feel like I have lost something not having known this of him my whole life. It deals with how to overcome obstacles by embracing them and looking at them as opportunities. EgoIsTheEnemyfinal jacket John DeLorean ran his car company into the ground with a mix of outsized ambition, negligence, narcissism. It is equal parts due to the greatness of the man himself and to Hart's vivid and engrossing portrait. The whole point of Stoicism is what you do. It comes from Epictetus: Don’t explain your philosophy.

This was someone I knew little about before I read the book, and by the end of it found myself referencing and thinking of him constantly. I’ll leave you with the one rule that captures all the rules. Sherman: Soldier, Realist, American by B.H Liddell Hart.

The ego is the enemy marcus aurelius