Someone once asked Napoleon how he decided where to assign soldiers.

Napoleon’s reply was that it’s simple:
soldiers are either smart or dumb, lazy or energetic.

  • The smart and energetic I make field commanders. They know what to do and can rally the troops to do it.
  • The smart and lazy I make generals. They also know what to do, but they’re not going to waste energy doing what doesn’t need to be done.
  • The dumb and lazy I make foot soldiers.

But what about the dumb and energetic?
“Those,” Napoleon replied, “I shoot.”