Hydarnes: "Xerxes says that if you lay down your arms, he will allow you to leave in peace."
Leonidas: "Come and take them!"
"We're humans, let's make ourselves proud of it!"
Ellas: "Once the rain has fallen, nothing can put it back in the sky."
shareThe "come and take them" line has always been my favorite.
Stealthman
"WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND THEY IS US"
POGO
Queen Gorgo: "With this shield, or on it."
shareSpartan women would hand their husbands or sons their shield and tell them to come back with it or on it. The shield weighed about 30 kilos so if you wanted to get the hell our of there, you would have to ditch it. There is still a word used in Greek for somebody fleeing literally or not, 'ripsaspis' (shield-dropper).
shareNot a quote but a point of fact, any Spartan could lose any item of armour in battle without any comeback, however if he lost his shield he was severely ostracised and disgraced back home. The reason being that his shield was not so much for his protection but for the protection of the man to his left (I think!) and to be seen to fail your comrades was the ultimate crime.
An excellent book for anyone interested in this film or this era is The Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield.
Fave quote would be as others have said,
Hydarnes, Commander of the Immortals to Leonidas: yesterday, we only probed your positions. When we attack today, our arrows will blot out the sun!
Leonidas: Good; then we will fight in the shade
This is what actually Leonidas answered.
In ancient Greek he said 'Molon (=while coming) lave (=get them)'
Just watched it again for the fifth, sixth whatever time and my favorite scene is when the horses charge in the first attack by the Persians and the front rank of Spartans collapse under their shields to block off the foot soldiers.
Awsome!
"Oh, Stranger, tell the Spartans we lie here obedient to their word."
shareThese are the quotes that were the most memorable for me.
This quote is a perfect description of the "democracy" we live in today.
Themistocles of Athens:
"When people are free to speak their minds, the are more generally more easily handled."
And these lines because they use the same exact words in the trailer for the new "300" movie.
Hydarnes: Tomorrow, our arrows will blot out the sun
Leonidas: Good, then we will fight in the shade