If.
The Spartans, Plutarch, On Talkativeness 511a
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Short, powerful quotes
Laconic lines: a word or a sentence that says it all. The kind that fits across a chest.
- If.The Spartans
- With it or on it.Spartan mother
- Sword too short? Take one step closer.Spartan mother
- Men of few words need few laws.Charillus
- Blot out the sun? Good. We'll fight in the shade.Dienekes
- They're close? Then so are we.Leonidas
- Spartans don't ask how many. Only where.Agis
- Endure. Refrain.Epictetus
- Friend or enemy? Neither.The Spartans
- We forgot your beginning, so we missed your end.The Spartans
- Is the road safe? Lions walk where they please.The Spartans
- Tell the king one man here knew how to keep quiet.Zeno of Citium
Wear them
With it or on it.
Spartan mother, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartan Women 241f
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Sword too short? Take one step closer.
Spartan mother, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartan Women, Anonymous 18 (241f)
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Men of few words need few laws.
Charillus, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans, Charillus 1 (232b)
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Blot out the sun? Good. We'll fight in the shade.
Dienekes, Herodotus, Histories 7.226
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They're close? Then so are we.
Leonidas, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans, Leonidas 7 (225b)
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Spartans don't ask how many. Only where.
Agis, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans, Agis 3 (215d)
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All 42
42 lines
The Spartans, Plutarch, On Talkativeness 511a
ΚΑΙ ΒΗΜΑ ΠΡΟΣΘΕΣ
Sword too short? Take one step closer.
Spartan mother, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartan Women, Anonymous 18 (241f)
Men of few words need few laws.
Charillus, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans, Charillus 1 (232b)
Blot out the sun? Good. We'll fight in the shade.
Dienekes, Herodotus, Histories 7.226
Spartans don't ask how many. Only where.
Agis, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans, Agis 3 (215d)
Η ΤΑΝ Η ΕΠΙ ΤΑΣ
Spartan mother, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartan Women 241f
They're close? Then so are we.
Leonidas, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans, Leonidas 7 (225b)
War needs men who stand, not men who run.
Agesilaus, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans, Agesilaus 34 (210f)
Why do we lead? We're the only ones who bear men.
Gorgo, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartan Women, Gorgo 5 (240e)
He was a good man. Sparta has many better.
Spartan mother, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartan Women, Argileonis 1 (240c)
Good men in Greece? Nowhere. Good boys? In Sparta.
Diogenes, Diogenes Laertius 6.27
Came alone? I came to one man.
Agis, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans, Agis 16 (216a)
Hold your ground. Win or die there.
Callicratidas, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans, Callicratidas 5 (222e)
Stand on one leg that long? Any goose can.
The Spartans, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans, Anonymous 18 (233b)
Our border is wherever the spear reaches.
Archidamus, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans, Archidamus son of Agesilaus 2 (218f)
I came to fight, not to carry messages.
The Spartans, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans, Leonidas 15 (225e)
Is the road safe? Lions walk where they please.
The Spartans, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans, Anonymous 43 (234d)
Where are the Spartans? Not here, or you wouldn't be.
The Spartans, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans, Anonymous 23 (233c)
Lucky you missed the bandits? Lucky they missed us.
The Spartans, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans, Anonymous 36 (234b)
Don't let your tongue outrun your mind.
Chilon, Diogenes Laertius 1.70
Those who know don't talk. Those who talk don't know.
Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching 56
By numbers, all Greece isn't enough. By courage, we are.
Leonidas, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans, Leonidas 8 (225b)
ΟΥΔΕΤΕΡΟΝ
The Spartans, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans, Anonymous 28 (233e)
No walls? These men are Sparta's walls.
Agesilaus, Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans, Agesilaus 29 (210e)
Questions
- Where do these short, powerful quotes come from?
- Each of the 42 lines links to its own page with the book and passage it comes from, the original-language wording and how it was translated. Nothing is attributed without a source.
- Can I get these quotes on a shirt?
- Yes. 7 of them are printed on our tees and caps, with the Spartan Surfers helmet and our coordinates on every piece. 2 pieces 10% off, 3 pieces 15%, 4 or more 20%. Free US shipping on everything.