At military exercises I am always in front, and in time of battle am never behind. In the space of seven years I have succeeded in accomplishing a great work, and uniting the whole world in one empire.

Genghis Khan (c.1162 – 18 August 1227), born Temüjin, founded and ruled the Mongol Empire, after unifying the Central Asian tribes. He is also known as the first Great Khan or Khagan (Khan of Khans).

In the space of seven years I have succeeded in accomplishing a great work and uniting the whole world in one Empire.

Quotes

Quotes without citations to published works can be suggested on the "Unsourced" section of the Discussion page


  • O people, know that you have committed great sins, and that the great ones among you have committed these sins. If you ask me what proof I have for these words, I say it is because I am the punishment of God. If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.
    • As quoted in Ta'Rikh-i-Jahan Gusha [History of the World Conqueror] by 'Ala-ad-Din 'Ata-Malik Juvaini (ca. 1252-1260), translated by J.A. Boyle (1958), p. 105
  • Be of one mind and one faith, that you may conquer your enemies and lead long and happy lives.
    • As quoted in The Mongol Empire : Its Rise and Legacy (1940) by Michael Prawdin, p. 224
  • In the space of seven years I have succeeded in accomplishing a great work and uniting the whole world in one Empire.
    • As quoted in The Tyrants : 2500 Years of Absolute Power and Corruption (2006) by Clive Foss, p. 55 ISBN 1905204965
  • If one must drink, then let one drink thrice a month, for more is bad. If one gets drunk twice a month, it is better; if one gets drunk once a month, that is better still; and if one doesn't drink at all, that is the best of all.
    • As given in Rashid al-Din's Compendium of Chronicles (Jami' al-tawarikh) () (Can find a translated version on google books: )
  • God is everywhere, and you can find him everywhere.
    • Mohammad Habib and Khaliq Ahmad Nizami (ed.), A Comprehensive History of India, New Delhi, 1970, Volume V, The Sultanat, First Reprint, 1982. Quoted from Sita Ram Goel, The Calcutta Quran Petition (1999) ISBN 9788185990583 Chapter 10.

Quotes about Genghis Khan

  • The wholesale massacre by systematised processes of six or seven millions of men, women, and children in the German execution camps exceeds in horror the rough-and-ready butcheries of Genghis Khan, and in scale reduces them to pigmy proportions. Deliberate extermination of whole populations was contemplated and pursued by both Germany and Russia in the Eastern war. . . .
  • Possessed of great energy, discernment, genius and understanding.
    • Persian historian Juzjani, a contemporary of Genghis Khan. Quoted in the Awake! magazine, 2008, 5/08, article: Asian Nomads Who Forged an Empire.
  • The one name which Muslims hate and fear most is that of Chengiz Khan. He is a spectre which has haunted Muslim historians for centuries. He swept like a tornado over the then most powerful and extensive Islamic empire of Khwarazm. In a short span of five years (1219-1224 CE), he slaughtered millions of Muslims, forced many others including women and children into slavery, and razed to the ground quite a few of the most populous and prosperous cities of the Muslim world at that time. [...] The logic which declares Tengiri to be a satan and denounces Chengiz Khan as an archcriminal but which, in the same breath, proclaims Allah as divine and hails the Ghaznavis, Ghuris, Timurs and Baburs as heroes, is, to the say the least, worse than casuistry...
    • Sita Ram Goel, The Calcutta Quran Petition (1986)


Disputed

  • The greatest joy for a man is to defeat his enemies, to drive them before him, to take from them all they possess, to see those they love in tears, to ride their horses, and to hold their wives and daughters in his arms.
    • As quoted in Genghis Khan & the Mongols (1973) by Michael Gibson, p. 3; this has been disputed with the statement that it was "not recorded until a century after his death and is surprisingly out of character."
  • [What, in all the world, could bring the greatest happiness?]
    • "The open steppe, a clear day, and a swift horse under you," responded the officer after a little thought, "and a falcon on your wrist to start up hares."
    • "Nay," responded the Khan, "to crush your enemies, to see them fall at your feet — to take their horses and goods and hear the lamentation of their women. That is best."
      • As quoted in Genghis Khan: The Emperor of All Men (1927) by Harold Lamb, Doubleday, p. 107.
  • Variant translation:
    • The real greatest pleasure of men is to repress rebels and defeat enemies, to exterminate them and grab everything they have; to see their married women crying, to ride on their steeds with smooth backs, to treat their beautiful queens and concubines as pajamas and pillows, to stare and kiss their rose-colored faces and to suck their sweet lips of nipple-colored.
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