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this taktya, takhta, ‘throne or coffin’ as our people
If you cannot defeat your enemy by force of arms, do not despair. Find other ways. A sharp, well-oiled double-bladed axe is a fine weapon but so is a finely honed mind that can find a subtler path to victory
‘Whatever it takes, however long the struggle, I will regain Hindustan. I am ready to spill every drop of blood to do so. I will bequeath my sons and their sons a greater empire than even my father dreamed of. I, Humayun, swear it.’
He knew that, just as his father Babur had done when the world turned its back on him, he would have to rely on his own inner resources to find his answers.
Caution is a fine and worthy thing in any monarch, but a truly great ruler must also know when to take risks.
Bad earth does not produce hyacinths, so don’t waste seeds of hope in it. Doing good to the evil is as bad as doing evil to the good.
himself. ‘Prepare well, think and act fast and decisively. Make your opponent respond to you and not the other way round.’
to have the confidence of those around you in your success takes you a great way to victory. Once it abates it is difficult to restore.
He had learned over his reign that a consistently indomitable spirit was as essential to a ruler as bravery in battle.
True courage is to feel fear but still to mount your horse and head into battle.’
Although it was God’s will into which station a man was born, it was up to an individual and his use of his abilities to shape his life from there on. He had not regained his empire because it was predestined but because he had striven to do so, mastering his weaknesses and spurning indulgences to focus all his efforts on that single goal. Proud
