---
title: "5 Command Quotes By Edward Gibbon"
description: "5 Command quotes by Edward Gibbon. Plus more from Edward Gibbon and more Command sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/edward-gibbon-710_absurd_but-this-inestimable-privilege-was-soon_939918.png"
---

> [But this inestimable privilege was soon violated: with the knowledge of truth the emperor imbibed the maxims of persecution; and the sects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/but-this-inestimable-privilege-was-soon-violated-with-the-knowledge/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/edward-gibbon-710_absurd_but-this-inestimable-privilege-was-soon_939918.png)

> [The style of an author should be the image of his mind, but the choice and command of language is the fruit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-style-of-an-author-should-be-the-image-of-his-mind-but-the-choice/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/edward-gibbon-710_books_the-style-of-an-author-should-be-the-ima_1194322.png)

> [Instead of pressing, with the foremost of the crowd, into the palace of Constantinople, Libanius calmly expected his arrival at Antioch; withdrew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/instead-of-pressing-with-the-foremost-of-the-crowd-into-the-palace-of/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/edward-gibbon-710_antioch_instead-of-pressing-with-the-foremost-of_2155942.jpg)

> [The most successful of the Tartar princes assumed the military command, to which he was entitled by the superiority either of merit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-most-successful-of-the-tartar-princes-assumed-the-military/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/edward-gibbon-710_asia_the-most-successful-of-the-tartar-prince_2500262.jpg)

> [ \[A\] military force was collected in Europe, formidable by their arms and numbers, if the generals had understood the science of command,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/a-military-force-was-collected-in-europe-formidable-by-their-arms-and/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/edward-gibbon-710_arms_a-military-force-was-collected-in-europe_3141270.jpg)

## Other authors on Command

## More by Edward Gibbon

> [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [The sectaries of a persecuted religion, depressed by fear, animated with resentment, and perhaps heated by enthusiasm, are seldom in a proper temper of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-sectaries-of-a-persecuted-religion-depressed-by-fear-animated/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [A heart to resolve, a head to contrive, and a hand to execute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/a-heart-to-resolve-a-head-to-contrive-and-a-hand-to-execute/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [ \[In\] the national and religious conflict of the \[Byzantine and Saracen\] empires, peace was without confidence, and war without mercy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/in-the-national-and-religious-conflict-of-the-byzantine-and-saracen/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [Instead of a perpetual and perfect measure of the divine will, the fragments of the Koran were produced at the discretion of Mahomet; each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/instead-of-a-perpetual-and-perfect-measure-of-the-divine-will-the/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [Constantinople was the principal seat and fortress of Arianism; and, in a long interval of forty years, the faith of the princes and prelates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/constantinople-was-the-principal-seat-and-fortress-of-arianism-and-in/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [It is the common calamity of old age to lose whatever might have rendered it desirable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/it-is-the-common-calamity-of-old-age-to-lose-whatever-might-have/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [If a man were called to fix the period in the history of the world during which the condition of the human race was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/if-a-man-were-called-to-fix-the-period-in-the-history-of-the-world/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [If all the barbarian conquerors had been annihilated in the same hour, their total destruction would not have restored the empire of the West:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/if-all-the-barbarian-conquerors-had-been-annihilated-in-the-same-hour/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [But the desire of obtaining the advantages, and of escaping the burthens, of political society, is a perpetual and inexhaustible source of discord; nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/but-the-desire-of-obtaining-the-advantages-and-of-escaping-the/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [ \[Every\] hour of delay abates the fame and force of the invader, and multiplies the resources of defensive war. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/every-hour-of-delay-abates-the-fame-and-force-of-the-invader-and/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [The science of the church is neglected for the study of geometry, and they lose sight of Heaven while they are employed in measuring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-science-of-the-church-is-neglected-for-the-study-of-geometry-and/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [The progress of despotism tends to disappoint its own purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-progress-of-despotism-tends-to-disappoint-its-own-purpose/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [From the paths of blood (and such is the history of nations) I cannot refuse to turn aside to gather some flowers of science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/from-the-paths-of-blood-and-such-is-the-history-of-nations-i-cannot/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [A nation of slaves is always prepared to applaud the clemency of their master who, in the abuse of absolute power, does not proceed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/a-nation-of-slaves-is-always-prepared-to-applaud-the-clemency-of/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command/edward-gibbon/#itemlist",
            "name": "5 Command Quotes By Edward Gibbon",
            "numberOfItems": 5,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "But this inestimable privilege was soon violated: with the knowledge of truth the emperor imbibed the maxims of persecution; and the sects which dissented from the catholic church were afflicted and oppressed by the triumph of Christianity. Constantine easily believed that the heretics, who presumed to dispute his opinions or to oppose his commands, were guilty of the most absurd and criminal obstinacy; and that a seasonable application of moderate severities might save those unhappy men from the danger of an everlasting condemnation.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Edward Gibbon"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/but-this-inestimable-privilege-was-soon-violated-with-the-knowledge/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/edward-gibbon-710_absurd_but-this-inestimable-privilege-was-soon_939918.png",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/edward-gibbon-710_absurd_but-this-inestimable-privilege-was-soon_939918.png",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/edward-gibbon-710_absurd_but-this-inestimable-privilege-was-soon_939918.png",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“But this inestimable privilege was soon violated: with the knowledge of truth the emperor imbibed the maxims…” — Edward Gibbon",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "The style of an author should be the image of his mind, but the choice and command of language is the fruit of exercise.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Edward Gibbon"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-style-of-an-author-should-be-the-image-of-his-mind-but-the-choice/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/edward-gibbon-710_books_the-style-of-an-author-should-be-the-ima_1194322.png",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/edward-gibbon-710_books_the-style-of-an-author-should-be-the-ima_1194322.png",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/edward-gibbon-710_books_the-style-of-an-author-should-be-the-ima_1194322.png",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“The style of an author should be the image of his mind, but the choice and command of language is the fruit…” — Edward Gibbon",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Instead of pressing, with the foremost of the crowd, into the palace of Constantinople, Libanius calmly expected his arrival at Antioch; withdrew from court on the first symptoms of coldness and indifference; required a formal invitation for each visit; and taught his sovereign an important lesson, that he might command the obedience of a subject, but that he must deserve the attachment of a friend.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Edward Gibbon"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/instead-of-pressing-with-the-foremost-of-the-crowd-into-the-palace-of/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/edward-gibbon-710_antioch_instead-of-pressing-with-the-foremost-of_2155942.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/edward-gibbon-710_antioch_instead-of-pressing-with-the-foremost-of_2155942.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/edward-gibbon-710_antioch_instead-of-pressing-with-the-foremost-of_2155942.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Instead of pressing, with the foremost of the crowd, into the palace of Constantinople, Libanius calmly…” — Edward Gibbon",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "The most successful of the Tartar princes assumed the military command, to which he was entitled by the superiority either of merit or of power. He was raised to the throne by the acclamations of his equals; and the title of Khan expresses, in the language of the North of Asia, the full extent of the regal dignity. The right of hereditary succession was long confined to the blood of the founder of the monarchy; and at this moment all the Khans, who reign from Crimea to the wall of China, are the lineal descendants of the renowned Zingis.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Edward Gibbon"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-most-successful-of-the-tartar-princes-assumed-the-military/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/edward-gibbon-710_asia_the-most-successful-of-the-tartar-prince_2500262.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/edward-gibbon-710_asia_the-most-successful-of-the-tartar-prince_2500262.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/edward-gibbon-710_asia_the-most-successful-of-the-tartar-prince_2500262.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“The most successful of the Tartar princes assumed the military command, to which he was entitled by the…” — Edward Gibbon",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "[A] military force was collected in Europe, formidable by their arms and numbers, if the generals had understood the science of command, and the soldiers the duty of obedience.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Edward Gibbon"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/a-military-force-was-collected-in-europe-formidable-by-their-arms-and/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/edward-gibbon-710_arms_a-military-force-was-collected-in-europe_3141270.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/edward-gibbon-710_arms_a-military-force-was-collected-in-europe_3141270.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab8/edward-gibbon-710_arms_a-military-force-was-collected-in-europe_3141270.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“[A] military force was collected in Europe, formidable by their arms and numbers, if the generals had…” — Edward Gibbon",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command/edward-gibbon/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command/edward-gibbon/",
            "name": "Command Quotes by Edward Gibbon",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command/edward-gibbon/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/edward-gibbon-710_absurd_but-this-inestimable-privilege-was-soon_939918.png"
            },
            "description": "5 Command quotes by Edward Gibbon. Plus more from Edward Gibbon and more Command sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command/edward-gibbon/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command/edward-gibbon/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Command",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Edward Gibbon",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command/edward-gibbon/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```