Byzantine Military Rhetoric in the Ninth Century

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“One time, a dinner was held in the presence of the sovereign, and the guests were generals; I was among them. While some of the generals boasted about their achievements, I intervened in the conversation with the following words: It is said that Phokion's wife, when asked why she does not wear as much jewelry as other women, replied: 'my jewelry is my husband's success.' For exactly the same reason, if someone would ask me, wanting to know about my jewelry, I would answer that they are the successes of my soldiers.”

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“Of the many things that cause happiness in life, the most important is courage, since through it we not only secure what belongs to us, but also at the same time we can harm what belongs to our enemies.”