Alexander the Great quotes

Alexander the Great was a Macedonian king and military commander who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. His conquests stretched from Greece through Egypt and into Persia, reshaping the known world. He is renowned for his unmatched military tactics and enduring legacy as one of history’s greatest leaders. Here are 32 of his quotes:

I do not pilfer victory.

Alexander the Great

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.

Alexander the Great

There is nothing impossible to him who will try.

Alexander the Great

I am dying with the help of too many physicians.

Alexander the Great

If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes.

Alexander the Great

For my part, I assure you, I had rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent, than in the extent of my power and dominion.

Alexander the Great

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?

Alexander the Great

Sex and sleep alone make me conscious that I am mortal.

Alexander the Great

Are there no more worlds that I might conquer?

Alexander the Great

I consider not what Parmenio should receive, but what Alexander should give.

Alexander the Great

Shall I pass by and leave you lying there because of the expedition you led against Greece, or shall I set you up again because of your magnanimity and your virtues in other respects?

Alexander the Great

Know ye not that the end and object of conquest is to avoid doing the same thing as the conquered?

Alexander the Great

Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and brother people, to fight one another. I do not feel happy for this victory of mine. On the contrary, I would be glad, brothers, if I had all of you standing here next to me, since we are united by the same language, the same blood and the same visions.

Alexander the Great

Youths of the Pellaians and of the Macedonians and of the Hellenic Amphictiony and of the Lakedaimonians and of the Corinthians... and of all the Hellenic peoples, join your fellow-soldiers and entrust yourselves to me, so that we can move against the barbarians and liberate ourselves from the Persian bondage, for as Greeks we should not be slaves to barbarians.

Alexander the Great

So would I, if I were Parmenion.

Alexander the Great

Remember upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all.

Alexander the Great

How great are the dangers I face to win a good name in Athens.

Alexander the Great

To the strongest!

Alexander the Great

What an excellent horse do they lose, for want of address and boldness to manage him! ... I could manage this horse better than others do.

Alexander the Great

An army of stags led by a lion would be better than an army of lions led by a stag.

Alexander the Great

If it were not my purpose to combine barbarian things with things Hellenic, to traverse and civilize every continent, to search out the uttermost parts of land and sea, to push the bounds of Macedonia to the farthest Ocean, and to disseminate and shower the blessings of the Hellenic justice and peace over every nation, I should not be content to sit quietly in the luxury of idle power, but I should emulate the frugality of Diogenes. But as things are, forgive me Diogenes, that I imitate Herakles, and emulate Perseus, and follow in the footsteps of Dionysos, the divine author and progenitor of my family, and desire that victorious Hellenes should dance again in India and revive the memory of the Bacchic revels among the savage mountain tribes beyond the Kaukasos...

Alexander the Great

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.

Alexander the Great