Xenophon
Xenophon
Xenophon of Athenswas an Athenian historian, soldier and mercenary, and a student of Socrates. As an historian, Xenophon is known for recording the history of his contemporary time, the late-5th and early-4th centuries BC, such as the Hellenica, about the final seven years and the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War; as such, the Hellenica is a thematic continuation of the History of the Peloponnesian War, by Thucydides. As a mercenary soldier of the Ten Thousand, he participated in the failed...
NationalityGreek
ProfessionSoldier
adhere arduous cause enduring followers forced hardships remaining true whether
The true test of a leader is whether his followers will adhere to his cause from their own volition, enduring the most arduous hardships without being forced to do so, and remaining steadfast in the moments of greatest peril.
best contempt general himself regarded shows whatever
There is small risk a general will be regarded with contempt by those he leads, if, whatever he may have to preach, he shows himself best able to perform.
eats pleasure requires
He who eats with most pleasure is he who least requires sauce.
among appointed considered government socrates
Wherever magistrates were appointed from among those who complied with the injunctions of the laws, Socrates considered the government to be an aristocracy.
dead excess injury sympathy
Excess of grief for the dead is madness; for it is an injury to the living, and the dead know it not.
agreeable barley drank held saw vessel
For drink, there was beer which was very strong when not mingled with water, but was agreeable to those who were used to it. They drank this with a reed, out of the vessel that held the beer, upon which they saw the barley swim.
beauty himself none quotes tire
A horse is a thing of beauty... none will tire of looking at him as long as he displays himself in his splendor.
beauty simon spur whip
For what the horse does under compulsion, as Simon also observes, is done without understanding; and there is no beauty in it either, any more than if one should whip and spur a dancer.
advantage behind crossing difficult point result surely worth
Nay, if the result of crossing is to place a difficult gully behind us when we are on the point of engaging, ... surely that is an advantage worth seizing.