Robert Moses’ arrogance and force of will were inherited from his mother and grandmother

Evidence

In later decades, when Robert Moses was famous almost as much for his personality as for his achievements, observers would marvel at the depth and degree of his outspokenness, stubbornness, aggressiveness and arrogance. They would wonder at the origin of the mold in which he had been formed in so hard a cast. But relatives and friends of the Moses family never wondered. Whatever it was that made Robert Moses the way he was, they knew, whatever the quality that had shaped an unusual—in some ways unique—personality, the quality was one that they had watched being passed, like a family heirloom, from Robert Moses’ grandmother to his mother to him. “Robert Moses,” these people would say, “is Bella Moses’ son.” — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 160

Categorization

• XREF: Caro roots later achievements in a family inheritance heirloom metaphorically; chapter 3’s claims about power as an addiction could build on this temperamental inheritance. — connects to: Moses’ susceptibility to power’s corrupting effect was inherited from his mother — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 1068; Robert bent to maternal will while Paul refused, shaping both their fates. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 2474; The acquisition of power transformed Moses’ character into overt arrogance — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 1066 (+3 more)