The most important thing for morale was to maintain a united front among the officers.

Never base motivation or fear, entirely.

Foreign policy often involved nothing more than the decision whom to make war upon.

He was a stylist, not a thinker. He spent time trying to say things in as complicated a way as possible.

The cornerstone of the Roman legionnaires’ astonishing fighting spirit can be attributed to their training.

With ancient history writers most immediately in view, the author indicates “tendency to look to the virtues and vices of individuals when seeking causes.

Reality confounds image.

Author describes one monarch’s impressive table but conveys a contemporary’s observation, “the weightiest thing at dinner was the conversation”.

The way to a landowner’s heart was to tax gently.

That the regime was willing to hit itts chief political constituency in the pocket was a clear sign of desperation.

Cultures reflect the interactions of mixed populations.

The factor that made him so powerful was also his greatest liability.

Charisma often flows from total self-confidence.