Now be men, my friends! Courage, come, take heart! Dread what comrades say of you here in bloody combat! When men dread that, more men come through alive - when soldiers break and run, good-bye glory, good-bye all defenses!

Now be men, my friends! Courage, come, take heart!
Dread what comrades say of you here in bloody combat!
When men dread that, more men come through alive –
when soldiers break and run, good-bye glory,
good-bye all defenses!

– Homer

The Iliad, Book 5, lines 610-614. Agamemnon shouts out commands to rally the Achaeans for war against the Trojans. He demands that they be courageous and reminds then that there is no glory for soldiers who break and run. Here he appeals to their pride in themselves as warriors in order to motivate them.

Homer Quotes