---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Alexander was not the first Greek to be…"
description: "\"Alexander was not the first Greek to be honoured as a god for political favour.\" — Robin Lane Fox"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/919/robin-lane-fox-49385_favour_alexander-was-not-the-first-greek-to-be_2113819.jpg"
---

#  Alexander was not the first Greek to be honoured as a god…

![“Alexander was not the first Greek to be honoured as a god for political favour.” quote by Robin Lane Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/919/robin-lane-fox-49385_favour_alexander-was-not-the-first-greek-to-be_2113819.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/919/robin-lane-fox-49385_favour_alexander-was-not-the-first-greek-to-be_2113819.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/919/robin-lane-fox-49385_favour_alexander-was-not-the-first-greek-to-be_2113819.jpg)

> “Alexander was not the first Greek to be honoured as a god for political favour.”

[Robin Lane Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lane-fox/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Greek leaders were sometimes deified for political reasons, but Alexander was not the first to receive such honor.

**In simple terms:** Political deification predates Alexander.

Key Takeaway

Recognize political motives behind honors.

Themes

politics honor history

Mood

analytical critical

Type

historical political

When to use this quote

- ancient politics
- modern celebrity culture

Key Concepts

cult of personality statecraft

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do societies elevate leaders?
- What are the risks of political worship?

A Different Perspective

Deification can be used to legitimize power.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/)

## Related quotes

> [Among the conservative Greek opinion there would be no regrets that Alexander the Greek leader was invading the barbarians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lane-fox/among-the-conservative-greek-opinion-there-would-be-no-regrets-that/)

[Robin Lane Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lane-fox/)

> [The temptation to be popular may prioritize public opinion above the word of God. Political campaigns and marketing strategies widely employ public opinion polls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-m-nelson/the-temptation-to-be-popular-may-prioritize-public-opinion-above-the/)

[Russell M. Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-m-nelson/)

> [You can't divorce religious belief and public service I've never detected any conflict between God's will and my political duty. If you violate one,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/you-can-t-divorce-religious-belief-and-public-service-i-ve-never/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [You can not divorce religious belief and public service. I've never detected any conflict between God's will and my political duty. If you violate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/you-can-not-divorce-religious-belief-and-public-service-i-ve-never/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [ \[T\]he kingdom of God... is to be a political institution that shall hold sway over all the earth; to which all other governments will… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-roberts/t-he-kingdom-of-god-is-to-be-a-political-institution-that-shall-hold/)

[B. H. Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-roberts/)

> [“In the nomadic age, the shepherd (nomeus) was the typical symbol of rule. In Statesman, Plato distinguishes the shepherd from the statesman: the nemein…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/in-the-nomadic-age-the-shepherd-nomeus-was-the-typical-symbol-of-rule/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [“Annabeth nodded. "That's right.Alexander conquered Egypt.After he died, his general Ptolemy took over. He wanted the Egyptians to accept him as their pharaoh, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/annabeth-nodded-that-s-right-alexander-conquered-egypt-after-he-died/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [“When Alexander saw the depth of his empire he wept for there were no more worlds to concquer. Benefits of a classical education.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-gruber/when-alexander-saw-the-depth-of-his-empire-he-wept-for-there-were-no/)

Hans Gruber

> [“Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/alexander-the-coppersmith-did-me-great-harm-the-lord-will-repay-him/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“That valiant Macedonian supreme commander and emperor Alexander, in his thirties and the future Indian captain-general and emperor Chandragupta just on the threshold of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/savarkar/that-valiant-macedonian-supreme-commander-and-emperor-alexander-in/)

Savarkar

> [Lucius Cassius ille quem populus Romanus verissimum et sapientissimum iudicem putabat identidem in causis quaerere solebat 'cui bono' fuisset. The famous Lucius Cassius, whom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/lucius-cassius-ille-quem-populus-romanus-verissimum-et-sapientissimum/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [“I am acting, then," continued Alexander, "only on the defensive. The gods, who always favor the right, have given me the victory. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-abbott/i-am-acting-then-continued-alexander-only-on-the-defensive-the-gods/)

[Jacob Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-abbott/)

> [Life is life, Girls are girls and boys are boys, they change here and there.. BUT ALEXANDER remains the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asking-alexander/life-is-life-girls-are-girls-and-boys-are-boys-they-change-here-and/)

Asking Alexander

> [Homer, Hesiod, Pythagoras, Plato, and Cicero, just to name a few, all lived in pagan societies. Some of the greatest political and military leaders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-myers/homer-hesiod-pythagoras-plato-and-cicero-just-to-name-a-few-all-lived/)

[Brendan Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-myers/)

> [I actually sat down and started three Alexanders at the same time. Two of them went in the trash and got stomped on because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/i-actually-sat-down-and-started-three-alexanders-at-the-same-time-two/)

[Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/)

## More by Robin Lane Fox

> [Gardens can be sharp and spiky as well as rose-embowered and honeysuckle-twined: there are corners and settings where thistles are not such an asinine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lane-fox/gardens-can-be-sharp-and-spiky-as-well-as-rose-embowered-and/)

[Robin Lane Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lane-fox/)

> [“Their (the Greeks)encounters with foreign were not coloured by the belief that such people's religion was false and inferior, the belief that thinges Christians,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lane-fox/their-the-greeks-encounters-with-foreign-were-not-coloured-by-the/)

[Robin Lane Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lane-fox/)

> [“Excavations at Ai Khanoum on the northern border of modern Afghanistan have produced great quantities of Greek inscriptions and even the remnants of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lane-fox/excavations-at-ai-khanoum-on-the-northern-border-of-modern/)

[Robin Lane Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lane-fox/)

> [Among the conservative Greek opinion there would be no regrets that Alexander the Greek leader was invading the barbarians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lane-fox/among-the-conservative-greek-opinion-there-would-be-no-regrets-that/)

[Robin Lane Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lane-fox/)

> [Gardeners work with an ever-receding ideal of perfection; no sooner is something growing well than they see how to place it better or give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lane-fox/gardeners-work-with-an-ever-receding-ideal-of-perfection-no-sooner-is/)

[Robin Lane Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lane-fox/)

> [“I wish I was here, or I wish I was there...' In our age of global travel we are all potential heirs to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lane-fox/i-wish-i-was-here-or-i-wish-i-was-there-in-our-age-of-global-travel/)

[Robin Lane Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lane-fox/)

[Explore all 7 Robin Lane Fox quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lane-fox/)

## More Alexander quotes

> [I actually sat down and started three Alexanders at the same time. Two of them went in the trash and got stomped on because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/i-actually-sat-down-and-started-three-alexanders-at-the-same-time-two/)

[Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/)

> [Homer, Hesiod, Pythagoras, Plato, and Cicero, just to name a few, all lived in pagan societies. Some of the greatest political and military leaders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-myers/homer-hesiod-pythagoras-plato-and-cicero-just-to-name-a-few-all-lived/)

[Brendan Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-myers/)

> [Life is life, Girls are girls and boys are boys, they change here and there.. BUT ALEXANDER remains the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asking-alexander/life-is-life-girls-are-girls-and-boys-are-boys-they-change-here-and/)

Asking Alexander

> [“I am acting, then," continued Alexander, "only on the defensive. The gods, who always favor the right, have given me the victory. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-abbott/i-am-acting-then-continued-alexander-only-on-the-defensive-the-gods/)

[Jacob Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-abbott/)

> [Lucius Cassius ille quem populus Romanus verissimum et sapientissimum iudicem putabat identidem in causis quaerere solebat 'cui bono' fuisset. The famous Lucius Cassius, whom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/lucius-cassius-ille-quem-populus-romanus-verissimum-et-sapientissimum/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [“That valiant Macedonian supreme commander and emperor Alexander, in his thirties and the future Indian captain-general and emperor Chandragupta just on the threshold of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/savarkar/that-valiant-macedonian-supreme-commander-and-emperor-alexander-in/)

Savarkar

> [“Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/alexander-the-coppersmith-did-me-great-harm-the-lord-will-repay-him/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“When Alexander saw the depth of his empire he wept for there were no more worlds to concquer. Benefits of a classical education.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-gruber/when-alexander-saw-the-depth-of-his-empire-he-wept-for-there-were-no/)

Hans Gruber

> [“Annabeth nodded. "That's right.Alexander conquered Egypt.After he died, his general Ptolemy took over. He wanted the Egyptians to accept him as their pharaoh, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/annabeth-nodded-that-s-right-alexander-conquered-egypt-after-he-died/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [“As Alexander would confess years later, sex and sleep more than anything else reminded him that he was mortal. One”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-freeman/as-alexander-would-confess-years-later-sex-and-sleep-more-than/)

[Philip Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-freeman/)

> [I'm a London girl, so I grew up on Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood... Dior, Chanel, the usual suspects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-dormer/i-m-a-london-girl-so-i-grew-up-on-alexander-mcqueen-and-vivienne/)

[Natalie Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-dormer/)

> [When I did 'Racing Demon' by David Hare, I worked with Paul Giamatti, who had stacks of books in his dressing room. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-o-hare/when-i-did-racing-demon-by-david-hare-i-worked-with-paul-giamatti-who/)

[Denis O'Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-o-hare/)

> [Alexander III of Macedon is known as Alexander the Great because he killed more people of more different kinds than any other man of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/alexander-iii-of-macedon-is-known-as-alexander-the-great-because-he/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

> [“Alexander's mere name and the fame of his feats raised rulers and realms across virtually the whole world. And those who kept control of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-chugg/alexander-s-mere-name-and-the-fame-of-his-feats-raised-rulers-and/)

[Andrew Chugg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-chugg/)

> [Where did he go!” he bellowed, gloved hands clenching. “I had him in a snare that would take Alexander the Great a lifetime to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/where-did-he-go-he-bellowed-gloved-hands-clenching-i-had-him-in-a/)

[Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/)

Browse all 230 Alexander quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Alexander was not the first Greek to be honoured as a god for political favour.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robin Lane Fox"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lane-fox/alexander-was-not-the-first-greek-to-be-honoured-as-a-god-for/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Alexander"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lane-fox/alexander-was-not-the-first-greek-to-be-honoured-as-a-god-for/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/919/robin-lane-fox-49385_favour_alexander-was-not-the-first-greek-to-be_2113819.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/919/robin-lane-fox-49385_favour_alexander-was-not-the-first-greek-to-be_2113819.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/919/robin-lane-fox-49385_favour_alexander-was-not-the-first-greek-to-be_2113819.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Alexander was not the first Greek to be honoured as a god for political favour.” — Robin Lane Fox",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "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": "Robin Lane Fox",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lane-fox/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Alexander was not the first Greek...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lane-fox/alexander-was-not-the-first-greek-to-be-honoured-as-a-god-for/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lane-fox/alexander-was-not-the-first-greek-to-be-honoured-as-a-god-for/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
