Myth: Pyrrhic Victory and Incompetence

Everybody knows that “Pyrrhic victory” means a victory that came at too great a cost. A victory not really worth winning. Almost everybody also knows the origin of the phrase. It comes from the story of Pyrrhus of Epirus, who fought with the Romans at the Battle of Asculum.

Everything is fine with the phrase, everyone understands the meaning correctly. The misconception here is of another kind. While many people know the origins of the phrase and they heard of Pyrrhus, they somehow assume that his losses were incredibly heavy and Pyrrhus himself wasn’t a good general. And that’s not true.