This, the only occasion in the Iliad when furious Achilles smiles serves as a bittersweet reminder of the difference real leadership could have made to the events of the Iliad. Agamemnon's panicked prize-grabbing in Book One and even Nestor's rambling "authority" pale beside Achilles' instinctive and absolute command of himself and the dangers of this occasion.

About This Quote

Themes

  • Leadership — Guiding others with vision, integrity, and purpose
  • War — Reflections on conflict, peace, and the human cost of war

More quotes by Caroline Alexander, The War That Killed Achilles: The True Story of Homer's Iliad and the Trojan War

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