Founders #226 · · 14 books

Heroes: From Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to Churchill and de Gaulle

Listen on Founders ↗

The book this episode covers

  1. Heroes

    Paul Johnson · Reading rank 89 · in 7 other episodes

    David calls the book a useful, browsable reference to keep at hand.

    Cross-episode reference · Dedicated episode · Explicit praise · Founder theme

Books David recommends along the way

  1. Against the Odds

    James Dyson · Reading rank 1 · in 25 other episodes

    David calls this the book he'd recommend most to entrepreneurs, praising its persistence story.

    Explicit praise

  2. Shoe Dog

    Phil Knight · Reading rank 3 · in 24 other episodes

    David uses Phil Knight's founding belief about running to argue that a company's founding reason matters.

    Founder theme

  3. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant

    Eric Jorgenson · Reading rank 33 · in 18 other episodes

    David calls the book fantastic and recommends ordering it immediately.

    Cross-episode reference · Explicit praise

  4. Churchill

    Paul Johnson · Reading rank 65 · in 8 other episodes

    David says he loved this book, his first by Paul Johnson.

    Cross-episode reference · Explicit praise

  5. Team of Rivals

    Doris Kearns Goodwin · Reading rank 371 · in 2 other episodes

    David calls Team of Rivals a great Lincoln biography.

    Explicit praise · Founder theme

  6. The Edge of the Sword

    Charles de Gaulle · Reading rank 419 · in 1 other episode

    David says de Gaulle's leadership lectures became The Edge of the Sword and foreshadowed his later role, especially the need to disobey foolish or cowardly orders.

    Founder theme

  7. The Second World War

    Winston S. Churchill · Reading rank 419 · in 1 other episode

    David describes Churchill's most successful book and its lasting influence on how the war is remembered.

    Founder theme

  8. Hardcore History Addendum, Episode 9

    Dan Carlin · Watch & Listen · in 1 other episode

    David calls the episode fantastic and recommends it for historical context on Alexander.

    Explicit praise

  9. Running Down a Dream, How to Succeed and Thrive in a Career You Love

    Bill Gurley · Watch & Listen · in 21 other episodes

    David calls it the best entrepreneur talk on YouTube and says he'd watch it repeatedly.

    Explicit praise · Founder theme

Also mentioned

  1. Invent and Wander

    Jeff Bezos · Reading rank 18 · in 23 other episodes

    David quotes Bezos on the importance of fast decision-making from this book.

    Founder theme

  2. In the Company of Giants

    Rama Dev Jager and Rafael Ortiz · Reading rank 27 · in 22 other episodes

    David draws a founder lesson about strengths and weaknesses from a Steve Jobs interview quoted in this book.

    Founder theme

  3. The Splendid and the Vile

    Erik Larson · Reading rank 143 · in 5 other episodes

  4. De Gaulle

    Julian Jackson · Reading rank 187 · in 5 other episodes

    David cites a quote from this biography about intransigence as an asset after the fall of France.

    Founder theme

Each note is a short paraphrase of why David brings the book up. Book pages show every piece of evidence and its review status. How ranking works