flâneur

Founders: #163 Alfred Nobel

podscripts.co · 12,017 words · saved by 1 readers

What I learned from reading Alfred Nobel: A Biography by Kenne Fant. ---- [16:24] The self-awareness that would become so characteristic of him was awakening and with it the determination to be the master of every situation. He was not going to throw himself into the world and let luck or chance lead the way. [26:26] When it comes to serious matters, I have adopted the rule of acting seriously. [28:09] Alfred never forgot poverty. [30:04] Financial pressure was accelerating his development as an inventor. [39:15] Alfred asked her what she wished as a wedding present. The quick-witted young woman astonished him by replying without hesitation, “As much as Monsieur Nobel himself earns in one day.” Impressed and amused, Alfred agreed. The girl received a monetary gift of such size that she and her husband could enjoy it as long as their marriage lasted. The bank draft Alfred signed was for $110,000. [47:33] It would take many years for Alfred to accept the idea that sometimes business failures were inevitable, that steps forward in one market were very often followed by a decline in another. Alfred learned to steel himself so that the disappointments would not depress him into inaction

[00:00:00] Alfred Nobel honestly felt that his life was so commonplace as to not deserve profound reflection, much less publication. Trying to sum up his life in one terse sentence, he offered the following, I am a misanthrope, and yet utterly benevolent, have more than one screw loose, yet am a super idealist who digests philosophy more efficiently than food. Given Nobel's strong distaste for blowing his own horn, when he was confronted with spontaneous expressions of admiration, he actually experienced a sense of shame, as if a feeling of unworthiness had taken possession of him. His…

related reading