Quotes from the book The Light and The Glory.
i. Marshall states, “Before the voyage had begun, Columbus had been a beggar before God, all his hopes hanging on Ferdinand and Isabella’s approval…BUT…Columbus chose the three things the world prizes most (after his successful journey) money (his percentages and greed for gold), position (the titles of Viceroy and Admiral of the Ocean sea (Pride), and power (the governorship of all discovered) – the very things God would have least likely have rewarded him with (The Light and The Glory pg. 53).
ii. The result was a disaster – Marshall and Manuel stated, “Columbus was totally unsuited to govern anybody. Vain, impractical, and emotionally immature, he was quick to judge others, yet incapable of accepting correction himself. He demanded absolute submission from his subordinates, yet refused to come under any authority save the Sovereigns themselves (and not even then in his heart). When things went wrong, he would go into anger and self-pity, or unreality, rather than assume any responsibility himself” (53).
iii. The end result says Marshall was this, “But Columbus in control meant there was really no leaning on God at all” (53).