I read this biography of Bernard Arnault When the book ends Arnault is just 42 years old Here are my top 10 highlights: 1. I may lose once but I never lose twice. 2. He had such an appetite for victory and such a capacity for work that he was bound to succeed. 3. Arnault is an iron fist in an iron glove. 4. He did not stray from his path. Relentlessly he pursued his ascent and seized every passing opportunity. 5. It is not surprising that the only man who truly fascinates Arnault is Giovanni Agnelli. The chairman of Fiat embodies both the supremely successful industrialist and unequalled power. That, in Arnault's eyes, is what it is all about. Politics is ephemeral; companies have a durability which guarantees the only real power worth having. 6. He had worked from the time he was a child and he had never stopped working. His father never had to tell him to study. That was all he had ever done. 7. Arnault learned with excessive zeal. 8. He had faith in no one but himself. 9. Arnault had understood before anyone else that it (luxury) was a true industry. 10. He does not compromise. He overturns everything in his path. It is totally foreign to his nature to compromise his beliefs. Listen to the podcast I made about this very hard to find book (episode 296)