Alexander (film)

"You break my heart, you men... afraid!? Of course you have fears, we all have fears. Because no one has ever come this far before."

"Yes, youre right Crateros. I should have sent you veterans home sooner, and I will. The first of your shall be the Silver Shields, and then every man who has served seven years. Respected, rich, LOVED! Youll be treated by you wives and children as heroes for the rest of your lives. And enjoy a peaceful death. But you dream Crateros! Your simplicity long ended when you took Persian mistresses and children and you thickened your holdings with plunder and jewels... Because you have fallen in love with all the things in life that destroy men! Do you not see? And you, as well as I, know, that as the years decline, and the memories stale, and all your great victories fade, it will always be remembered, you left your king in Asia! Because I will go on...with my Asians!"

"None will tell you this but your father: Men hate the gods! The only reason we worship any of them is because we fear worse. The Titans."

"Theres only one thing better than winning a battle, son, and thats the taste of a new woman! Youll find it far sweeter than self pity."

"(final words of the film) His tragedy was one of increasing loneliness and impatience with those who could not understand. And if his desire to unite Greek and barbarian ended in failure... what failure! His failure towered over other mens successes. Ive lived... Ive lived a long life, Cadmos. But the glory and the memory of man will always belong to the ones who follow their great visions. And the greatest of these is the one they now... call "Megas Alexandros" - the greatest Alexander of them all."

"Although an inferior race the Persians control at least four fifths of the known world. They rule and we sit around like frogs!"

"The generals question your obsession with Darius... they say it was never meant for you to be King of Asia."

"I found it in Egypt. The man who sold it to me said it came from a time when man worshipped sun and stars. Ill always think of you as the sun, Alexander and I pray your dream will shine on all men. I wish you a son."

"I promise that I will beat you one day, Hephaistion."

"(Of his father Phillip) This is the man who is going to take you from Macedonia to Persia?! He cant even make it from one couch to the next."

"I didnt cross Asia to steal this victory, Cassander." And right not my butt."

"Youve all honored your country and your ancestors and now we come to this most distant place in Asia where across from us Darius has at last gathered a vast army, but look again at this horde and ask yourselves, who is this great king who pays assassins in gold coins to murder my father, our king in a most despicable and cowardly manner? Who is this great king Darius who enslaves his own men to fight? Who is this king but a king of air? These men do not fight for their homes. They fight because this king tells them they must. And when they fight, they will melt away like the air, because they know no loyalty to a king of slaves! But we are not here today as slaves. We are here today... as Macedonian free men! And all their arms, their numbers, their chariots and their fine horses will mean nothing in the hands of slaves. Some of you, perhaps myself, will not live to see the sun set over these mountains today, for I will be in the very thick of battle with you. But remember this, the greatest honor a man can achieve is to live with great courage, and to die gloriously in battle for his home. I say to you what every warrior has known since the beginning of time: conquer your fear and I promise you you will conquer death! Someday I promise you, your sons and grandsons will look into your eyes. And when they ask you why you fought so bravely at Gaugamela, you will answer, with all the strength of your great, great hearts: "I was here this day at Gaugamela...for the freedom...and glory...of Greece!" Zeus be with us!"