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Quoted by Plutarch in Life of Alexander from Plutarch's Lives as translated by John Dryden (1683)
“

For my part, I assure you, I had rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent, than in the extent of my power and dominion.

— Alexander the Great

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "For my part, I assure you, I had rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent, than in the extent of my power and dominion." in the context of "Quoted by Plutarch in Life of Alexander from Plutarch's Lives as translated by John Dryden (1683)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Alexander the Great" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed February 05, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Alexander the Great

About Alexander the Great

Alexander III of Macedon (20/21 July 356 BC – 11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a Macedonian king who ruled the kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father King Philip II to the throne at the age of 20, and spent most of his ruling years conducting a lengthy military campaign throughout Western Asia and Northeastern Africa. By the age of thirty, he had created one of the largest empires in history, stretching from Greece to northwestern India. He was undefeated in battle and is widely considered to be one of history's greatest and most successful military commanders.

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