Quintus Curtius

This podcast is a reading of A. Conan Doyle's tale of the supernatural, "The Ring Of Thoth." First published in 1890, it recounts the horrific consequences of an ancient Egyptian priest's discovery of the secret to eternal life.

When you are leading, you have to make the big decisions. You have to make the call, not sit back and cover your ass. That's why you're there. In this podcast, we discuss: 1. Why you need to know your job and lead from the front. 2. Why your total focus should be on obligations, not your privileges. 3. Why the ass-covering mentality is so destructive.

This podcast is a reading of H.G. Wells's short story "The Door In The Wall." Published in 1911, it is considered one of his finest short pieces. It describes a young boy's discovery of a secret door that led to an enchanted land, and the effect that this secret revelation had on the rest of his life.

In this podcast, I read two short poems by William Butler Yeats. Listen, relax, and let your mind roam to some other place.

This podcast is a reading of A. Conan Doyle's terrifying tale "The Brazilian Cat." Published in 1898, the story describes the ordeal of a young heir to a fortune who is deliberately locked in a cage with a ferocious jungle cat by a sinister relative determined to murder him.

In this podcast, I read H.G. Wells's short story "The Flowering of the Strange Orchid." It is a weird tale of imaginative fiction that relates the story of a mild-mannered orchid enthusiast who buys an unknown species of jungle orchid. As he cultivates it, he finds out that he got more than he bargained for.

When things have reached a state of paralysis or gridlock, it is often necessary to shatter the paralysis by taking decisive, muscular action. Real leaders do not sit on their hands and wait to test the prevailing winds of opinion. Have the moral courage to act. Many today who call themselves "leaders" ignore or have forgotten this principle. This podcast discusses three examples taken from Winston Churchill's "The World Crisis." They show how he harnessed this principle in 1919 to break through the paralysis that had come to surround some critical issues.

In this podcast, I read H.G. Wells's short story "The Diamond Maker." The tale raises questions about the price that creative people have to pay for their efforts. Have a listen, and see what you think.

You asked for it, and you got it. This is the latest installment in the G Manifesto tweet reading podcasts, and it's called "Lockdown Edition." Tune in and catch the vibe.

I state what I believe are the six most critical leadership traits that anyone in a position of authority needs to master. They can be applied to nearly any circumstance or situation.

This is a crucial moment. You will be judged by how you conduct yourself over the next few months. As for philosophy, you want to talk the talk, but have you really internalized the messages? We discuss shipwrecks, some lessons from the movie "The Edge," and the crucial importance of maintaining a rigorous, disciplined schedule. More than ever before, you have to be self-starter. Your time is now.

Captain Adolf Von Schell was an infantry officer in the German Army during the First World War. In 1930 he gave a series of lectures on battle leadership to American officers at the Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia. These presentations were later collected into a book called "Battle Leadership." In this podcast, I read a short selection from Capt. Von Schell's book, and discuss its relevance for today.

A reader has some questions about some possible choices in his life. We comment on this, and talk about: (1) how having too many choices can inhibit progress; (2) why you should focus on internals, and not externals; (3)why character and determination are all-important; and (4) how you need to shock yourself out of the self-imposed ruts you can very easily slip into.

A reader asks why he feels pangs of regret for not yet being married and having a family. I respond by explaining that (1) everyone's path is different; (2) if you really wanted to do it, you would do it; (3) the real reason for your regret is deeper, and lies elsewhere, and (4) focus on being the best version of yourself you can be.

Are you holding yourself accountable every day by living a good life, a productive life? Are you actions congruent with your words? We talk about that slime bag mentality, how it holds you back, and how those little voices in your head can lead you down the path of vices. There are no shortcuts, no days off, no letups. You need to be putting in work, and not retreating one inch. Ever.

In this podcast we talk about the origins of anger, and how best to manage your anger issues. Most anger can be traceable to: Failure to hold yourself accountable Your lack of self-respect Your lack of self-discipline Desire for revenge Sense of loss Sense of guilt

In this podcast, I talk about the documentary film "Sad Hill Unearthed," and what conclusions we should draw from it. The movie describes how four friends found and restored the cemetery in Spain used for the iconic climax to the 1965 Sergio Leone film "The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly." We discuss how art can work to nurture dreams, and why you should follow your visions, no matter what other people may think.

My book "Digest," a collection of my most important essays from 2016 to January 2020, has just been released. This podcast describes the book and its contents. Links to find the book can be found at: www.qcurtius.com

I often get questions from readers asking if they should do seminars, courses, retreats, take classes, or things like this. It's a great question. My thoughts are these: (1) Everyone has different motivational needs and requirements; (2) Your resources and time are limited; (3) You should experiment with different things to find out what works, and what does not; (4) Even if it doesn't work out, you will still have learned something.

We're ringing in the new year with another G Manifesto tweet reading (even though he's already in 2022). The topics are: custom suits, nootropics, game meats, mountain villages, ocean swims, beautiful girls, and avoiding weesh dudes. What more can be said? Kick back, have a drink or two, and laugh along with us! Life is too short! (Most will never get something like this).

This is my reading of T.S. Eliot's immortal poem "The Hollow Men." It's one of my favorites. It becomes more relevant and compelling with every passing year.

In this movie roundup we discuss "1917" (2019), "Earthquake Bird," (2019), and "Furthest Witness" (2017).

In this roundup, we discuss four recent movies: Mike Wallace Is Here (2019) Destroyer (2018) At Eternity's Gate (2019) Meeting Gorbachev (2018) Tune in for the discussion!

What is surrealist painting? In this podcast, I offer a few thoughts on surrealism in painting, and name a few of my favorite surrealist painters. This is a vast subject, but a lot can be gained by looking at the work of the very best artists: Giorgio de Chirico, Yves Tanguy, Max Ernst, Joan Miro, and Pablo Picasso.

In this podcast we discuss some aspects of Martin Scorsese's movie "The Irishman." This movie seems to divide people into proponents and detractors. I think it is a great film, and very much worth seeing, as long as we approach it from the right perspective.

In this podcast we discuss some good movies and programs I've seen recently. "Dark Waters" (2019) is a legal drama dealing with corporate malfeasance, and "The Confession Killer" (2019) is a gripping documentary about how the Henry Lee Lucas serial killer investigation was handled. In some ways, the message of both of them is the same: justice does not come automatically, but has to be fought for by courageous people.

It's been a while since I've done a G Manifesto tweet reading. But popular demand can't be ignored, so I decided to put another podcast out with some of his most recent tweets. The laughter is nonstop...listen for yourself.

Two things can be truly harmful to an individual or a society: the loss of a sense of confidence, and the acquisition of a consuming sense of shame. What are these qualities, and why are they so deleterious? We analyze and discuss.

What do young men really want? What impulses and motivations drive their thinking? I offer four fundamental necessities.

A reader is concerned that hanging around with a certain group of friends might get him into problems or trouble. He is unsure how to deal with the situation, and asks for some guidance on the best course of action. For some people, this is an easily-handled situation, but for others, it is not. We discuss.

After reading Charles Leerhsen's excellent biography of baseball player Ty Cobb, it's clear that each of us is responsible for making sure that misinformation and lies do not go unanswered. For decades, Ty Cobb was maligned as a venomous "racist," a murderer, a dirty player, and everything in between. It turns out that these stories were wholesale fabrications. But Cobb should have done more to stop the misinformation from achieving such currency. We discuss.

In this podcast, we discuss two films: "Joker" (2019), and "The Killing Fields" (1984), both of which you should see.

In this podcast we discuss two movies: "Never Look Away" (2018), a German coming-of-age drama directed by Florian von Donnersmarck, and "Ad Astra" (2019), the space drama starring Brad Pitt and directed by James Gray.

In this podcast we deal with two recent emails. One email asks about the military: what lessons did I learn, and how did it change me. Another email asks about what he should be studying in college, and what sort of career he should pursue. There are no easy answers to these questions, but just talking about them can be of real benefit.

Does it sometimes seem as if there are no leaders of substance any more? That, as we look around the world, or around our nation, every so-called "leader" is a mediocrity who does nothing of consequence? Did leaders of previous eras have better character and overall fortitude? We ask whether this sweeping generalization has some elements of truth, and make some related observations.

We deal with two different questions from two different readers. The first question is from a girl who has recently broken up with her boyfriend, and can't decide if she should "give it a second chance." There are complications. The second question is from a high school student who wants to know how he can combine a "great books" program with military school. We offer some thoughts.

This podcast is a great conversation I had with my friend Carlo Prater, who has been an MMA fighter for 17 years. He discusses the mental steps he goes through before, during, and after a bout, as well as other general thoughts on life and work. Don't miss it!

This is probably the most serious question I've ever received from a reader. A very heart-felt email from a man who is faced with an extremely difficult situation: he has been contacted by a dying father who abandoned and abused him as a child, and who now wants to have contact with him. He is unsure whether he should re-establish contact. We offer some suggestions on how to arrive at a decision.

A young man of 24 years has a lot of questions running through his head. He doesn't know what he should be focusing on right now, and is not sure he should focus on business growth, travel, or family issues. We offer some suggestions.

In this podcast we have a bit of fun suggesting who may be the fifteen greatest military commanders in history. It is, of course, a highly subjective exercise, and I need not be told how rash the exercise is. Nevertheless, we persist. On Fortress of the Mind (www.qcurtius.com), I will also post the entire list. My hope is that this will generate some animated discussion.

In this special interview, MMA star Carlo "The One" Prater discusses how he got into martial arts, what it's like to have a family, and many other subjects. Don't miss it!

In this podcast we discuss some impressions of my recent visit to Fortaleza. Then we do a few tweet readings from the G Manifesto.

In this podcast, we discuss a reader's email asking about the differences between courage and recklessness. What are the parameters? And how do we know when we go too far? We then close with more G Manifesto tweet readings.

In 1906 Jack London visited Hawaii as part of his epic journey across the Pacific. There he encountered surfers for the first time, and learned the sport. His observations and impressions were recorded in a chapter of his book "The Cruise of the Snark," and remain fascinating to this day. We read passages from this chapter, and discuss.

"Monstrous and inconceivable" was how Jack London described the conception and construction of his yacht "Snark," the ship on which he planned to sail around the world. This podcast describes his thoughts on building it, his problems and obstacles, and the true spirit of discovery. We then close with some tweet readings from the G Manifesto.

A reader has just been laid off from his accounting job and is distressed. He is not sure what to do next, and is faced with a few difficult options. We discuss some general thoughts, and what principles to keep in mind.

We discuss two fables from Aesop that illustrate the point that we ourselves must take action, and not expect deities to come to our aid. When all is said and done, we must see ourselves as the architects of our own destinies.

"In war the greatest hope lies in the justice of one's cause." This is a line from the historian Appian (IV.12.97), who lived from about 95 A.D. to 165 A.D. We discuss what this line means, and how we can apply it to our own lives.

In this podcast we discuss the subject of having the faith and confidence to follow your creative muse, without looking for the approval or endorsement of others. The herd is always going to try to enforce conformity. Do your homework, do your research, and learn your subject: but at the critical jumping-off moment, you need to keep your own counsel and not let anyone undermine your instinct.

This podcast is in two parts. The first part deals with a good question I received today from a girl who emailed me about a relationship question. The second part is a reading of some G Manifesto tweets, just to have a few laughs. Listen to these amusing tweets, as I try to control my laughter.