Kleos › Quotes › Leonidas

Leonidas Quotes

King of Sparta · c. 540–480 BC · Updated 2026-10-21

Leonidas led the Greek defence at Thermopylae in 480 BC. His sayings were collected by Plutarch in the Sayings of Spartans. Below are the real ones, and the famous line the movie 300 gave him that was really said by another Spartan.

3 real Leonidas quotes, with sources

✓ Sourced

“Come and take them.”

Leonidas — Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans (Leonidas) — reply to Xerxes' demand to hand over their weapons (Greek: Molon labe)

✓ Sourced

“Eat your breakfast as though you were to dine in the other world.”

Leonidas — Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans (Leonidas)

✓ Sourced

“If you knew what is good in life, you would not covet what belongs to others.”

Leonidas — Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans (Leonidas) — to Xerxes

Famous quotes Leonidas never said

✗ Never said it

“Then we will fight in the shade.”

Real, but not Leonidas: Herodotus (Histories 7.226) gives it to the Spartan soldier Dienekes, when told Persian arrows would block out the sun. The movie 300 moved it to another character.

Who was Leonidas?

With a small Greek force built around 300 Spartans, Leonidas held the narrow pass of Thermopylae against the vast Persian army of Xerxes for three days. Betrayed and surrounded, he stayed and died fighting, and his stand became the West's great symbol of courage against the odds. Read more on Wikipedia.

One real quote from history, every morning.

Kleos sends you a verified quote, the story behind it and a wallpaper, every day. Free to start.

Join the waitlist

Questions

What is Leonidas's most famous quote?

One of the best known is “Come and take them.” (Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans)

Did Leonidas really say “Then we will fight in the shade.”?

No. Real, but not Leonidas: Herodotus (Histories 7.226) gives it to the Spartan soldier Dienekes, when told Persian arrows would block out the sun. The movie 300 moved it to another character.

Where do these Leonidas quotes come from?