Laconic Wit Research Paper

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Philip II of Macedon the father of the great conqueror Alexander the Great once tried to intimidate the state of Sparta renowned for it’s brutal martial prowess. He send a with a message "You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army on your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people and raze your city."

The Spartans replied simply with a one-word response to Philip: "If."

Philip never attempted to conquer Sparta and the term "Laconic wit," was coined, laconic coming from the Spartan region Laconia.

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