Wess Roberts wrote a book in 1993 entitled Victory Secrets of Attila the Hun. It became a best seller, mixing ancient history with business acumen. It was read by CEOs across the United States. One fan was Pat Riley, the former coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. On some level, the book is like President Trump’s Art of the Deal—designed to teach people how to succeed in the business sector.
The book is structured in the following way:
- Provide an anecdote about Attila the Hun’s invasion of the Roman Empire
- Use the anecdote as a teaching lesson, told from the perspective of Attila. The advice is centered on how to lead people, how to run an organization, etc.
Here are the pros and cons of the book:
Pros:
There were a lot of great sayings. You can easily use the maxims in a variety of ways, from personal growth to attention whoring on Facebook. Here are just a few of the quotes:
“Warriors with high potential turn down assignments that don’t offer an opportunity for them to learn and grow.”
“A warrior with high potential is quick to leave a poorly led tribe.”
“A chieftain doesn’t waste time by trying to learn more lessons from an experience than it contains.”
Cons:
Roberts was very enamored with Attila; he describes him in positive terms throughout the entire book. But he conveniently overlooks the other side of Attila; for example, the man who skinned people alive, disemboweled them, and had their bodies torn to pieces by attaching each limb to a horse.
Simultaneously, he describes the Roman Empire in harsh ways; they were savage, brutal, prone to excess, etc. While that was true, there was another side to the Roman Empire—one that allowed them to rule the ancient world.
In short, I found him playing a bit loose with history. And I’m skeptical of people who manipulate the events of history to serve a personal aim.
Summary
Victory Secrets of Attila the Hun is a book that, on some level, has influenced the current migrant invasion of the West. A PHD academic like Wess Roberts, who condemns his own culture while simultaneously sanctifying the foreign invaders. The Roman Empire might as well be America/Europe while the Huns are Syrians, Somalians, etc. It’s very disturbing to see the seeds of our current dilemma. But for anyone that’s familiar with American academics, it should come as no surprise.
I recommend the book on the strength of the quotations. Just be aware that, ultimately, Roberts is a useful idiot that’s being dangled on the puppet strings of George Soros.
Major Styles 