So such was I in the ranks of men...or was it all a dream? This Achilles - he'll reap the rewards of that great courage of his alone, I tell you - weep his heart out far too late, when our troops are dead and gone.

So such was I
in the ranks of men…or was it all a dream?
This Achilles –
he’ll reap the rewards of that great courage of his
alone, I tell you – weep his heart out far too late,
when our troops are dead and gone.

– Homer

The Iliad, Book 11, lines 907-911. Old warrior Nestor curses the fact that he is aged, his limbs gnarled and power gone. He tells Patroclus a story of his prowess in battle as a youth and criticizes Achilles refusal to help his fellow soldiers at their time of need.

Homer Quotes