You know well as I do that when we are talking on the human plane, questions of justice only arise when there is equal power to compel: in terms of practicality the dominant exact what they can and the weak concede what they must. (Said by Athenian envoy to the Melians)
Thucydides
Thucydides
5th-century BC Athenian historian and general

About This Quote

About Thucydides

Thucydides was 5th-century bc athenian historian and general. Thucydides was an Athenian historian and general. His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Read more on Wikipedia →

Themes

  • War — Reflections on conflict, peace, and the human cost of war

More quotes by Thucydides

Related Quotes