This does however remind me of one of my favorite lines from the Sopranos. In a season one episode Tony is trying to extort a Hasidic Jew but the guy won't give in after multiple beatings. Tony asks the guy if he'd really rather die than play ball:
Ariel: You ever heard of the Masada? For two years, 900 Jews held their own against 15,000 Roman soldiers. They chose death before enslavement. The Romans? Where are they now?
Tony: You're looking at them, asshole.