These two maxims express the belief that fighting and winning define a Klingon's very being; everything else in life is secondary, if not superfluous. Unless they are engaged in battle or preparing for battle, Klingons become rather cantankerous (though, to those unfamiliar with Klingons, this might not be noticeable). As a result, Klingons are likely to, at the slightest provocation, instigate a battle of some sort.

Lieutenant Commander Worf is well aware of the Klingon predilection reflected in these two sayings. Though raised among humans, he has always prided himself on his knowledge of Klingon history and culture. He observed that a potentially dangerous situation involving the Dominion and the Cardassians, which the Klingons viewed as a threat, "has given my people an excuse to do what they were born to do: to fight and to conquer."

The first formal meeting between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets, which eventually resulted in their alliance, was held on Khitomer, a planet near the Klingon-Romulan border. Representing the Empire was Azetbur, who was appointed to lead the Klingon High Council after her father, Chancellor Gorkon, was assassinated by a coalition of those opposed to the impending peace. In her address to the conference, Azetbur altered this saying slightly when she insisted that the treaty in no way diminished the stature of the Klingon Empire: "We are a proud race, and we are here because we intend to go on being proud."

Years later, as the Federation-Klingon alliance began to fall apart, Klingon leader Gowron still adhered to this virtue. When he discovered that his rationale for moving against the Federation was based on misinformation, he held his ground, maintaining Klingon pride by coming up with a new justification for his aggression. That the Dominion had not taken over the Cardassian government "is of no consequence," Gowron said. "All that matters is that the Alpha Quadrant will be safer with the Klingon Empire in control of Cardassia."

This is an ancient adage, originally voiced by Kahless himself.

Interestingly, when the Federation first started learning about Klingons, Kahless was considered to be no more than an evil conqueror. He had formed an empire of, in James Kirk's words, "conquered worlds." The Klingons, Kirk felt, "take what they want by arms and force." As part of their examination of the behavior of other life forms, the Excalbians staged a conflict between the forces of "good"---represented by Kirk, Spock, and the images of Abraham Lincoln and the Vulcan philosopher Surak---and those of "evil"---represented by, among others, the image of Kahless. The Excalbians formed their replica of Kahless on the basis of the Federation's concept of him. Therefore, they described him in terms fitting an oppressor: "the Klingon who set the pattern for his planet's tyrannies."

In time, and as more was learned about Klingon history and culture, the Federation's understanding of the role of Kahless in Klingon history changed. It is now known that Klingons consider him a great warrior who did indeed conquer other worlds, but united the Empire by giving the people the laws of honor which direct every Klingon's life.