There is a Greek story/quote that I am trying to remember the source of, and Google is no use. The gist of it is this:
Some Scythian or Kimmerian nomad queen is fighting with X group, and X group invites them to a party, then slaughters the Scythians while they're drunk. Later the Queen confronts X and says that the only reason they were able to defeat her men is because they were treacherous, whereas from birth her men are trained to Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth.
There's a Jeff Cooper book and a Swedish death metal album named after this story, but I can't find the quote/source, though I know I've read it before.
You may be thinking of the Persian nobility. According to Herodotus, "Persians educate their boys to ride well, shoot straight, and speak the truth"
Quote from: besilarius on October 23, 2017, 05:55:55 PM
You may be thinking of the Persian nobility. According to Herodotus, "Persians educate their boys to ride well, shoot straight, and speak the truth"
That's good, though I am sure I heard it in the context of the queen of the Massagetae or something. It wasn't a novel, it was in the form of a historical or apocryphal anecdote. But that Herodotus quote is probably where what I heard probably comes from.