100 Best 300 Quotes

- You still here?
- Somebody's gotta watch your back.
- Not now, I'm a little busy.

- Dawn.
- Whips crack. Barbarians howl.
- Those behind cry, "Forward!"
- Those in front cry, "Back!"
- Our eyes bear witness to the grotesque spectacle... coughed forth from the darkest corner of Xerxes' empire.

Xerxes: You Greeks take pride in your logic. I suggest you employ it. Consider the beautiful land you so vigorously defend. Picture it reduced to ash at my whim! Consider the fate of your women!
Spartan: Clearly you don't know our women! I might as well have marched them up here, judging by what I've seen.

- Hubris.
- Easy to taunt, easy to trick.
- Before wounds and weariness have taken their toll... the mad king throws the best he has at us.
- Xerxes has taken the bait.
- Spartans, push!

Queen: Do not be coy or stupid, Persian. You can afford neither in Sparta!
Messenger: What makes this woman think she can speak among men?
Queen: Because only Spartan women give birth to real men!

King: Then what must a king do to save his world when the very laws he has sworn to protect force him to do nothing?
Queen: It is not a question of what a Spartan citizen should do, nor a husband, nor a king. Instead, ask yourself, my dearest love, what should a free man do?

Dilios: "Remember us." As simple an order as a king can give. "Remember why we died." For he did not wish tribute, nor song, nor monuments nor poems of war and valor. His wish was simple. "Remember us," he said to me. That was his hope, should any free soul come across that place, in all the countless centuries yet to be. May all our voices whisper to you from the ageless stones, "Go tell the Spartans, passerby, that here by Spartan law, we lie."

- Xerxes conquers and controls everything he rests his eyes upon.
- He leads an army so massive, it shakes the ground with its march.
- So vast, it drinks the rivers dry.
- All the God-King Xerxes requires is this: A simple offering of earth and water... a token of Sparta's submission to the will of Xerxes.

- Is this all of them?
- As you ordered. Three hundred.
- All with born sons to carry on their name.

Dilios: The captain's cries of pain at the loss of his son are more frightening to the enemy than the deepest battle drums. It takes three men to restrain him and bring him back to our own.

Queen: [having stabbed Theron and while holding sword into his body] This will not be over quickly. You will not enjoy this. I am not your Queen!

- Regroup!
- Astinos!
- My Son!
- Astinos!
- No!

- We're being followed.
- It has followed us since Sparta.
- My king! Look!

Messenger: Choose your next words carefully, Leonidas. They may be your last as king.
King: [to himself: thinking] "Earth and water"?
[Leonidas unsheathes and points his sword at the Messenger's throat]
Messenger: Madman! You're a madman!
King: Earth and water? You'll find plenty of both down there.
Messenger: No man, Persian or Greek, no man threatens a messenger!
King: You bring the crowns and heads of conquered kings to my city steps. You insult my queen. You threaten my people with slavery and death! Oh, I've chosen my words carefully, Persian. Perhaps you should have done the same!
Messenger: This is blasphemy! This is madness!
King: Madness...?
[shouting]
King: This is Sparta!
[Kicks the messenger down the well]

- First... you fight with your head.
- Then you fight with your heart.
- What is it?
- A Persian messenger awaits you.
- Do not forget today's lesson.
- Respect and honor.
- Respect and honor.

- as they're embraced by the loving arms of Greece herself. Come.
- True.
- It does look like rain.
- Zeus stabs the sky with thunderbolts... and batters the Persian ships with hurricane wind.
- Glorious.

Dilios: The old ones say we Spartans are descended from Hercules himself. Bold Leonidas gives testament to our bloodline. His roar is long and loud.

- ...
- They came with beasts from the blackness.
- With their claws and fangs... they grabbed them.
- Everyone... but me.

Xerxes: Come Leonidas, let us reason together. It would be a regrettable waste. It would be nothing short of madness for you, brave king, and your valiant troops to perish. All because of a simple misunderstanding. There is much our cultures could share.
King: Haven't you noticed? We've been sharing our culture with you all morning.

- Brave Greeks, all.
- Brothers, fathers, sons... we march.
- For honor's sake, for duty's sake, for glory's sake, we march.
- Look! Persians.
- Into hell's mouth we march.

- For no Spartan king has gone to war without the ephors' blessing.
- The Persians claim their forces number in the millions.
- I hope, for our sake, they exaggerate.
- But there's no question, we face the most massive army ever assembled.
- Before your plan is heard... what do you offer?

King: Children, gather round! No retreat, no surrender; that is Spartan law. And by Spartan law we will stand and fight... and die. A new age has begun. An age of freedom, and all will know, that 300 Spartans gave their last breath to defend it!

Dilios: It's been more than thirty years since the wolf and the winter cold. And now, as then, a beast approaches; patient and confident, savoring the meal to come. This beast is made of men and horses, swords and spears. An army of slaves vast beyond imagining, ready to devour tiny Greece, ready to snuff out the world's one hope for reason and justice. A beast approaches.

- Theron wants what you control.
- It's his voice you must silence.
- Make him your ally... and you will have your victory.
- Thank you.
- You are wise as you are kind.

- Only one among us keeps his Spartan reserve.
- Only he.
- Only our king.

- Stelios!
- Slaughter them!
- His helmet was stifling.
- It narrowed his vision, and he must see far.
- His shield was heavy.
- It threw him off balance... and his target is far away.

- Spartans!
- Ready your breakfast and eat hearty... for tonight we dine in hell!
- May I give the floor now... to the wife of Leonidas and queen of Sparta.

- This is where we hold them.
- This is where we fight!
- This is where they die!
- Earn these shields, boys!
- Remember this day, men... for it will be yours for all time.

- The old ones say we Spartans are descended from Hercules himself.
- Bold Leonidas gives testament to our bloodline.
- His roar is long and loud.

Xerxes: But I am a generous god. I can make you rich beyond all measure. I will make you warlord of all Greece. You will carry my battle standard to the heart of Europa. Your Athenian rivals will kneel at your feet if you will but kneel at mine.
King: You are generous as you are divine, O king of kings. Such an offer only a madman would refuse. But the, uh, the idea of kneeling, it's- You see, slaughtering all those men of yours has, uh, well it's left a nasty cramp in my leg, so kneeling will be hard for me.

Statesman: My good king! My good king! The oracle has spoken.
Second: The Ephors have spoken. There must be no march!
Theron: It is the law, my lord. The Spartan army must not go to war.
King: Nor shall it. I've issued no such orders. I'm here, just taking a stroll, stretching my legs. These, uh, 300 men are my personal bodyguard.

Theron: [before raping Queen Gorgo] This will not be over quickly. You will not enjoy this. I'm not your king.

Captain: [Battling the Persians] NO PRISONERS!
King: [Stabbing a Persian soldier] NO MERCY!

Dilios: Immortals... we put their name to the test.

- Easy, son.
- We do what we were trained to do... what we were bred to do... what we were born to do.
- No prisoners. No mercy.
- A good start.

- Behind us!
- Child!

- Spartans!
- Lay down your weapons!
- Persians!
- Come and get them!

- Madness?
- This is Sparta!

Dilios: We did what we were trained to do, what we were bred to do, what we were born to do!

King: Spartans! Prepare for glory!
Daxos: Glory? Have you gone mad? There is no glory to be had now! Only retreat, or surrender or death!
King: Well, that's an easy choice for us, Arcadian! Spartans never retreat! Spartans never surrender! Go spread the word. Let every Greek assembled know the truth of this. Let each among them search his own soul. And while you're at it, search your own.

- You'll have a grand tale to tell.
- A tale of victory.
- Victory.
- Yes, my lord.
- Sire, any message...?
- For the queen?

- The giant wolf sniffing... savoring the scent of the meal to come.

- We are with you, sire.
- For Sparta. For freedom.
- To the death.

- There's your mother.
- You should keep a better eye on him if he's to be king one day.
- Be unfortunate if anything were to happen to him.
- Or to his beautiful mother.

- O wise and holy men.
- Yes.
- And when Sparta burns, you shall bathe in gold.
- Fresh oracles shall be delivered to you... daily... from every corner of the empire.

- Tuck tail!
- Persian cowards.
- What the hell are you laughing at?
- Well, you had to say it.
- What?
- "Fight in the shade."
- Recover.
- Today no Spartan dies.

- My king.
- It's an honor to die at your side.
- It's an honor to have lived at yours.
- My queen!
- My wife.
- My love.

- They fall by the hundreds.
- We send the severed bodies and the fragile hearts back to Xerxes' feet.

- Freedom isn't free at all.
- That it comes with the highest of costs, the cost of blood.
- I will do my best to gather our council.
- And its chamber shall be filled with your voice.
- I'm in your debt.
- No.
- Leonidas is my king as well as yours.

- You bring the crowns and heads of conquered kings to my city steps.
- You insult my queen.
- You threaten my people with slavery and death.
- Oh, I've chosen my words carefully,
- Persian.
- Perhaps you should have done the same.
- This is blasphemy. This is madness!

- Jealousy... does not become you, my friend.
- Move it, men!
- Pile those Persians high.
- For unless I miss my guess... we're in for one wild night.

- Done.
- You will find...
- I am kind.
- Unlike the cruel Leonidas, who demanded that you stand...
- I require only... that you kneel.

- He doesn't say it.
- There's no room for softness... not in Sparta.
- No place for weakness.
- Only the hard and strong may call themselves Spartans.
- Only the hard. Only the strong.

- And by Spartan law, we will stand and fight... and die.
- A new age has begun.
- An age of freedom.
- And all will know that 300 Spartans... gave their last breath to defend it.

- Eyes as dark as night.
- Teeth filed to fangs.
- Soulless.
- The personal guard to King Xerxes himself.
- The Persian warrior elite.
- The deadliest fighting force in all of Asia:
- The Immortals.

- I will earn my father's armor, noble king... by serving you in the battle.
- A fine thrust.
- I will kill many Persians.
- Raise your shield.
- Sire?
- Raise your shield as high as you can.

- They shout and curse... stabbing wildly, more brawlers than warriors.
- They make a wondrous mess of things.
- Brave amateurs, they do their part.

Dilios: Hundreds leave, a handful stay. Only one looks back.

- Gulls cawing... complaining even as they feast on the thousands of floating dead.
- The steady breathing of the 300 at his back... ready to die for him without a moment's pause.
- Every one of them... ready to die.

King: [on being told the Persians are coming to parley] Captain, I leave you in charge.
Captain: But, sire...
King: Relax, old friend. If they assassinate me, all of Sparta goes to war. Pray they're that stupid. Pray we're that lucky.
[He takes another bite of apple, as the Captain notices a Persian soldier, still alive]
King: Besides, there's no reason we can't be civil, is there?
Captain: [stabs the Persian] None, sire.

- The child speaks of the Persian ghosts, known from the ancient times.
- They are the hunters of men's souls.
- They cannot be killed or defeated.
- Not this darkness. Not these Immortals.
- Immortals?
- We'll put their name to the test.

[before leaving]
Dilios: Sire, any message...?
King: For the Queen?
[Dilios nods. Leonidas removes the wolf's fang pendant from around his neck, and presses it into Dilios's hand]
King: None that need be spoken.

Dilios: "Goodbye my love." He doesn't say it. There's no room for softness... not in Sparta. No place for weakness. Only the hard and strong may call themselves Spartans. Only the hard, only the strong.

- and by that authority...
- I demand that someone show me your commander.
- Listen. Do you think the paltry dozen you slew scares us?
- These hills swarm with our scouts.
- And do you think your pathetic wall will do anything... except fall like a heap of dry leaves in the face of...?

- Constantly tested, tossed into the wild.
- Left to pit his wits and will against nature's fury.
- It was his initiation... his time in the wild... for he would return to his people a Spartan... or not at all.

Xerxes: It isn't wise to stand against me, Leonidas. Imagine what horrible fate awaits my enemies when I would gladly kill any of my own men for victory.
King: And I would die for any one of mine.

Messenger: All that God-King Xerxes requires is this: a simple offering of earth and water. A token of Sparta's submission to the will of Xerxes.
King: Submission? Well that's a bit of a problem. See, rumor has it the Athenians have already turned you down, and if those philosophers and, uh, boy-lovers have found that kind of nerve, then...
Theron: We must be diplomatic.
King: [ignoring Theron] ... and, of course, Spartans have their reputation to consider.

- Leonidas! You are wrong!
- Dispatch the Phocians to the goat path... and pray to the gods nobody tells the Persians about it.
- Earthquake.
- No, captain.
- Battle formations.

- No prisoners!
- No mercy!

- His shield is heavy.
- Your spear.
- You there...
- Ephialtes.
- May you live forever.
- Leonidas, your spear.

- Let me guess.
- You must be Xerxes.

Daxos: I saw those ships smashed on the rocks. How can this be?
Stelios: We saw but a fraction of the monster that is Xerxes' army.
Daxos: There can be no victory here. Why do you smile?
Stelios: Arcadian, I've fought countless times, yet I've never met an adversary who could offer me what we Spartans call "A Beautiful Death." I can only hope, with all the world's warriors gathered against us, there might be one down there who's up to the task.

- I have fought countless times... yet I've never met an adversary who could offer me... what we Spartans call "a beautiful death."
- I can only hope... with all the world's warriors gathered against us... there might be one down there who's up to the task.

- The captain's cries of pain at the loss of his son... are more frightening to the enemy than the deepest battle drums.
- It takes three men to restrain him and bring him back to our own.
- The day is ours.
- No songs are sung.

King: This is where we hold them! This is where we fight! This is where they die!
Captain: Earn these shields, boys!
[Spartans cheer]
King: Remember this day, men, for it will be yours for all time.

Daxos: I see I was wrong to expect Sparta's commitment to at least match our own.
King: Doesn't it?
[points to Arcadian soldier behind Daxos]
King: You there, what is your profession?
Free: I am a potter... sir.
King: [points to another soldier] And you, Arcadian, what is your profession?
Free: Sculptor, sir.
King: Sculptor.
[turns to a third soldier]
King: You?
Free: Blacksmith.
King: [turns back shouting] SPARTANS! What is YOUR profession?
Spartans: HA-OOH! HA-OOH! HA-OOH!
King: [turning to Daxos] You see, old friend? I brought more soldiers than you did!

- All his 40 years have been a straight road... to this one gleaming moment in destiny... this one radiant clash of shield and spear... sword and bone, and flesh and blood.
- His only regret... is that he has so few to sacrifice.

- And you, Arcadian.
- What is your profession?
- Sculptor, sir.
- Sculptor.
- And you?
- Blacksmith.
- Spartans! What is your profession?
- You see, old friend?
- I brought more soldiers than you did.

[Gorgo waking up from Leonidas stroking her back]
Queen: Your lips can finish what your fingers have started... or has the Oracle robbed you of your desire as well?
King: It would take more than the words than a drunken adolescent girl to rob me of my desire of you.

- The wolf begins to circle the boy.
- Claws of black steel... fur as dark night.
- Eyes glowing red... jewels from the pit of hell itself.

- Just pass that western ridge.
- It's an old goat path.
- The Persians could use it to outflank us.
- Not one step closer, monster!
- Wise king, I humbly request an audience.
- I'll skewer you where you stand.
- I gave no such order.

- Move out!
- Move out!
- What shall we do?
- What can we do?
- What can you do?
- Sparta will need sons.

- Yes, but I did not ask you here for small talk, Theron.
- You can be sure of that.
- You never spared words with me.
- Can I offer you something?
- A drink, perhaps?
- Is it poison?
- I'm sorry to disappoint you, it's only water.

- You fight for your kingship.
- You will be proclaimed warlord of all Greece... answerable only to the one true master of the world.
- Leonidas, your victory will be complete... if you but lay down your arms... and kneel to holy Xerxes.

King: You have many slaves, Xerxes, but few warriors. It won't be long before they fear my spears more than your whips.

[as arrows rain down on the Spartans, Astinos begins laughing hysterically]
Stelios: What the hell are you laughing at?
Astinos: Well, you had to say it!
Stelios: What?
Astinos: "Fight in the shade"!
[both laugh]

- Hundreds leave.
- A handful stay.
- Only one looks back.

- Then what must a king do to save his world... when the very laws he is sworn to protect force him to do nothing?
- It is not a question of what a Spartan citizen should do... nor a husband, nor a king.
- Instead ask yourself, my dearest love... what should a free man do?

Dilios: His helmet was stifling, it narrowed his vision. And he must see far. His shield was heavy. It threw him off balance. And his target is far away.
[Leonidas throws his spear and hits the side of Xerxes' face, ripping off his face piercings]

Ephialtes: There is nothing to forgive, brave King. I know what I look like...
King: [quietly] You wear the crimson of a Spartan.
Ephialtes: My mother's love led my parents to flee Sparta... lest I be discarded...
King: Your shield and armor?
Ephialtes: My father's, sir!
[pause]
Ephialtes: I beg you, bold King, to permit me to redeem my father's name by serving you in combat!
[pause]
Ephialtes: My father trained me to feel no fear to make spear and shield and sword as much a part of me as my own beating heart!
[pause]
Ephialtes: I will earn my father's armor, noble King, by serving you in the battle!
King: [Ephialtes shows King Leonidas his thrust; it's good and the King is surprisingly impressed] A fine thrust.
Ephialtes: [smiles] I will kill *many* Persians!
King: Raise your shield.
Ephialtes: Sire?
King: Raise your shield as high as you can.
[Ephialtes tries to raise his shield; he cannot as his physical disability prevents it]
King: [calmly] Your father should have taught you how our phalanx works. We fight as a single, impenetrable unit. That is the source of our strength. Each Spartan protects the man to his left from thigh to neck with his shield.
[Leonidas takes his sword and shield to demonstrate]
King: A single weak spot and the phalanx shatters. From thigh to neck, Ephialtes.
[pause]
King: I am sorry, my friend; but not all of us were made to be soldiers.
Ephialtes: [shocked] But, I-!
King: If you want to help in a Spartan victory, clear the battlefield of the dead, tend the wounded, bring them water. But as for the fight itself, I cannot use you.

Spartan: Spartans! Ready your breakfast and eat hearty... For tonight, we dine in hell!

- My heart is broken for your loss.
- Head?
- I have filled my heart... with hate.
- Good.

[Dilios is putting a patch over his eye]
King: Dilios, I trust that "scratch" hasn't made you useless.
Dilios: Hardly, my lord, it's just an eye. The gods saw fit to grace me with a spare.

[while wrestling with his son]
King: In the end, a Spartan's true strength is the warrior next to him. So give respect and honor to him, and it will be returned to you. First, you fight with your head...
Queen: Then you fight with your heart.
King: [sees the Captain] What is it?
Queen: A Persian messenger awaits you.
King: Do not forget today's lesson.
Pleistarchos: Respect and honor.
King: Respect and honor.

Dilios: Taught never to retreat, never to surrender. Taught that death on the battlefield in service to Sparta was the greatest glory he could achieve in his life.

- They look thirsty.
- Well, let's give them something to drink.
- To the cliffs.

- When muscle failed... they turned to their magic.
- One hundred nations descend upon us, the armies of all Asia.
- Funneled into this narrow corridor, their numbers count for nothing.

Queen: Freedom isn't free at all, that it comes with the highest of costs. The cost of blood.

- And your king?
- I do.
- Your husband fights for his land and his love.
- What do you have to offer... in return for my word that I'll help you send our army north?
- What does a realist want with his queen?
- I think you know.

- What happened here?
- Where are all the people?
- Persians.
- I put their number at around 20.
- A scouting party.
- But these footprints...