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50.
Xerxes answered, “Artabanus, you define these matters reasonably. But do not fear everything, nor take account of all alike; If you wanted to take everything equally into account on every occasion that happens, you would never do anything; it is better to do everything boldly and suffer half of what you dread than to fear all chances and so never suffer anything.
[2]
But if you quarrel with whatever is said yet cannot put forth a secure position, you must be proved as wrong on your part as he who holds the contrary opinion. In this both are alike: how can someone who is only human know where there is security? I think it is impossible. Those who have the will to act most often win the rewards, not those who hesitate and take account of all chances.
[3]
You see what power Persia has attained. Now if those kings who came before me had held such opinions as yours, or if they had not held them but had had advisers like you, you would never have seen our fortunes at their present height; but as it is those kings ran the risks and advanced them to this height.
[4]
Great successes are not won except by great risks. So we will do as they did; we are travelling in the fairest season of the year, and we will return home the conquerors of all Europe without suffering famine or any other harm anywhere. First, we carry ample provisions with us on our march; second, we will have the food of those whose land and nation we invade; for we are marching against men who are tillers of the soil, not nomads.”
Herodotus, with an English translation by A. D. Godley. Cambridge. Harvard University Press. 1920.
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References (34 total)
- Commentary references to this page (2):
- Cross-references to this page
(1):
- Raphael Kühner, Bernhard Gerth, Ausführliche Grammatik der griechischen Sprache, KG 1.3.1
- Cross-references in general dictionaries to this page
(31):
- LSJ, ἀναρρίπτω
- LSJ, ἀρ-οτήρ
- LSJ, αἰγια^λός
- LSJ, βέβαιος
- LSJ, ἐπεισ-φέρω
- LSJ, ἐπιβαίνω
- LSJ, ἐθέλω
- LSJ, ἐρίζω
- LSJ, φέρω
- LSJ, φι^λέω
- LSJ, ἴσος
- LSJ, καί
- LSJ, καθαιρ-έω
- LSJ, κίνδυν-ος
- LSJ, μηδα^μ-ά
- LSJ, ὅμοιος
- LSJ, ὅς
- LSJ, ὀκν-έω
- LSJ, οἰκότως
- LSJ, πρᾶγμα
- LSJ, προάγω
- LSJ, προδειμαίνω
- LSJ, προέρχομαι
- LSJ, προχωρ-έω
- LSJ, θαρσ-έω
- LSJ, ῥιπτ-έω
- LSJ, σφάλλω
- LSJ, σφεῖς
- LSJ, σύμβουλ-ος
- LSJ, ὑπεναντί-ος
- LSJ, ὡς
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