Apophthegmata Laconica

Plutarch

Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. III. Babbitt, Frank Cole, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1931 (printing).

He said that the Spartans did not ask how many are the enemy, but where are they? [*](Cf. the note on 190 C (1), supra. )

When, at Mantineia, he was not permitted to risk a decisive battle with the enemy, who outnumbered his men, he said, He who would rule over many must fight with many. [*](Cf. the note on 190 C (2), supra. )

When someone inquired how many Spartans there were, he said, Enough to keep all bad men away. [*](Cf. the note on 190 D (5), supra. )