Genghis Khan Quotes
Genghis Khan's words come to us through 13th- and 14th-century Persian historians, chiefly Juvaini and Rashid al-Din, who worked for his descendants. The motivational lines that circulate online have no such source.
4 real Genghis Khan quotes, with sources
“So long as you agree with each other, fortune and triumph will be your friends, and no opponent can achieve victory.”Genghis Khan — Rashid al-Din, Compendium of Chronicles (tr. W. M. Thackston), the parable of the arrows
“I am the punishment of God. If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.”Genghis Khan — Juvaini, History of the World-Conqueror (tr. J. A. Boyle), at Bukhara, 1220
“Be of one mind and one face, so that you may pass your days in comfort and enjoy kingship.”Genghis Khan — Rashid al-Din, Compendium of Chronicles (tr. W. M. Thackston), deathbed charge to his sons
“After us, our offspring will wear gold-brocaded robes and eat sweet and fatty tidbits… On that day of greatness they will forget us.”Genghis Khan — Rashid al-Din, Compendium of Chronicles (tr. W. M. Thackston)
Famous quotes Genghis Khan never said
“Conquering the world on horseback is easy; it is dismounting and governing that is hard.”An old Chinese saying, first spoken by the scholar Lu Jia to the founder of the Han dynasty over 1,300 years earlier (Shiji, ch. 97). Chinese advisers are said to have quoted it to Genghis's son Ögedei.
“If you're afraid — don't do it. If you're doing it — don't be afraid!”We found no trace of it in the Persian chronicles or the Secret History of the Mongols. It circulates on quote sites without a source.
Who was Genghis Khan?
Born Temüjin into hardship on the steppe, he united the Mongol tribes in 1206 and built what became the largest contiguous land empire in history. He promoted by merit, protected trade routes and built a relay system that carried messages across a continent. Read more on Wikipedia.
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What is Genghis Khan's most famous quote?
One of the best known is “I am the punishment of God. If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.” (Juvaini, History of the World-Conqueror (tr. J. A. Boyle), at Bukhara, 1220)
Did Genghis Khan really say “Conquering the world on horseback is easy; it is dismounting and governing that is hard.”?
No. An old Chinese saying, first spoken by the scholar Lu Jia to the founder of the Han dynasty over 1,300 years earlier (Shiji, ch. 97). Chinese advisers are said to have quoted it to Genghis's son Ögedei.
Did Genghis Khan really say “If you're afraid — don't do it. If you're doing it — don't be afraid!”?
No. We found no trace of it in the Persian chronicles or the Secret History of the Mongols. It circulates on quote sites without a source.
Where do these Genghis Khan quotes come from?
Genghis Khan's words come to us through 13th- and 14th-century Persian historians, chiefly Juvaini and Rashid al-Din, who worked for his descendants. The motivational lines that circulate online have no such source.
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