Spartan if

Myths and legends of the market The JC’s guide to the foundational mythology of the markets.™ Go Premium Index: Click ᐅ to expand: Mythology Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Requests? Insults? We’d love to 📧 hear from you. Sign up for our newsletter.

The etymological history of the word “laconic”: named after Laconia, the Greek region including Sparta, whose inhabitants had a way with verbal brevity we could all learn from. So, when warrior king Philip of Macedon massed his armies on the border sent the Spartans the following message:

“If I win this war, you will be slaves forever. You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my armies and conquer your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city.”

The Spartan reply was truly laconic:

“If.”