Napoleon On The "Courage of 2 A.M."

Related: 

Napoleon On Men of Destiny.

Napoleon On Speculators And Profiteers.

 Napoleon On An Age of Transition & The Dangers of A Militarist Government.
Napoleon On Alexander The Great.

Napoleon On Public Debts. 

Napoleon On Public Opinion. 

 Napoleon On Homer.

From, "The Mind of Napoleon: A Selection from His Written and Spoken Words," edited and translated by J. Christopher Herold. Columbia University Press: New York. 1955. Pg. 220.

[Conversation, December 1815, related by Las Cases] As for moral courage, Napoleon said, he had rarely encountered the "courage of 2 A.M."---that is, the extemporaneous courage which, even in the most sudden emergencies, leaves one's freedom of mind, judgment, and decision completely unaffected. He asserted unequivocally that he had known himself to possess that 2 A.M. courage to a higher degree than any other man.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tapped into the same theme in her "3 A.M." ad during the 2008 presidential race. Watch it below.