5) Strong Faith in Divine Favor
Apollo and Venus often visited him in dreams. He listened.
Translation: High trust in his intuitions, great boldness.
Compare how Sulla grabbed $$ from sacred temples, without hesitation (very taboo):
This example shows his humor:
6) Knew how to relax.
He was "Desirous of pleasure but of glory still more; he was a man of luxurious relaxation; yet pleasure never kept him from his activities." (Sallust)
Relaxed mind --> better focus and intuition.
Lucullus (depicted) learned well from his mentor Sulla:
7) Cultivated Mentors
Sulla was incredibly talented, but voluntarily put himself under the wing of the great Gaius Marius and others.
Mentors = skills, knowledge, connections you don't have yet.
(He later became Marius' nemesis. Many lessons to be taken from this, too.)
8) Developed the ability to learn new subjects quickly
Sulla began his military career VERY late, age 30.
But once he got to Numidia:
"Although previously inexperienced and ignorant of warfare, he became in a short time the shrewdest of all"
-Sallust
Napoleon was similar.
9) Gave without asking in return.
This is not being nice.
This is not being careless with your gifts and expenditures.
This is the long game.
Sulla didn't want a one time trade, he wanted to build loyalty and relationships.
The young Sulla on his first campaign in Numidia:
