During the Siege of Sardis (546 BCE), Croesus of Lydia was defeated by Cyrus of Persia. Croesus, who had been ruling for about 14 years until then, had fallen and was captured. He was about to be executed on a pyre when he invoked Solon’s wisdom: “Count no man happy until his end is known.” Cyrus was struck by the insight, realized the fragility of fortune, stopped the execution, and later even kept Croesus as an advisor.
In 326 BCE, on the banks of the Jhelum, Alexander the Great defeated King Porus after a brutal battle with war elephants. Brought in chains, Porus was asked how he wished to be treated. “Like a king,” the defeated king replied. Alexander, struck by the defiance, restored Porus not only to his throne but granted him more land.
The Second Punic War (202 BCE) at Zama ended with Scipio defeating Hannibal and forcing the latter to go into exile. Later (around 193 BCE), Scipio and Hannibal met at Ephesus under diplomatic circumstances. It is said that Scipio asked Hannibal who the greatest general was. Hannibal named Alexander, then Pyrrhus, then himself. When Scipio pressed, “Where would you place yourself if you had defeated me at Zama?” Hannibal replied, “Then I would put myself before Alexander.” Scipio laughed, acknowledging Hannibal’s candor.
Across centuries, across empires, wars have continued between warriors. Most of them have been documented in academic history, yet the academics themselves are no longer remembered by anyone. Through the fading pages of history, some stories prevail. While history may be buried in time, these few stories have managed to become timeless legends. And there’s one common thread passing through all of them—restraint in victory and dignity in defeat.
History’s message is simple. Even if you can’t end the fight, you can choose how you fight. You can cut your rival down to nothing—or you can leave both of you taller in the telling.
The same holds true in offices today. Workplaces aren’t battlefields, though they often feel like it. Rivalries, grudges, one-upmanship. They’re real, and they won’t vanish.
Unfortunately, what’s generally seen at workplaces are battles being fought on a daily basis. Some are based on real stakes, while others exist only in the mind, interpreting perceived hostility. Yet, one way or another, individuals find themselves at war with their workmates.
And while we look at history and call it barbaric, in reality, despite civilization, we civil, law-abiding individuals are more emotionally stunted and morally grotesque. In the name of survival or “tit-for-tat” philosophy, we end up crossing all lines of dignity and grace.
Somewhere the root lies in insecurity and intolerance. Most of the battles could be avoided if individuals simply exhibited tolerance towards each other. Most could be avoided if individuals acted with self-assurance and did not get triggered by every perceived attack on self-respect.
Yes, there could be unavoidable battles with real stakes. But even in such scenarios, the real battle is never with the opponent in front of us. It’s the one within. The greatest war is not that we fight outwardly. Rather, it’s the battle we endure with every breath.
Life has always been a war. Death, the final defeat. And we have always been kings and queens on the battlefield.
But the way we conduct ourselves defines whether we act like petty combatants… or like kings. If we can’t let go of the wars, at least we can act like kings. We can disagree without sabotage, compete without cruelty, and even in defeat, walk tall.
History honors not just who won, but how they carried themselves when the fight was done.