hollis (they/them) currently studying classics and archaeology.
okay: history lesson on what is, imo, the most impressive comeback to anything ever is from sparta to philip II of macedonia (alexander the great’s dad) who was, like a lot of guys did back then, trying to conquer people. he was really good at it too. he, understandably, was met with resistance by people he was trying to conquer. philip II sent a message to sparta, who were kind of a threat to his plans to take over laconia (which is the region where sparta was located), that was “If I invade Laconia you will be destroyed, never to rise again.”
the spartans replied with a single word: “if”