While Leonidas was preparing to make his stand, a Persian envoy arrived. The envoy explained to Leonidas the futility of trying to resist the advance of the Great King's army and demanded that the Greeks lay down their arms and submit to the might of Persia. Leonidas laconically told Xerxes, "Come and get them.

A Roman divorced from his wife, being highly blamed by his friends, who demanded, "Was she not chaste? Was she not fair? Was she not fruitful?" holding out his shoe, asked them whether it was not new and well made. "Yet," added he, "none of you can tell where it pinches me.''

The authors of great evils know best how to remove them.

The present offers itself to our touch for only an instant of time and then eludes the senses.

Where the lion's skin will not reach, you must patch it out with the fox's.

To fail to do good is as bad as doing harm.

God alone is entirely exempt from all want of human virtues, that which needs least is the most absolute and divine.