How to Take Over the World

Official updates from the podcast How to Take Over the World. Lessons from the greatest leaders of all time. Created by @BenWilsonTweets.

[How to Take Over the World @HTTOTW]

🚨 NEW EPISODE!! 🚨
The Gangster Philosopher: Francois de la Rochefoucauld

- He kidnapped the queen of France, and seduced many powerful women
- Constantly tried to overthrow the government of France
- Was shot in the face in battle
- Wrote one of the great works of philosophy

[Ben Wilson @BenWilsonTweets]

If you couldn't attend this and would like to hit the next one:

Our next beautification event will be held on June 13th, 3 PM, in Southern Salt Lake County (Exact location still TBD).

Invitation in subsequent post.

[Covenant @Covenant__Amadi]

If you haven’t listened to all the episodes of @HTTOTW you’re missing out

Bonus points if you listen to em multiple times 💯 💪🏽

Covers a lot of these greats in detail with superb storytelling

[Hervin Alvarez @hervin_]

I was listening to a podcast yesterday about Hitler (Really well done, from the channel @HTTOTW).

I don’t know much about the life of Hitler, but I’ve heard him being portrayed as a charismatic speaker able to move the crowd.
Where did he get that ability from?

Because of the podcast, I learned that, in his youth, Hitler spent a lot of times inside hostels.
From the outside it looked like he was wasting time not being very productive.
It seems like he was a bohemian, going nowhere.

He spent his time reading.
Arguing politics.
Debating his views with anyone who would listen.

While it might seem like that was a lazy period, I think that’s part of where he sharpened his axe.

I can imagine he got a lot of reps when it came to learning to speak about his political beliefs in a persuasive manner.
Getting real-time feedback on what resonated and what didn't.

It’s weird to learn this lesson from such an evil person, but if you want to become a great speaker, you have to speak, a lot.

[How to Take Over the World @HTTOTW]

@NiklausFuller Yes

[Zac @zac_pohlenz]

@Andrewnsnyder I’ve really enjoyed and benefited from How to Take Over The World lately, with Ben Wilson. He does deep dives on great men of history. His series on Washington was excellent

@HTTOTW

[How to Take Over the World @HTTOTW]

@NiklausFuller @BenWilsonTweets Yes and no. Can't put premium video on Spotify. But I can put it on Supercast. It's a little complicated. Will send an email to Premium explaining.

Thanks for raising the issue.

[Ben Wilson @BenWilsonTweets]

George Washington: "deliberate maturely, but execute promptly and vigorously."

Rockefeller had a similar style:

[yuvaly0 @yuvaly0]

Started listening to @HTTOTW and @relentless a couple months back, best decision I've made

[Ben Wilson @BenWilsonTweets]

Never doubt the true American spirit.

Always remember that the director of the greatest scientific establishment of the day with UNLIMITED FUNDING...

was beat by two frontier boys with a bike shop and a pinch of autism.

[How to Take Over the World @HTTOTW]

@BenWilsonTweets If you would like to learn more, listen here: https://t.co/yLz9kkEu08

[Ben Wilson @BenWilsonTweets]

People don't understand just how vast the contributions of Thomas Edison were:

* Invented the light bulb
* Invented recorded sound
* Invents the carbon microphone telephone
* Key innovations in developing the power grid
* Develops alkaline storage battery
* Major innovator in film and motion pictures
* Invented the research corporation
* Many other "minor" inventions like the underwater microphone, the electric pen, and the mimeograph

He also had one of the most interesting lives of all time:

* Mark Twain frontier childhood
* Has to overcome being mostly deaf from his early childhood (probably due to an explosion he caused from one of his chemistry experiments)
* Prankster who loves shocking people with electricity in an age when most people don't even know what electricity is
* His entire business burns down at its very height
* International celebrity - genuinely one of the most famous people of his day

So what made him great?

* Genuinely addicted to inventing. Usually fell asleep at his desk.
* His lack of education actually helped him. Rather than trying to understand exactly how something worked, he just tinkered until it DID work.
* Unbelievable persistence - just never ever gave up on something once he started it
* Great showman - loved showing off new inventions
* He was comfortable pushing his employees extremely hard
* Unbelievably competitive

Best Edison quotes:

* “Everything on earth depends on will. I never had an idea in my life. I’ve got no imagination. I never dream. My so-called inventions already existed in the environment—I took them out. I’ve created nothing. Nobody does. There’s no such thing as an idea being brain-born; everything comes from the outside. The industrious one coaxes it from the environment; the drone lets it lie there while he goes off to the baseball game. The ‘genius’ hangs around his laboratory day and night. If anything happens he’s there to catch it; if he wasn’t, it might happen just the same, only it would never be his.”
* "I am no genius. Unless we accept the theory that genius is prolonged patience. I am patient enough, to be sure."
* Tesla quote about Edison "The effect that Edison had on me was rather extraordinary. When I saw this wonderful man, who had no training at all, no advantages, and did it all himself, and saw the great results by virtue of his industry and application, I felt mortified that I had squandered my life."

[Ben Wilson @BenWilsonTweets]

To be an extraordinary leader you must have compelling eyes. From Paul Johson's biography of Jesus:

"Jesus was very observant. It is notable how many times he is described as 'looking,' 'looking upon,' 'looking round,' 'looking up.'

His habit of penetrating observation punctuates the narrative: '[H]e looked round' before speaking. 'And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said . . .' 'And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter.'

'[H]e had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts.'

He was a man greatly interested in detail. He missed nothing. He had a penetrating gaze, which eyewitnesses noticed and remembered.

His all-seeing eyes were, almost certainly, the first thing that struck people about him."

[Ben Wilson @BenWilsonTweets]

Thomas Jefferson:

"The room was hung around with a collection of portraits of remarkable men.

Hamilton asked me who they were. I told him they were the... greatest men the world had ever produced. He paused for some time.

'The greatest man that ever lived was Julius Caesar'"

[Ben Wilson @BenWilsonTweets]

In honor of Apple's 50th anniversary tomorrow, here is my favorite Steve Jobs quote on what a founder actually does:

"There needs to be someone who is the keeper and reiterator of the vision.

Because there's just a ton of work to do. A lot of times, when you have to walk a thousand miles and you take the first step, it looks like a long way.

It really helps if there's someone there saying, 'Well, we're one step closer. The goal definitely exists. It's not just a mirage out there.'

So in a thousand and one little, and sometimes larger, ways, the vision needs to be reiterated."

[Ben Wilson @BenWilsonTweets]

🚨🚨 NEW EPISODE: HITLER PART 2 🚨🚨

In part 2, we look at how Hitler went from building a movement to taking total power in Germany.

00:00 - How Tyrants Take Power
01:30 - Beer Hall Putsch Begins
08:00 - Hitler Sways the Crowd
12:50 - The Coup Collapses
23:30 - The Trial of the Century
38:30 - Writing Mein Kampf
44:00 - Lebensraum Vision
51:20 - The Great Reunification
58:00 - Bamberg Power Play
01:03:17 - 25 Point Program
01:08:04 - Anti-Clericalism
01:21:14 - Building For the Future
01:29:24 - Weimar System Primer
01:33:49 - Hitler Runs For President
01:36:22 - Refusing Vice Chancellor
01:43:34 - Hitler Strategy Doing Nothing
01:59:00 - Enabling Act Ends Democracy
02:05:48 - Reichstag Fire Crackdown
02:11:22 Four Lessons Wrap Up
-----
Sources:⁠⁠⁠
⁠Hitler: A Biography by Ian Kershaw⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠Hitler: Beyond Evil and Tyranny by RHS Stolfi⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hitler: A Global Biography by Brendan Simms⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠In His Own Words: The Essential Speeches of Adolf Hitler by CJ Miller⁠⁠
⁠⁠Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler (New Ford Translation)⁠⁠
-----
Sponsors:⁠⁠⁠
⁠The Classical Society⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠David Senra Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠Zodl (The new Zashi wallet)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠Speechify⁠

[Brett Cain @BrettWCain]

the @HTTOTW podcast talks about this.

[Duvenson @duvmetellus]

Just finished this episode and came to the realization that the best thing a curious person can do is listen to other curious people.

Now I have 10+ rabbit holes to get into, from AI articles, to books, and to more founders obviously.

@FoundersPodcast X @HTTOTW 🫡

[How to Take Over the World @HTTOTW]

@ankith_jh @zachpogrob @laasya_shree_ ⚡️⚡️⚡️

[How to Take Over the World @HTTOTW]

@flipmodesquab @Melt_Dem @Bfaviero Only fully water soluble creatine on the market.

[Ben Wilson @BenWilsonTweets]

Here is the edit on its own. Use responsibly etc etc.