"It is sound planning that invariably earns us the outcome we want; without it, even the gods are unlikely to look with favour on our designs."

“Before battle was joined they say that someone from Trachis warned him how many Persians there were by saying that when they fired their bows, they hid the sun with the mass of arrows. Dianeces, so the story goes, was so dismissive of the Persian numbers that he calmly replied, "All to the good, my friend from Trachis. If the Persians hide the sun, the battle will be in shade rather than sunlight.”

“From great wrongdoing there are great punishments from the gods.”

“In peace sons bury fathers, but in war fathers bury sons.”

“But Alexander , proving himself to be an Argive, was judged to be a Greek; so he contended in the furlong race and ran a dead heat for first place.”

“Tell your king , who sent you, how his Greek viceroy of Macedonia has received you hospitably.”

“The king's might is greater than human, and his arm is very long.”