In order to stop the torturing of Ensign Chekov by the Klingons, James Kirk agreed to let Kang take over the Enterprise. Chekov protested, referring to the Klingons as animals, but Commander Kang thought the epithet was misplaced. "Animals. Your captain crawls like one," he said. "A Klingon would never have surrendered."

Because of this Klingon trait, Klingon emissary K'Ehleyr argued against disabling a Klingon ship whose crew was unaware of the peace treaty between the Federation and the Empire. If the ship were merely disabled, she said, the ship's captain would "destroy it himself." Worf concurred by simply quoting the maxim: "Klingon do not surrender."

In Klingon, the for word for "surrender," "{jegh}," also can be translated as "give up," in the sense of abandoning a project. Thus, the saying also means that Klingons are persistent or even obstinate. As Worf put it, "Klingons do not give up easily."

This expression is used to say that one's skill with the language has become worse from lack of use.

In Klingon it is not customary to say "to be prepared" without saying what one is prepared to do. There are, consequently, several version of this proverb, the general meaning of which is "A Klingon warrior is always prepared." As called for by the situation, a specific activity is plugged in. Kang, for example, said, "A Klingon warrior is always prepared to die" ("{reH Heghrup tlhIngan SuvwI'}") It is even acceptable to use this proverb for less weighty matters, such as to eat and to drink. Not unexpectedly, using it to refer to an activity not prized by Klingons, such as to flee, to surrender, or to apologize, is particularly insulting.

As several of these saying make clear, nothing is more important to a Klingon than honor. When the Klingon officer Kulge questioned Gowron's leadership abilities, Gowron interrupted a strategy-planning session to engage him in a fight, eventually killing him, even though this delayed necessary planning for an ongoing war. To an outsider, Gowron's priorities might seem skewed, but to a Klingon, he acted properly. Even affairs of the Empire must take a back seat to protecting one's honor.

This maxim also appears in other guises, depending on what it is a Klingon does not run from. The general meaning of all of them is that Klingons do not flee; they do not abdicate their responsibilities or avoid the consequences of their actions. For example, when Worf decided to challenge the charge of treason leveled against his father, he knew that he would have to accept the penalty --- death --- if unsuccessful. A Klingon does not run from a judgment against him.

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."

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."