THE SPARTANS ON CALLING AN ENEMY’S BLUFF: “IF.”
Philip II of Macedon was the father of Alexander the Great. His son would one day conquer the (known) world, but Philip got things started by conquering all the city-states of ancient Greece. Well, almost all. Sparta, on the southernmost tip of the land Philip sought to control, was a strict military culture known for its brutal martial prowess.
In 346 B.C, Philip sent a message to intimidate the Spartans. “You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army on your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people and raze your city.” The term “Laconic wit,” comes from the Spartan region Laconia.
The Spartans employed it to great effect with their one word response to Philip: “If.”
Philip never attempted to conquer Sparta.
I have my glasses on.... 
Classic!
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Yes. )
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Ha! Excellent.
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)
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That was awesome.
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I thought it was a brilliant statement –
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Ok. Yeah I had been lazy there. Sorry.
One word is all that took Spartan to convince them to never try evade them. Ever. They didn’t even try. So yeah. Now that’s some one word.
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Yes )
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😀 😀 😀 Clever.
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)))
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Powerful analogy Beth! ❤
Diana xo
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Threats…without back up. Reminds me of dealing with children and making only promises that you can fulfill to garner trust. The questions to ask are; Would you like to go to bed now or five minutes from now? Not; Would you like to go to bed now? Because if the child answers no, you should honor that choice. Because if you don’t then you are only showing the child that you are a bully to force your authority. I know as a parent we get tired too, and sometimes we just forget that children are little people.
I hope you got to go on your boat tour. I did. On the Kentucky River. The storm did cause power outages. But that wasn’t my net issue. That it turns out was an incomplete up grade that just didn’t reach my floor. So I’ll work from the lobby for the next few days. A minor inconvenience.
Life after all is an adventure.
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It is )
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But then you get situations like this…(a joke but well not really):
Mom comes home with two shirts for her son. One blue, one red. It doesn’t matter which one he puts on first. Mom says to son when he comes in with a new shirt on; “What’s the matter you didn’t like the other one?” xD
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So funny. And kind of accurate )
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Just depends on the parent 😉
And you know that the first child is never treated the same as the second as the third…. as experience piles up 🙂
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I’ve always enjoyed the phrase laconi wit, isn’t it marvelous? Spartans had a lot going for them. Such a great post. It made me think of Rudyard Kipling and how much power lies in “If”
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Yes )
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Enjoyed reading this. I have nominated you for a bloggers challenge. Hope you enjoy 🙂
https://bjgaulton.wordpress.com/2015/06/27/allergic-to-the-e-challenge-in-school-by-blair-gaulton/
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Thank you so much, Steven )
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IF IF IF I share this, I hope the pig wrestling contest gets cancelled in our backward farm town…pronto!!!!THANKS, BETH!
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Amen!!
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)))
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Yes, if!
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Oh I really like this post! I always struggle to remember what Laconic means and now you’ve solved that problem. What wit (and how effective!).
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it was )
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The power of inserting an “If.” Doesn’t this remind you when your mom or dad said “If you don’t knock it off, you are going to be in BIG trouble? 🙂
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Yes! )
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So powerful and conditional. Dumb am I Love this Beth
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it was and thank you )
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It’s one of the top quotes of that era.
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It would have gone viral on twitter had it been in existence then )
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Sparta cut to the chase and the enemy folded. Brilliant.
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I thought so too )
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Such a HUGE word.
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Such a HUGE word…
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Yes –
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Such a HUGE word…
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Such a HUGE word…
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Such a powerful word 😊
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It is –
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And yet the Wolverines fear not the Spartans. Am I right on that, Beth? 😉
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you are right. no fear.
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What an awesome story!
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))
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Very good history lesson! For many they add the word only! If Only… in regret!
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yes –
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