But here, as on so many other occasions, the Lacedaemonians proved the most convenient people in the world for the Athenians to be at war with. - Thucydides

[C]oncessions to adversaries only end in self reproach, and the more strictly they are avoided the greater will be the chance of security.

At times Thucydides may be clearly mistaken in both detail and interpretation, but the extent of his accuracy and analysis astounds in a world where travel was difficult, written sources rarely available, and the physical obstacles to the writing of history substantial.

People are inclined to accept all stories of ancient times in an uncritical way – even when these stories concern their own native countries.