Today's Passage
This passage occurs at the Congress at Sparta in 432 BCE, where Peloponnesian League members debate declaring war on Athens.
Crawley Translation (1910)
“Fellow allies, we can no longer accuse the Lacedaemonians of having failed in their duty: they have not only voted for war themselves, but have assembled us here for that purpose. We say their duty, for supremacy has its duties. Besides equitably administering private interests, leaders are required to show a special care for the common welfare in return for the special honours accorded to them by all in other ways. For ourselves, all who have already had dealings with the Athenians require no warning to be on their guard against them. The states more inland and out of the highway of communication should understand that, if they omit to support the coast powers, the result will be to injure the transit of their produce for exportation and the reception in exchange of their imports from the sea; and they must not be careless judges of what is now said, as if it had nothing to do with them, but must expect that the sacrifice of the powers on the coast will one day be followed by the extension of the danger to the interior, and must recognize that their own interests are deeply involved in this discussion. For these reasons they should not hesitate to exchange peace for war. If wise men remain quiet, while they are not injured, brave men abandon peace for war when they are injured, returning to an understanding on a favourable opportunity: in fact, they are neither intoxicated by their success in war, nor disposed to take an injury for the sake of the delightful tranquillity of peace. Indeed, to falter for the sake of such delights is, if you remain inactive, the quickest way of losing the sweets of repose to which you cling; while to conceive extravagant pretensions from success in war is to forget how hollow is the confidence by which you are elated. For if many ill-conceived plans have succeeded through the still greater fatuity of an opponent, many more, apparently well laid, have on the contrary ended in disgrace. The confidence with which we form our schemes is never completely justified in their execution; speculation is carried on in safety, but, when it comes to action, fear causes failure.
Modern Translation
Fellow allies, we can no longer fault the Spartans for neglecting their responsibilities: they have not only voted for war themselves but have convened us here for that very purpose. We emphasize their responsibilities because leadership carries obligations. Beyond fairly managing individual concerns, those in command must demonstrate particular attention to our collective interests in exchange for the exceptional honors we grant them. As for us, all who have previously dealt with the Athenians need no reminder to remain vigilant against them. The inland states, removed from the main trade routes, should recognize that if they fail to support the coastal powers, they will damage their ability to export their goods and import what they need from overseas. They must not judge these proceedings carelessly, as if irrelevant to them, but should understand that abandoning the coastal states will eventually bring danger to the interior regions. They must see that their own interests are fundamentally at stake in this debate. Therefore, they should not hesitate to choose war over peace. While prudent people remain at peace when unprovoked, courageous people abandon peace for war when wronged, though they return to negotiation when conditions favor it. They are neither drunk on military success nor willing to endure injury for the pleasant comfort of peace. Indeed, hesitating for such pleasures is, through inaction, the surest way to lose the very tranquility you cherish. Meanwhile, developing grandiose ambitions from military victories means forgetting how fragile is the confidence that inflates you. For while many poorly conceived strategies have succeeded due to an enemy's greater stupidity, far more plans that seemed sound have instead ended in humiliation. The confidence with which we devise our strategies never fully translates into their implementation; planning occurs in security, but when action begins, fear brings failure.
Historical Context
This passage occurs at the Congress at Sparta in 432 BCE, where Peloponnesian League members debate declaring war on Athens. The speaker (likely a Corinthian representative) addresses the assembled allies after Sparta has voted for war. The speech aims to unify the league by warning inland states that Athenian naval dominance threatens not just coastal cities but interior trade routes. The speaker emphasizes the interconnected nature of Greek commerce and the danger of Athenian expansion. This moment represents a crucial turning point where local conflicts escalate into the pan-Hellenic Peloponnesian War, as various city-states recognize their economic and political interests are threatened by Athens' growing empire.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Spartan Hegemony
The speaker acknowledges Sparta's traditional leadership role in the Peloponnesian League. As the dominant land power in Greece, Sparta held special responsibilities to protect allied interests, particularly against Athenian expansion. This passage reflects the reciprocal nature of hegemony in Greek politics.
Learn more →Ancient Greek Trade Networks
The reference to inland states' dependence on coastal trade highlights the integrated nature of the ancient Greek economy. Interior cities relied on ports for exporting agricultural products and importing necessities, making them vulnerable to naval blockades despite their geographic distance from the sea.
Learn more →Greek Military Philosophy
The passage articulates a sophisticated view of war and peace, rejecting both pacifism and militarism. This reflects Greek philosophical thought about the proper balance between defensive readiness and aggressive expansion, emphasizing prudence and timing over ideological extremes.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Xenophon: Hellenica (Book 2, Chapter 2.3)
Xenophon describes similar debates about collective security among Greek states during the later stages of the Peloponnesian War, showing how alliance obligations continued to shape diplomatic discourse.
Read passage →Herodotus: Histories (Book 7, Chapter 157)
Herodotus records similar appeals for unity against a common threat during the Persian Wars, where Gelon of Syracuse discusses the interdependence of Greek states facing external danger.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Pericles (Chapter 29)
Plutarch describes the Athenian perspective on the same pre-war tensions, showing how both sides justified their positions through appeals to justice and necessity.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does the speaker's argument about inland states' vulnerability to coastal blockades reflect the interconnected nature of ancient Greek economics and politics?
- What does this passage reveal about Greek concepts of leadership responsibility and the reciprocal obligations between hegemons and allies?
- How does the speaker's philosophy of war - neither pacifist nor militaristic - compare to modern just war theory?
- Why might Thucydides have included this particular speech in his history? What does it reveal about the causes of the Peloponnesian War?