Post: #1

Is there a guy you hold up as inspiration to accomplishing your goals? How has he affected you?

My first role model was been Richard Feynman, a scientist with a player streak. I was a microbiologist at the time that I discovered him and took to him very quickly. In his first book, I read how he figured out a way to live in Rio to learn music and bang Brazilian girls. He was my main inspiration to living abroad. I wanted to live in Rio like him so I did. I highly recommend his book Surely You're Joking.

As I've been able to taste the lifestyle I've wanted while seeing my work become more widely read, my role model shifted to Malcolm X, primarily because of the influence he has had in fighting a culture he didn't accept, even in the face of nonstop attack and hate. Just like he wanted to benefit his people (American blacks), I want to benefit the Western man. Of course I'm not comparing myself to him, but I do understand how it can be challenging to proceed when constantly attacked, a sign that the culture isn't ready for your belief system. His relentless pursuit of the truth is to be admired. His autobiography was an important read for me.

Honorable mention goes to Derek Sivers, a selfless businessman who got rich sort of by accident. I really admire his work and business sense, and was lucky enough to meet him in Rio. His book Anything You Want is something I often refer to. His web page is at http://www.sivers.org. He has taught me more than anyone that adding value is the best way to make an impact.

Post: #2

Great thread idea.

So many when I was younger. A few:

My Father - Moved to America and achieved success. Real smart, real strong, a real Man. Mindblowing social skills.

My Grandfather - Tough as hell. I would hope to be 5% as tough as this guy.

My MOM - Smartest woman I know. Always right.

Muhammad Ali - Confident, Cocky, Could back it up and had an unbreakable will. I read his Biography at a super young age, and it had a enormous impact on my life.

Bruce Lee - Fighter, Philosopher, Poet. Straight up G.

Micky Walker - Boxer and Playboy. Heavy smoker. Sharp Dresser. I could talk for days, been meaning to do a post on him forever.

Harry Greb - Boxer and Playboy. Fought most of his career with a detached retina. Loved the nightlife. Sharp dresser. Smoker.

Bugsy Siegel - Las Vegas visionary. Tough guy. Smoker. Playboy. Although women were part of his undoing. Came from NYC and straight up took over LA and Las Vegas. Straight up G. Sharp Dresser.

Jack Dempsey - Fighter, smoker and Playboy. G.

Jack Johnson - And not that wack singer either. Boxer. Partier. Smoker. Mad swooper. They created laws to prevent this guy from swooping. The Man. Sharp Dresser.

Malcolm X - I dug his book too.

Carlos Monzón - Chain Smoker, Boxing Champion, and International Playboy

So many more but those were huge influences on me as a kid.

No wonder I turned out the way I did.

Post: #3

Jose Maya - A brazillian actor, true player, this motherfucker had lines for years to come, till today i still use some of his lines. I admire how he could play different roles like the romantic guy, the dominant guy, the tough ass guy and his sense of humour/jokes was on some other level, someone i truly admired in my upcoming years.

Jose Mourinho - Portuguese football coach. Smart as fuck, mad ambitious, cocky, arrogant, wherever he goes, he wins, he doesnt give a fuck if you think he is being arrogant, he believes he is the best and he shows it all the time. This motherfucker is on some other level shit.

This african dude that i met in DR - He lived most of his life in USA. This guy was probably the best role model that ever came in my life in terms of face to face interaction. Dude dressed expensive suits from monday to sunday, i never saw him repeating none of his suits. Carried big amounts of cash everyday, confident as fuck, he wants to become the president of his african country and he already behaves like he is a president. Dude is 46 but dreams like he is an 18 year old kid, he is planning to become a doctor in 6 years and then he will become a president. Crazy sense of humour, arrogant, cocky, my dominicana chicks didnt really like him but i think he is a classic motherfucker.

Post: #4

I don't really have any heros, but I do have people I like to model:

1. Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, for being rational, understanding how wealth works.

2. Steve Jobs, for his marketing acumen.

3. Noam Chomsky, for having the courage to criticize his own ideological allies, for not taking cheap shots at the retarded kids on the other side (which is what 90% of political commentators do these days).

Post: #5

As cheesy as it is, probably the biggest source of inspiration for me in the past year has been the guys that make this forum tick, with maybe a few bloggers thrown in. I never followed any good male role models or mentors, and since hanging out around here and reading this stuff I've never had a more clear idea of how to be a man. Then I start reading datasheets on international travel and realize I'm only scratching the surface of what life has to offer a man.

Post: #6

I'm in the same boat as Rah. I was never really into the 'role model' deal as a kid or even now. I've always just been independent/never really care about anyone.

Post: #7

Good shout outs for Richard Feynman and Jose Mourinho so far. I read the book about Feynman's attempt to get to Tannu Tuva ( Tuva or Bust! ) at a young age and it influenced my fascination with Russia and industrial shit holes.

I only have one, my Grandfather. Grew up with nothing as a young Jewish immigrant in the bad part of London,started a sport shop,went on to own 5 large hotels,shops,apartment buildings and bars. Did it all whilst staying humble and being the kindest person I ever knew. Loved the guy to bits.

Post: #8

1. Hugh Hefner
2. Malcolm X
3. Henry Rearden
4. Howard Roarke
5. Eric Thomas
6. Steve Jobs

Post: #9

Great thread.

My dad. He drives me nuts but he's gone through shit I never will. Front line infantryman in Vietnam. Came back really fucked up and still managed to get his shit together and now he's a pretty famous photographer.

Charles Bukowski. This guy helped me through my 20s, and countless lonely drunken nights spent cursing humanity and blasting Beethoven at 3 AM. Helped me see women for what they really are.

Ram Dass. Used to be a lot more into this when I was younger and thought spiritual enlightenment was the path to everything. Not so much into it anymore but when the chips are down it helps to have the foundation to fall back on. He's by far the most lucid and least judgmental of spiritual writers I've found.

Paul Bertolli. A great chef who really teaches people how to COOK. How to transform raw ingredients into something that is truly gratifying. None of the fine dining, garnished bullshit.

Marco Pierre White. A badass cook of the first order, possibly one of the greatest in the world. Achieved the ultimate glory for chefs (3 Michelin stars) and realized it's all a bullshit game. Handed his stars back, closed his restaurant, and turned to a life of cushiness and endorsing cruise lines and processed food products. Some people call this selling out, I don't. Somehow, in being what he is now, he manages to still stay true to his badass cooking roots.

Post: #10

Ari Onassis
Napoleon Hill
Sun Tzu

Post: #11

Sam Presti - Started as a video room intern with San Antonio. Became responsible for the Spurs selecting Tony Parker. Rose to assistant GM under RC Buford. Now the GM of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Post: #12

(06-11-2012 02:31 PM)Roosh Wrote:  Is there a guy you hold up as inspiration to accomplishing your goals? How has he affected you?

My first role model was been Richard Feynman, a scientist with a player streak. I was a microbiologist at the time that I discovered him and took to him very quickly. In his first book, I read how he figured out a way to live in Rio to learn music and bang Brazilian girls. He was my main inspiration to living abroad. I wanted to live in Rio like him so I did. I highly recommend his book Surely You're Joking.

As I've been able to taste the lifestyle I've wanted while seeing my work become more widely read, my role model shifted to Malcolm X, primarily because of the influence he has had in fighting a culture he didn't accept, even in the face of nonstop attack and hate. Just like he wanted to benefit his people (American blacks), I want to benefit the Western man. Of course I'm not comparing myself to him, but I do understand how it can be challenging to proceed when constantly attacked, a sign that the culture isn't ready for your belief system. His relentless pursuit of the truth is to be admired. His autobiography was an important read for me.

Honorable mention goes to Derek Sivers, a selfless businessman who got rich sort of by accident. I really admire his work and business sense, and was lucky enough to meet him in Rio. His book Anything You Want is something I often refer to. His web page is at http://www.sivers.org. He has taught me more than anyone that adding value is the best way to make an impact.

I have that Feynman biography with the red cover, title had the word Genius in it. Forget the exact title this second but authored by James Gleick.
It's probably buried in my closet somewhere. With all the other books I've kept over the years. I will never throw a book I bought away, one day when I decide to get a house it will have a nice, little polished, imitation mahogany library. Maybe real mahogony if I am financially successful. Either way it will look real sophisticated and cultured.

I think the game he was running scribbling physics on napkins to get the hot Brazilian waitresses back to his hotel was absolutely innovate, on top of being completely cunning, like a predator at a cafe. I think he spent a lot more time chasing tail and gaming women than that book let on...great nonetheless.

Post: #13

Arnold.

Read "The Education of a Bodybuilder."

Goes way beyond building a body and emphasizes force of will.

Post: #14

Is it a bad thing to say you have no role models? As in someone specific you can think of that you are trying to aspire to or emulate. I can think of none and I just thought about it hard. There are great men that I admire of course in different ways.

I admire for example Carl Sagan because of the way he put humanity and the planet in perspective with the vastness of the cosmos. He had a profound effect on how I view the world around me.

I admire Anderson Silva as a fighter. That someone can be one of the greatest fighters in the world but still remain subdued and humble.

I admire Richard Branson and Steve Jobs for the entrepreneurial acumen and building iconic companies from scratch that have added value to the world.

I admire the brilliance of countless musicians that have made this a much more colorful world for me exist.

The thing is, the more you focus in on someone's life, the more you realize they have many demons of their own. As the saying goes, the only great people are people I've never met. So I can't think of any one person at the moment that I want to follow, but there are many people that have aspects of their personality I want to use as inspiration.

Post: #15

Also:

Rocky Graziano and Tony Zale





And more recently:

Arturo Gatti and Mickey Ward





Oh yeah. And these guys:

Post: #16

^^^ I love that picture. When men were men risking their lives like nothing and most had a good wife and well kept kids at home even though they made shit money. I have many union iron worker buds who still roll like that to some extent. Some extent.

Post: #17

I'm a physicist by training, so I second Richard Feynman as a role model, for both his major contributions to science and for his alpha, womanizing, don't-give-a-fuck amused mastery personal life. And of course, all the other cliche physicist role models: Einstein, Newton, Sagan, Hawking, Maxwell, Galileo, etc. Though I'm hesitant to include Isaac Newton, since rumor has it he died a virgin, so probably not the best choice for a young aspiring physicist player like myself.

Another set of men I greatly admire are men like Stephen Colbert and Sacha Baron Cohen, who can completely embody the persona of a fictional character in real life, especially when being confronted. Doing what they do requires being a complete master of frame control. One of my favorite Colbert moments is when he testified before Congress in character, nobody was laughing, but he still refused to break character.

And is the list of role models supposed to be limited to real people? Because I'd also include my favorite TV alpha males: Don Draper, Tony Soprano, and Hank Moody.

Post: #18

Another thought, I wouldn't call them role models because I don't aspire for their lifestyle, but I am most definitely INSPIRED as fuck by all the migrant dishwashers I work with. They're typically Mexican, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and Honduran. The shit these guys go through to get here and make what they make, only to send half of it home is really admirable. On top of that is their work ethic. While I have to listen to some miserable white actors/actresses bitch about their poor privileged lives and how they didn't nail their audition, I can go back to the kitchen and see these dishwashers, working their asses off, very often whistling loudly or singing in Spanish. These guys do shit no white kid would ever do for any amount of money. Clean grease traps, get on their hands and knees and scrub floors, ovens, burn themselves, bend over for hours on end on their feet the entire time, all for 9 bucks an hour. More often than not, they're the most cheerful and good natured employees in the entire restaurant.

As Anthony Bourdain said, "Noone understands the real value of the American dream better than a non-American."

Post: #19

Add Marvin Hagler to the list of fighters. G can back me up on this, he had to work his ass off to get a shot, and when he was robbed the first time he worked even harder to win the title. He always had a blue-collar attitude no matter how much success he achieved, which I think the common characteristic most people who are successful over a long period of time have in common, especially ones who came from poverty to get there.

Post: #20

Jack Johnson the boxer, not singer.
Ali - pure legend
Bob Marley
Malcolm X
JFK
Paul Robeson
James Bond - I know it is a character.

Post: #21

I would have to say James Brown because he was soundtrack of a generation and his music became the backbone for another for a whole other genre. Then would also have to add George Clinton because he took a want James Brown did and took it to outerspace. Plus he set a precedent in the record industry by taking the same band and franchising it under two different names.

Post: #22

(06-12-2012 09:16 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  These guys do shit no white kid would ever do for any amount of money.

They do "shit" no one would pay a white kid enough to do. Alas, being exploited and non-white doesn't make them noble. I agree with you that their optimism is worthy of admiration. Others in their place would have probably resorted to bitterness and white-envy.

I have found many inspiring but have rarely if ever considered anyone a role model. In the end, they're just people. However, one individual whose life story impressed me is John D. Rockefeller, Sr. He took whatever he wanted and smashed whoever stood in his way. Might is right.

The recommended biography is Titan.

Post: #23

Jack LaLanne. Words fail me......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_LaLanne

Post: #24

(06-14-2012 08:16 AM)Fathom Wrote:  

(06-12-2012 09:16 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  These guys do shit no white kid would ever do for any amount of money.

They do "shit" no one would pay a white kid enough to do. Alas, being exploited and non-white doesn't make them noble. I agree with you that their optimism is worthy of admiration. Others in their place would have probably resorted to bitterness and white-envy.

I have found many inspiring but have rarely if ever considered anyone a role model. In the end, they're just people. However, one individual whose life story impressed me is John D. Rockefeller, Sr. He took whatever he wanted and smashed whoever stood in his way. Might is right.

The recommended biography is Titan.

Yeah you're right, you'd have to pay a white kid 45k a year to wash dishes professionally. We're not talking about scraping a few trays at Subway here. I'd be more than happy to take any white punk out of high school and throw him in a dish pit of a 500 dinner a night high end restaurant and see how long they last. I've seen a handful of white dishwashers in my career, and they were all one foot out of prison. That's the level of social misfit I'm talking about.

In 12 years in the kitchen I haven't worked with one single exploited Latino. They're here because they fought tooth and nail to get here and bust their ass harder than any other nationality, except maybe Filipinos. Hard work and a sense of pride? I call that noble as hell.

Post: #25

(06-14-2012 12:40 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  

(06-14-2012 08:16 AM)Fathom Wrote:  

(06-12-2012 09:16 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  These guys do shit no white kid would ever do for any amount of money.

They do "shit" no one would pay a white kid enough to do. Alas, being exploited and non-white doesn't make them noble. I agree with you that their optimism is worthy of admiration. Others in their place would have probably resorted to bitterness and white-envy.

I have found many inspiring but have rarely if ever considered anyone a role model. In the end, they're just people. However, one individual whose life story impressed me is John D. Rockefeller, Sr. He took whatever he wanted and smashed whoever stood in his way. Might is right.

The recommended biography is Titan.

Yeah you're right, you'd have to pay a white kid 45k a year to wash dishes professionally. We're not talking about scraping a few trays at Subway here. I'd be more than happy to take any white punk out of high school and throw him in a dish pit of a 500 dinner a night high end restaurant and see how long they last. I've seen a handful of white dishwashers in my career, and they were all one foot out of prison. That's the level of social misfit I'm talking about.

In 12 years in the kitchen I haven't worked with one single exploited Latino. They're here because they fought tooth and nail to get here and bust their ass harder than any other nationality, except maybe Filipinos. Hard work and a sense of pride? I call that noble as hell.

I think you need to cool it with the generalizations here. I've worked every job in the restaurant for several years and most of the jobs in the kitchen aren't something anyone wants to be doing their whole lives. The Salvadoran and Honduran line cooks I worked with were trying to get out of the kitchen to commercial trucking jobs or sub-contracting. Fortunately for them until they can find something better you can support a family sending back money to Central America from kitchen wages, its a lot harder supporting a family in the U.S. though I did know a few who did it.

What is with the animosity toward 'white kids' or 'white punks'? Do you think any asian, black, or indian kids whose families have been here for a generation, want to spend their lives as wage slaves in a hot kitchen? No, because in most cases that displays a lack of ambition.

I do agree with you that the work ethic and positive attitude of immigrants from Central America is admirable, but I don't think shooting for higher than unskilled labor reflects poorly on whites, or any other race.