83 Alexander the Great Quotes to Inspire You to Do the Impossible

By Samantha Williams | Published January 14, 2023

These famous Alexander the Great quotes will encourage you to conquer your goals.

Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great, is a famed Macedonian king and world conqueror.

These inspirational quotes highlight his love of philosophy, power, and knowledge.

This legendary leader created one of the most expansive empires of the ancient world, spanning from Greece, to North Africa, and India and Asia.

These Alexander the Great quotes will inspire and encourage you to reach your goals.

Throughout the ages, Alexander the Great has been celebrated as a successful, undefeated military commander.

Read these wise words and thoughtful insights to boost your own ambitions.

You can accomplish your wildest dreams if you believe in yourself and put your plans into action.

This collection of Alexander the Great quotes will motivate you to conquer your fears and live your life to the fullest potential.

Also check out those Joan of Arc quotes about leadership, faith, and strong women.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration.

Our inspirational quote category page has even more inspirational and educational quotes.

Alexander the Great quotes to help you believe in your true potential

1. “There is nothing impossible to him who will try.” – Alexander the Great

2. “I am not afraid of an army of lions led by sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.” – Alexander the Great

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3. “Remember, upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all.” – Alexander the Great

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4. “Whatever possession we gain by our sword cannot be sure or lasting, but the love gained by kindness and moderation is certain and durable.” – Alexander the Great

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5. “Through every generation of the human race there has been a constant war, a war with fear. Those who have the courage to conquer it are made free and those who are conquered by it are made to suffer until they have the courage to defeat it, or death takes them.” – Alexander the Great

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6. “I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well.” – Alexander the Great

7. “I had rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent, than in the extent of my power and dominion.” – Alexander the Great

8. “You shall, I question not, find a way to the top if you diligently seek for it; for nature hath placed nothing so high that is out of the reach of industry and valor.” – Alexander the Great

9. “For my own part, I would rather excel knowledge of the highest secrets of philosophy than in arms.” – Alexander the Great

10. “I would rather live a short life of glory than a long one of obscurity.” – Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great quotes will inspire you to always pursue your ambitions

11. “Let us conduct ourselves so that all men wish to be our friends and all fear to be our enemies.” – Alexander the Great

12. “Every light is not the sun.” – Alexander the Great

13. “There is something noble in hearing myself ill spoken of when I am doing well.” – Alexander the Great

14. “With the right attitude, self-imposed limitations vanish.” – Alexander the Great

15. “As for a limit to one’s labors, I, for one, do not recognize any for a high-minded man, except that the labors themselves should lead to noble accomplishments.” – Alexander the Great

16. “I do not steal victory.” – Alexander the Great

17. “In the end, when it’s over, all that matters is what you’ve done.” – Alexander the Great

18. “How should a man be capable of grooming his own horse, or of furbishing his own spear and helmet, if he allows himself to become unaccustomed to tending even his own person, which is his most treasured belonging?” – Alexander the Great

19. “A tomb now suffices him for whom the whole world was not sufficient.” – Alexander the Great

20. “Who does not desire such a victory by which we shall join places in our Kingdom, so far divided by nature, and for which we shall set up trophies in another conquered world?” – Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great quotes that will encourage you to reach your goals

21. “Now that the wars are coming to an end, I wish you to prosper in peace. May all mortals from now on live like one people in concord and for mutual advancement. Consider the world as your country, with laws common to all and where the best will govern irrespective of tribe. I do not distinguish among men, as the narrow-minded do, both among Greeks and Barbarians. I am not interested in the descendance of the citizens or their racial origins. I classify them using one criterion: their virtue. For me every virtuous foreigner is a Greek and every evil Greek worse than a Barbarian. If differences ever develop between you never have recourse to arms, but solve them peacefully. If necessary, I should be your arbitrator.” – Alexander the Great

22. “When we give someone our time, we actually give a portion of our life that we will never take back.” – Alexander the Great

23. “Now you fear punishment and beg for your lives, so I will let you free, if not for any other reason so that you can see the difference between a Greek king and a barbarian tyrant, so do not expect to suffer any harm from me. A king does not kill messengers.” – Alexander the Great

24. “My treasure lies in my friends.” – Alexander the Great

25. “Holy shadows of the dead, I am not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and brother people to fight one another. I do not feel happy for this victory of mine. On the contrary, I would be glad, brothers, if I had all of you standing here next to me, since we are united by the same language, the same blood and the same visions.” – Alexander the Great

26. “Each moment free from fear makes a man immortal.” – Alexander the Great

27. “Sex and sleep alone make me conscious that I am mortal.” – Alexander the Great

28. “For as a newborn babe cannot be nourished without the nurse’s milk, nor conducted to the approaches that lead to growth in life, so a city cannot thrive without fields and the fruits thereof pouring into its walls.” – Alexander the Great

29. “If I were not Alexander, I should wish to be Diogenes.” – Alexander the Great

30. “In faith and hope the world will disagree, but all mankind’s concern is charity.” – Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great quotes to help you conquer your fears

31. “Heaven cannot brook two suns, nor earth two masters.” – Alexander the Great

32. “I send you a kaffis of mustard seed, that you may taste and acknowledge the bitterness of my victory.” – Alexander the Great

33. “I want the road to be covered with my treasure so that everybody sees that material wealth acquired on earth, stays on earth.” – Alexander the Great

34. “How happy had it been for me had I been slain in the battle. It had been far more noble to have died the victim of the enemy than fall a sacrifice to the rage of my friends.” – Alexander the Great

35. “On their side more men are standing, on ours more will fight!” – Alexander the Great

36. “Are you still to learn that the end and perfection of our victories is to avoid the vices and infirmities of those whom we subdue?” – Alexander the Great

37. “O fortunate youth, to have found Homer as the herald of your glory!” – Alexander the Great

38. “My father will anticipate everything. He will leave you and me no chance to do a great and brilliant deed.” – Alexander the Great

39. “I foresee a great funeral contest over me.” – Alexander the Great

40. “Our enemies are Medes and Persians, men who for centuries have lived soft and luxurious lives; we of Macedon for generations past have been trained in the hard school of danger and war.” – Alexander the Great

More Alexander the Great quotes to inspire you

41. “How great are the dangers I face to win a good name in Athens.” – Alexander the Great

42. “I am dying from the treatment of too many physicians.” – Alexander the Great

43. “I want the best doctors to carry my coffin to demonstrate that, in the face of death, even the best doctors in the world have no power to heal.” – Alexander the Great

44. “To the strongest!” – Alexander the Great

45. “The end and object of conquest is to avoid doing the same thing as the conquered.” – Alexander the Great

46. “Without Knowledge, Skill cannot be focused. Without Skill, Strength cannot be brought to bear and without Strength, Knowledge may not be applied.” – Alexander the Great

47. “Toil and risk are the price of glory, but it is a lovely thing to live with courage and die leaving an everlasting fame.” – Alexander the Great

48. “Bury my body and don’t build any monument. Keep my hands out so the people know the one who won the world had nothing in hand when he died.” – Alexander the Great

49. “True love never has a happy ending, because there is no ending to true love.” – Alexander the Great

50. “Glory crowns the deeds of those who expose themselves to toils and dangers.” – Alexander the Great

51. “When my casket is being carried to the grave, leave my hands hanging outside. For empty-handed, I came into this world and empty-handed, I shall go! My whole life has been a hallow waste, a futile exercise, for no one at death can take anything with them!” – Alexander the Great

52. “A horse must be a bit mad to be a good cavalry mount, and its rider must be completely so.” – Steven Pressfield
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53. “Soldiers, I had lately like to have been taken from you by the attempt of a few desperate men, but by the grace and providence of the gods, I am still preserved.” – Alexander the Great

Thought Provoking Alexander the Great Quotes

54. “May God keep you away from the venom of the cobra, the teeth of the tiger, and the revenge of the Afghans.” ― Alexander the Great

55. “There are no more worlds to conquer!” ― Alexander the Great

56. “God must have loved Afghans because he made them so beautiful.” ― Alexander the Great

57. “His father is governor of Media, and though he has the greatest command given him of all the rest of my generals, he still covetously desires more, and my being without issue spurs him on to this wicked design. But Philotas takes wrong measures.” — Alexander the Great

58. “My logisticians are a humorless lot … they know if my campaign fails, they are the first ones I will slay.” ― Alexander the Great

59. “When you bury my body, don’t build any momentum and keep my hands outside so that the world knows that the person who won the whole world had nothing in his hand while dying.” ― Alexander the Great

60. “I am dying with the help of too many physicians.” ― Alexander the Great

61. “I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion!” ― Alexander the Great

62. “I consider not what Parmenio should receive, but what Alexander should give.” ― Alexander the Great

63. “Do you not think it a matter worthy of lamentation that when there is such a vast multitude of them [worlds], we have not yet conquered one?” ― Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great Quotes To Bring You Memories

64. “But truly, if I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes.” — Alexander the Great

65. “I do not pilfer victory.” — Alexander the Great

66. “What an excellent horse do they lose, for want of address and boldness to manage him! … I could manage this horse better than others do.” — Alexander the Great

67. “I am involved in the land of a leonine and brave people, where every foot of the ground is like a well of steel, confronting my soldier. You have brought only one son into the world, but everyone in this land can be called an Alexander.” — Alexander the Great

68. “So far as I am concerned, I could not be accused of having set eyes, or having wished to set eyes, upon Darius’ wife: on the contrary, I have refused even to listen to those who spoke to me of her beauty.” — Alexander the Great

69. “I wish that the Indians believed me a god, for upon the report of an enemy’s valor oftentimes depends the success of a battle, and false reports have many times done as great things as true courage and resolution.” — Alexander the Great

70. “Shall I pass by and leave you lying there because of the expedition you led against Greece, or shall I set you up again because of your magnanimity and your virtues in other respects?” — Alexander the Great

71. “O Athenians, what toil do I undergo to please you!” — Alexander the Great

72. At Achilles tomb, O fortunate youth, to have found Homer as the herald of your glory!” — Alexander the Great

73. “Are there no more worlds that I might conquer?” — Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great Quotes from Ancient Times

74. “Shall I, that have destroyed my Preservers, return home?” — Alexander the Great

75. “For my part, I think that to a man of spirit there is no other aim and end of his labours except the labours themselves.” — Alexander the Great

76. “The best prophet is he who guesses well.” — Alexander the Great

77. “It is better to have no women to dinner at all than to have only ugly ones.” — Alexander the Great

78. “Oh! Most miserable wretch that I am! Why have I not learnt how to swim?” — Alexander the Great

79. “Your ancestors came to Macedonia and the rest of Hellas [Greece] and did us great harm, though we had done them no prior injury.” — Alexander the Great

80. “I have been appointed leader of the Greeks, and wanting to punish the Persians I have come to Asia, which I took from you.” — Alexander the Great

81. “Youths of the Pellaians and of the Macedonians and of the Hellenic Amphictiony and of the Lakedaimonians and of the Corinthians.” — Alexander the Great

82. “And of all the Hellenic peoples, join your fellow-soldiers and entrust yourselves to me, so that we can move against the barbarians and liberate ourselves from the Persian bondage, for as Greeks we should not be slaves to barbarians.” — Alexander the Great

83. “So would I, if I were Parmenion.” — Alexander the Great