Alexander Quotes

“History sometimes reproduces, at a distance of many years, the same combinations of circumstances that generate great achievements. But nothing ever repeats itself in exactly the same way.”
― Valerio Massimo Manfredi, Alexander: Child of a Dream

“There are no simple answers to complex problems.”
― Valerio Massimo Manfredi, Alexander: Child of a Dream

“Remember, my boy, I never fight for the pleasure of wielding weapons. War, for me, is simply politics by other means.”
― Valerio Massimo Manfredi, Alexander: Child of a Dream

“They passed the Gates of Thermopylae the following day and Alexander stopped to visit the tombs of the Spartan soldiers who had fallen one hundred and forty years previously during their battle with the Persian invaders. He read the simple inscription in Laconian dialect that commemorated their ultimate sacrifice and he stood in silence listening to the wind blowing in from the sea.
How ephemeral is the destiny of man!’ he exclaimed. ‘All that is left of the thunder of a momentous clash which shook the whole world and an act of heroism worthy of Homer’s verses are these few lines. All is quiet now.”
― Valerio Massimo Manfredi, Alexander: Child of a Dream

“واعتبر اليونانيون أن الدولة التي تبنى على روابط الدم بدلا من حقوق المواطنة والتي يحكمها ملك بطريقة مطلقة بحيث يكون فوق القانون هي دولة بربرية”
― Valerio Massimo Manfredi, Alexander: Child of a Dream

“A poet, Hephaestion, sings not to narrate human events as they occur, but to make sure that we have the opportunity of living the emotions and the passions of our heroes even at a distance of centuries.”
― Valerio Massimo Manfredi, Alexander: Child of a Dream

“قال الأسكندر:"وماذا بشأن العبيد؟هل في الإمكان وجود عالم من دون عبيد؟"
أجاب أرسطو:"كلا طالما يستحيل وجود نول ينسج القماش من تلقاء نفسه,اما إذا أصبح ذلك ممكنا فيمكن عندها ان نتصور وجود عالم من دون عبيد لكنني لا أعتق أبدا أن ذلك سيحدث في المستقبل”
― Valerio Massimo Manfredi, Alexander: Child of a Dream

“philip closed his eyes and stood upright and immobile in the middle of the silet room. In that moment the roar of battle, the creaking wood of the siege engines, the furious galloping of the horses all faded away; he simply stood stock still and listened to his son's breathing.”
― Valerio Massimo Manfredi, Alexander: Child of a Dream

“the only thing that grows over time is the glory of those who have lived honourably.”
― Valerio Massimo Manfredi, Alexander, Vol 1

“A community like this is held together not by blood ties, but by laws under which all citizens are equal. The law corrects the flaws and the imperfections of individuals, limits conflict and competition, rewards the will to do and to achieve, encourages the strong, supports the weak. In a society like this the shame lies not in being humble and poor, but rather in doing nothing to improve one’s condition.”
― Valerio Massimo Manfredi, Alexander, Vol 1