Alexander the Great was the king of Macedonia and one of the greatest military geniuses of all time. He became king (at the age of twenty) after his father’s death in 336 BCE and he continued to conquer most of the known world of his time. He is known as “the great” for his military genius and for his diplomatic skills in handling the different populations of the regions he has conquered.
When he was 13, King Philip called the great philosopher Aristotle to teach his son. Aristotle ignited and reinforced Alexander’s interest in literature, science, medicine, and philosophy.
By the age of thirty, he created one of the largest empires of the ancient world that stretched from Greece to northwest India. He is further recognized for the spread of Greek culture, language, and thought from Greece throughout Asia Minor, Egypt, and Mesopotamia to India and so began the era of the “Hellenistic World”.
He was undefeated and is remembered as one of the greatest military commanders in history. Following is a collection of some wise words, ideas and views that disclose his unique take on a range of aspects of life.
Go through the quotes and sayings by Alexander The Great which have been passed on for generations to get inspired and encouraged.
“I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well.”
“I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.”
“There is nothing impossible to him who will try.”
“Whatever possession we gain by our sword cannot be sure or lasting, but the love gained by kindness and moderation is certain and durable.”
“Heaven cannot brook two suns, nor earth two masters.”
“I do not steal victory.”
“If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes.”
“For my own part, I would rather excel in knowledge of the highest secrets of philosophy than in arms.”
“Through every generation of the human race, there has been a constant war, a war with fear. Those who have the courage to conquer it are made free and those who are conquered by it are made to suffer until they have the courage to defeat it, or death takes them.”
“Bury my body and don’t build any monument. Keep my hands out so the people know the one who won the world had nothing in hand when he died.”
“True love never has a happy ending, because there is no ending to true love.”
“Without Knowledge, Skill cannot be focused. Without Skill, Strength cannot be brought to bear and without Strength, Knowledge may not be applied.”
“At the end, when it’s over, all that matters is what you’ve done.”
“May God keep you away from the venom of the cobra, the teeth of the tiger, and the revenge of the Afghans.”
“Let us conduct ourselves so that all men wish to be our friends and all fear to be our enemies.”
“I would rather live a short life of glory than a long one of obscurity.”
“With the right attitude, self-imposed limitations vanish”
“Toil and risk are the price of glory, but it is a lovely thing to live with courage and die leaving an everlasting fame.”
“Remember upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all.”
“Now you fear punishment and beg for your lives, so I will let you free, if not for any other reason so that you can see the difference between a Greek king and a barbarian tyrant, so do not expect to suffer any harm from me. A king does not kill messengers.”
“There are so many worlds and I have not yet conquered even one.”
“Every light is not the sun.”
“The end and object of conquest is to avoid doing the same thing as the conquered.”
“On their side more men are standing, on ours, more will fight!”
“How great are the dangers I face to win a good name in Athens.”
“You shall, I question not, find a way to the top if you diligently seek for it; for nature hath placed nothing so high that it is out of the reach of industry and valor.”
“Oh! Most miserable wretch that I am! Why have I not learned how to swim?”
“I wish that the Indians believed me a god, for upon the report of an enemy’s valor oftentimes depends the success of a battle, and false reports have many times done as great things as true courage and resolution.”
“Soldiers, I had lately like to have been taken from you by the attempt of a few desperate men, but by the grace and providence of the gods, I am still preserved.”
“God must have loved Afghans because he made them so beautiful.”
“I am involved in the land of a leonine and brave people, where every foot of the ground is like a well of steel, confronting my soldier. You have brought only one son into the world, but everyone in this land can be called an Alexander.”
“Are you still to learn that the end and perfection of our victories is to avoid the vices and infirmities of those whom we subdue?”
“I consider not what Parmenio should receive, but what Alexander should give.”
“I am dying with the help of too many physicians.”
“When we give someone our time, we actually give a portion of our life that we will never take back.”
Further Reading: Check our Articles “Hypatia – The Last of Classical Philosophers” and “Delphic Maxims, Pearls of Wisdom from the Seven Sages”
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Featured Image: Battle of Issus Mosaic at Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples
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