21+ Polybius Quotes On Hannibal, Historical And Analysis

Polybius was a Greek historian who lived in the 2nd century BC. He is best known for his work The Histories, which chronicled the rise of the Roman Republic. He was a friend and political advisor to the Roman statesman Scipio Aemilianus, and his writings are considered some of the most important sources for understanding the period. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Polybius on hannibal, historical, analysis.

Top 10 Polybius Quotes

1. If history is deprived of the Truth, we are left with nothing but an idle, unprofitable tale.
2. Monarchy degenerates into tyranny, aristocracy into oligarchy, and democracy into savage violence and chaos.
3. A good general not only sees the way to victory; he also knows when victory is impossible.
4. All things are subject to decay and change.
5. Nor ought we ever to allow any growing power to acquire such a degree of strength as to be able to tear from us, without resistance, our natural, undisputed rights.
6. The government will take the fairest of names, but the worst of realities--mob rule.
7. [There can be no] rational administration of government when good men are held in the same esteem as bad ones.
8. Those who know how to win are much more numerous than those who know how to make proper use of their victories.
9. The mob is easily led and may be moved by the smallest force, so that its agitations have a wonderful resemblance to those of the sea.
10. For peace, with justice and honor, is the fairest and most profitable of possessions, but with disgrace and shameful cowardice, it is the most infamous and harmful of all.

Polybius Famous Quotes And Sayings

How highly should we honor the Macedonians, who for the greater part of their lives never cease from fighting with the barbarians for the sake of the security of Greece? For who is not aware that Greece would have constantly stood in the greater danger, had we not been fenced by the Macedonians and the honorable ambition of their kings? — Polybius

Since the masses of the people are inconstant, full of unruly desires, passionate, and reckless of consequences, they must be filled with fears to keep them in order. The ancients did well, therefore, to invent gods, and the belief in punishment after death. — Polybius

From this I conclude that the best education for the situations of actual life consists of the experience we acquire from the study of serious history. For it is history alone which without causing us harm enables us to judge what is the best course in any situation or circumstance. — Polybius

The glorious memory of brave men is continually renewed; the fame of those who have performed any noble deed is never allowed to die; and the renown of those who have done good service to their country becomes a matter of common knowledge to the multitude, and part of the heritage of posterity. — Polybius

Can any one be so indifferent or idle as not to care to know by what means, and under what kind of polity, almost the whole inhabited world was conquered and brought under the dominion of the single city of Rome, and that too within a period of not quite fifty-three years? — Polybius

Those that know how to win are much more numerous than those who know how to make proper use of their victories. — Polybius

We can profit only by our own misfortunes and those of others. The former, though they may be the more beneficial, are also the more painful; let us turn, then, to the latter. — Polybius

The common people feel themselves oppressed by the grasping of some, and their vanity is flattered by others. Fired with evil passions, they are no longer willing to submit to control, but demand that everything be subject to their authority. The invariable result is that government assumes the noble names of free and popular, but becomes in fact the most execrable thing, mob rule. — Polybius

On any occasion when one can discover the cause of events, one should not resort to the gods. — Polybius

Knowing how to win is the first step. We must also know how to make use of our victories. — Polybius

When the ancients said a work well begun was half done, they meant to impress the importance of always endeavoring to make a good beginning. — Polybius

Life Lessons by Polybius

1. Polybius taught that the key to understanding history is to analyze the rise and fall of civilizations and to identify the causes of their successes and failures.
2. He also emphasized the importance of understanding the political and military dynamics of the era to gain insight into the motivations of the people involved.
3. Finally, Polybius believed that the study of history could help people to make better decisions in the present and to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.