QuotesCosmos
Maharbal, commander of Hannibals' Numidian cavalry, as quoted in Livy's History of Rome (1880), Anonymous translation, revised by C. A. M. Fennell, Book XXII, p. 151
• Comment to Hannibal after their victory at the Battle of Cannae.
• Variant translations:
 • In very truth the gods bestow not on the same man all their gifts; you know how to gain a victory, Hannibal: you know not how to use one.
 • You, Hannibal, know how to gain a victory; you do not know how to use it.
“

Of a truth the gods do not give the same man everything: you know how to gain a victory, Hannibal, but you do not know how to make use of it.

— Maharbal

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Of a truth the gods do not give the same man everything: you know how to gain a victory, Hannibal, but you do not know how to make use of it." in the context of "Maharbal, commander of Hannibals' Numidian cavalry, as quoted in Livy's History of Rome (1880), Anonymous translation, revised by C. A. M. Fennell, Book XXII, p. 151
• Comment to Hannibal after their victory at the Battle of Cannae.
• Variant translations:
 • In very truth the gods bestow not on the same man all their gifts; you know how to gain a victory, Hannibal: you know not how to use one.
 • You, Hannibal, know how to gain a victory; you do not know how to use it." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Hannibal" (Quotes about Hannibal) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

Tags

#Hannibal#everything#hannibal#victory#truth#gods#same#gain#man
Hannibal

About Hannibal

Hannibal (from Punic, literally "Baal is merciful to me", 247 BC – 182 BC) was a politician, statesman and military commander of ancient Carthage, famous for his victories against Roman forces and occupation of much of Italy for 15 years, until a counter-invasion of North Africa forced his return to Carthage, where he was decisively defeated at the Battle of Zama by Scipio Africanus.