Galatia Forums

I'd like to start compiling some Celtic or Galatian quotes to spread thoughout the website. Please add to the list.

"But they are... naked!"
"Well, naturally, it's far too dangerous to jump through the fire with your clothes on!"
--Lord Summerisle explaining Beltane to Sergeant Howie in the 1973 film "The Wicker Man"

"Vae Victis", Woe to the vanquished. - Brennus

They are tall in stature, with rippling muscles under clear white skin, they look like wood demons" - Diodorus Siculus, 25 BC

"Foolish Galatians" - St. Paul - Bible

"There were countless horns and trumpets being blown simultaneously in their ranks, and as the whole army was also shouting its war-cries, there arose such a babel of sound that it seemed to come not only from the trumpets and soliders but from the whole surrounding countryside at once." - Polybius

"the Gauls are terrifying in appearance, with deep-sounding and very harsh voices." - Diodorus Siculus

... if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like ... Galatians 5 - Bible

"When almost everything else in early tradition was questioned, Galatians was still recognized as a sound basis for historical interpetation. 'Here at least,' says E.F. Scott, 'there is firm ground on which the historian can proceed to build'" - Galatians, the Charter of Chistian Liberty - Merrill C Tenney

83 CE "Think, therefore, as you advance to battle, at once of both your ancestors and of your posterity."...Calgucus, Celtic general at Mons Grapius, Scotland before the battle with the Roman Agricola

"The Romans... were terrified by the fine order of the Celtic host, and the dreadful din, for there were innumerable horn -blowers and trumpeters, and... the whole army were shouting their war-cries... Very terrifying too were the appearance and the gestures of the naked warriors in front, all in the prime of life and finely built men, and all in the leading companies richly adorned with gold torcs and armlets." ...Polybius, 2nd century BC .

"The whole race, which is now called Gallic or Galatic, is madly fond of war, high-spirited and quick to battle, but otherwise straightforward and not of evil character. For at any time or place and on whatever pretext you stir them up, you will have them ready to face danger, even if they have nothing on their side but their own strength and courage."... Strabo, Roman historian.

"Golden is their hair and golden their garb. They are resplendent in their striped cloaks, and their milk-white necks are circled with gold."
-- Virgil, 1st century B.C. poet

"We have no word for the man who is excessively fearless; perhaps one may call such a man mad or bereft of feeling, who fears nothing, neither earthquakes nor waves, as they say of the Celts"...Aristotle

"Anybody would be mad or completely bereft of sensibility if he feared nothing; neither earthquake nor wave of sea, as they say of the Celts." - Aristotle - Nicomachaen Ethics

"Perhaps the only real definition of a Celt, now as in the past, is that a Celt is a person who believes him or herself to be Celtic." Prof. Barry Cunliffe (Oxford Univ.).

buaine na gach nì an nàire "Longer-lasting than any other thing is shame." Gaelic Proverb

"A single and united Gaul, all of the same mind, can defy the universe." - Vercingetorix

Vae Victus, - Woe to the conquered! (vanquished) - Livy

Veni, Vidi, Vici, - I came, I saw, I conquered - Julius Ceasar

Veni, Vidi, Volo in domum redire - I came, I saw. I want to go home

Fortes fotuna adiuvat - fortune favors the brave

Let's hear your Phoenix Cry

Bow to no one - Galatian law

Last one to die is a pussy

For the brotherhood

Walk like you fight, Fight like you walk

Te Odiomus - You to be hating (We hate you)

Rhyten Annae - The way things have always been done is best

Veneratio, Lunctum, Muneris, Humilitas - Honor, Unity, Service, Humility - The four Virtues of Galatia

Carpe Cerevisi - Sieze the beer


Also, this is a cool link.
http://www.le.ac.uk/ar/stj/celtindex.html

Quotes by famous people
Some of the quotes in Rome: Total War are a collection of quotes made by some of history's most famous personalities such as Julius Caesar, Homer, Sun Tzu, Thucydides and many others. Here's a selction of some of those quotes.


** By Aeschylus
I think the slain care little if they sleep or rise again.
A people's voice is dangerous when charged with wrath.
In war, truth is the first casualty.

** By Aristotle
War, as the saying goes, is full of false alarms
We make war so that we may live in peace

** By Cicero
The sinews of war are infinite money.
Armed forces abroad are of little value unless there is prudent counsel at home.
Silent enim leges inter arma (Laws are silent in times of war).

** By Euripides
Courage may be taught as a child is taught to speak.
Danger gleams like sunshine to a brave man's eyes.
The god of war hates those who hesitate.
A large army is always disorderly.

** By Gaius Julius Caesar
War gives the right of the conquerors to impose any conditions they please upon the vanquished.
Veni, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I conquered).
In war important events result from trivial causes.
Alea iacta est (The die is cast).

** By Hermocrates of Syracuse
The true contempt of an invader is shown by deeds of valour in the field.
When there is mutual fear men think twice before they make aggression upon one another.
They have an abundance of gold and silver, and these make war, like other things, go smoothly.
Nobody is driven in to war by ignorance, and no one who thinks he will gain anything from it is deterred by fear.

** By Herodotus
In peace, sons bury their fathers; in war, fathers bury their sons.
Far better it is to have a stout heart always and suffer one's share of evils, than to be ever fearing what may happen.

** By Hippocrates
Men of Athens, there is not much time for exhortation, but to the brave a few words are as good as many.
War is the only proper school of the surgeon.

** By Homer
Even the bravest cannot fight beyond his strength.
Ye gods, what dastards would our host command? Swept to the war, the lumber of the land.
Noble and manly music invigorates the spirit, strengthens the wavering man, and incites him to great and worthy deeds.
He serves me most, who serves his country best.
To those that flee comes neither power nor glory.
Men grow tired of sleep, love, singing and dancing sooner than war.
The blade itself incites to violence.
So ends the bloody business of the day.
A glorious death is his who for his country falls.

** By Horace
Adversity reveals the genius of a general; good fortune conceals it.
A wise man in times of peace prepares for war.
Bella detesta matribus (Wars are the dread of mothers).
Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori (It is a sweet and seemly thing to die for one's country).
Quae caret ora cruore nostro? (What coast knows not our blood?)

** By Livy
To a good general luck is important.
The outcome corresponds less to expectations in war than in any other case whatsoever.
Vae victus (Woe to the vanquished).

** By Ovid
The gods favour the bold.
Fas est et ab hoste doceri (It is right to learn, even from the enemy).

** By Pericles
I am more afraid of our own mistakes than of our enemies' designs.
I do not have much time for exhortation, but to the brave a few words are as good as many...

** By Plato
The rulers of the States are the only ones who should have the privilege of lying.
Every care must be taken that our auxiliaries, being stronger than our citizens, may not grow too much for them and become savage beasts.
Only the dead have seen the end of the war.

** By Plautus
Conquered, we conquer.
Ah, yes, mere infantry - poor beggars...
The valiant profit more their country than the finest, cleverest speakers.
Victi vincimus (Conquered, we conquer).

** By Polybius
A good general not only sees the way to victory, he also knows when victory is impossible.
In war we must always leave room for strokes of fortune, and accidents that cannot be foreseen.

** By Publius Statius
The cruelty of war makes for peace.
Pardon one offence and you encourage the commission of many.
We should provide in peace what we need in war.
Necessity knows no law except to conquer.
It is a bad plan that cannot be altered.
He is best secure from dangers who is on his guard even when he seems safe.

** By Seneca
If a man does not know to what port he is sailing, no wind is favourable.
The fortunes of war are always doubtful.
Constant exposure to dangers will breed contempt for them.

** By Sophocles
Quick decisions are unsafe decisions.
It is the brave man's part to live with glory, or with glory die.

** By Sun Tzu
All warfare is based on deception.
He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious.
Generally management of the many is the same as management of the few. It is a matter of organization.
In war, numbers alone confer no advantage. Do not advance relying on sheer military power.

** By Tacitus
Even the bravest are frightened by sudden terrors.
The proper arts of a general are judgement and prudence.
A bad peace is even worse than war.
The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise.
Valour is the contempt of death and pain.
Great empires are not maintained by timidity.
The proper arts of a general are judgement and prudence.

** By Thucydides
War is not so much a matter of weapons as of money.
A collision at sea can ruin your entire day.
Self-control is the chief element in self-respect, and self-respect is the chief element in courage.
The strong did what they could, and the weak suffered what they must.

** By Vegetius
Few men are born brave; many become so through training and force of discipline.
A general is not easily overcome who can form a true judgement of his own and the enemy's forces.
What can a soldier do who charges when out of breath?
Valour is superior to numbers.
Qui desiderat pacem praeparet bellum (Let him who desires peace prepare for war).
An ambuscade, if discovered and promptly surrounded, will repay the intended mischief with interest.
An adversary is more hurt by desertion than by slaughter.

** By Virgil
Bella, horida bella (Wars, horrid wars!)
Let all be present and expect the palm, the prize of victory.

** By Xenophon
When one side goes against the enemy with the gods' gift of stronger morale, then their adversaries, as a rule, cannot withstand them.
Willing obedience always beats forced obedience.

** Miscellaneous
Brave men are a city's strongest tower of defence - Alcaeus
Against danger it pays to be prepared - Aesop
The Spartans do not ask how many but where they are - Agis II of Sparta
A dead enemy always smells good - Alus Vitellus
War spares not the brave but the cowardly - Anacreon
It is the noblest and safest thing for a great army to be visibly animated by one spirit - Archidamus of Sparta
Ah! The generals! They are numerous but not good for much! - Aristophanes
If a man does not strike first, he will be the first struck - Athenogoras of Syracuse
Come home with this shield or upon it - A Spartan woman equips her son
Varus, give me back my legions - Augustus Caesar : After the defeat and annihilation of Varus's column in Teutoberg Forest
Let them hate us as long as they fear us - Caligula
To lead untrained people to war is to throw them away - Confucius
Only the brave enjoy noble and glorious deaths - Dionysius
To an imperial city nothing is inconsistent which is expedient - Euphemus of Athens
The walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots - Ezekiel, XXVI, 10
Alta sedent civilis vulnera dextrae (Deep are the wounds that civil strife inflicts) - Lucan
It is pleasant, when the sea is high and the winds are dashing the waves about, to watch from the shores the struggles of another - Lucretius
To brave men, the prizes that war offers are liberty and fame - Lycurgus of Sparta
Hannibal knew how to gain a victory, but not how to use it - Maharbal
The man who runs away will fight again - Menander
A small country cannot contend with a great; the few cannot contend with the many; the weak cannot contend with the strong - Mencius
Soldiers do not like being under the command of one who is not of noble birth - Onosander
He conquers who endures - Persius
An alliance with the powerful is never to be trusted - Phaedrus
In the moment of action remember the value of silence and order - Phormio of Athens
War is sweet to those who have never experienced it - Pindar
Extraordinary rains pretty generally fall after great battles - Plutarch
How are the mighty fallen in the midst of battle! - II Samuel, I, 25
Cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war - Shakespeare: Julius Caesar, III, 1
In war we must be speedy - Silius Italicus
A disorderly mob is no more an army than a heap of building materials is a house - Socrates
Learn to obey before you command - Solon of Athens
Fortes fortuna adiuvat (Fortune favours the brave) - Terence
Who was the first that forged the deadly blade? Of rugged steel his savage soul was made - Tibullus

** Proverbs and Maxims
Other quotes from Rome: Total War are proverbs and maxims. Here are some of them.


** Maxims
March divided and fight concentrated.
Divide and conquer.

** Proverbs
After the war is over, make alliances - Greek proverb
Flet victus, victor interiit (The conquered mourns, the conqueror is undone) - Latin proverb
Timidi mater non flet (A coward's mother does not weep) - Latin proverb
Arms keep peace - Latin proverb
Fortis cadere, cedere non potest (A brave man may fall, but he cannot yield) - Latin proverb
To blunder twice is not allowed in war - Latin proverb
Victory loves prudence - Latin proverb

"A teacher affects eternity, he can never tell wher his influence stops"