“King Agis said, "The Lacedæmonians are not wont to ask how many, but where the enemy are."”
Plutarch (46–127) ancient Greek historian and philosopher
58 Agis
Apophthegms of Kings and Great Commanders
As quoted in Moralia by Plutarch, Book 16, Apophthegmata Laconica [Sayings of the Spartans], 215.
Variant translations:
Spartans do not ask how many, only where the enemy are.
The Spartans do not ask how many, but where their enemies are.
“King Agis said, "The Lacedæmonians are not wont to ask how many, but where the enemy are."”
Plutarch (46–127) ancient Greek historian and philosopher
58 Agis
Apophthegms of Kings and Great Commanders
“Let us be practical and ask the question: How do we love our enemies?”
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) American clergyman, activist, and leader in the American Civil Rights Movement
1950s, Loving Your Enemies (Christmas 1957)
“If this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so many enemies.”
Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582) Roman Catholic saint
“How many people ask you to come share their life?”
Janet Fitch book White Oleander
Source: White Oleander
“If one's enemies know where you are, no matter how well protected you are, you can be gotten.”
Robert Ferrigno (1947) American writer
Prayers For The Assassin (2006)
John F. Kerry (1943) politician from the United States
Testimony before subcommittees of the U.S. Senate, April, 1971
“Where do begin, he asked, Where you always have to begin, at the beginning”
José Saramago book The Cave
Source: The Cave (2000), p. 53 (Vintage 2003)