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Quotation from Napoleon's Maxims of War by Napoleon Bonaparte
“The first qualification in a general-in-chief is a cool head--that is, a head which receives just impressions, and estimates things and objects at their real value. He must not allow himself to be elated by good news, or depressed by bad”
Napoleon's Maxims of War, Maxim LXXIII, trans. G. C. D'Aguilar from Burnod (1831; 1862 reprint)
A maxim on emotional regulation in command; it goes on to exclude men who dramatise every trivial occurrence.
Citation: "The first qualification in a general-in-chief is a cool head--that is, a head which receives just impressions, and estimates things and objects at their real value. He must not allow himself to be elated by good news, or depressed by bad" — Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleon's Maxims of War, Maxim LXXIII, trans. G. C. D'Aguilar from Burnod (1831; 1862 reprint). (id napoleons-maxims-of-war-q8)
Virtues: Prudence
Portrait: The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries, Jacques-Louis David, Public domain.
