On a famous occasion during the civil war, Caesar tripped when disembarking from a ship on the shores of Africa and fell flat on his face. With his talent for improvisation, he spread out his arms and embraced the earth as a symbol of conquest. By quick thinking he turned a terrible omen of failure into one of victory. CICERO: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ROME’S GREATEST POLITICIAN, ANTHONY EVERITT, 2001
