Hannibal Quotes
Hannibal's words survive through the Roman historian Livy and the biographer Plutarch, both writing for the people he fought. Each quote below gives the book and chapter.
4 real Hannibal quotes, with sources
“God has given to man no sharper spur to victory than contempt of death.”Hannibal — Livy, History of Rome 21.44 (tr. de Sélincourt)
“In all that multitude there is not one man whose name is Gisco.”Hannibal — Plutarch, Life of Fabius Maximus 15 (a joke before Cannae)
“If I had defeated you, I would place myself before Alexander, before Pyrrhus, and before all other generals.”Hannibal — Livy, History of Rome 35.14 (to Scipio)
“Let us relieve the Roman people of their long anxiety, since they think it too long to wait for an old man's death.”Hannibal — Livy, History of Rome 39.51 (his last words)
Famous quotes Hannibal never said
“I will either find a way, or make one.”Popular in Latin as “aut inveniam viam aut faciam”, but no ancient historian, Livy, Polybius or Plutarch, records Hannibal saying it.
Who was Hannibal?
Hannibal marched an army, and war elephants, from Spain over the Alps into Italy in 218 BC. At Cannae he encircled and destroyed a far larger Roman army in one of the most studied battles in history. Rome feared his name for a generation. Read more on Wikipedia.
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What is Hannibal's most famous quote?
One of the best known is “God has given to man no sharper spur to victory than contempt of death.” (Livy, History of Rome 21.44 (tr. de Sélincourt))
Did Hannibal really say “I will either find a way, or make one.”?
No. Popular in Latin as “aut inveniam viam aut faciam”, but no ancient historian, Livy, Polybius or Plutarch, records Hannibal saying it.
Where do these Hannibal quotes come from?
Hannibal's words survive through the Roman historian Livy and the biographer Plutarch, both writing for the people he fought. Each quote below gives the book and chapter.
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