Julius Caesar Quotes

“There are two things that create, protect, and increase a sovereign’s rule—soldiers and money—both being dependent on each other. Armies need money and money is acquired by the strength of arms. If you lose one, you lose the other. Caesar”
― Philip Freeman, Julius Caesar

“COMPETED WITH YOU, MY DEAR, IN DEVOTION, VIRTUE, FRUGALITY, AND LOVE—BUT I ALWAYS LOST. I WISH EVERYONE THE SAME FATE.”
― Philip Freeman, Julius Caesar

“Romans employed crucifixion on a wide scale—though it was always considered poor taste to discuss it in proper society. Crucifixion was strictly a punishment for criminals and slaves, being designed as much for torture and terror as killing. A condemned man would first be flogged to humiliate and weaken him, then forced to pick up a heavy wooden beam called a patibulum. When he had reached the prison yard or an out-of-the-way spot on the edge of town, the prisoner was stripped naked and fastened to the beam with nails and cords. He was then hauled by ropes to the top of a sturdy pole driven deep in the ground. Sometimes there was a small seat for the tortured man to sit on, but even so the prisoner normally suffered in agony for days until finally succumbing to exhaustion and shock. Suetonius writes without irony when he says that Caesar mercifully cut the throats of the pirates before hanging each one on a cross.”
― Philip Freeman, Julius Caesar

“At last, Caesar arose with an expression of calm assurance on his face. He walked to the edge of the water and lifting his voice for all to hear, he shouted, “Let the dice fly high,” and stepped swiftly into the icy stream.”
― Philip Freeman, Julius Caesar

“In all of life, but especially in war, the greatest power belongs to fortune. —CAESAR”
― Philip Freeman, Julius Caesar

“Clodius was establishing a welfare state gone wild by passing out grain at no cost to a large portion of the city’s population. A substantial share of the government revenue suddenly shifted to paying for the largesse of Clodius. It was an obvious ploy to garner the favor of the urban masses, but it worked nonetheless. Clodius was rapidly building up a huge base of populist support to use in his many devious schemes.”
― Philip Freeman, Julius Caesar

“These fasces were a praetor’s visible symbol of the right to use force (hence our term fascism).”
― Philip Freeman, Julius Caesar

“Rome was ruled by a small elite of noble families who shamelessly manipulated the political system and jealously guarded the executive offices for themselves.”
― Philip Freeman, Julius Caesar

“Like all Roman roads, the Appian Way (Via Appia) was a marvel of both engineering and propaganda. Construction began on the roads by digging deeply into the soil to lay a foundation of rock, covering this in turn with gravel for drainage, and finally paving with virtually indestructible flagstones over which commerce rolled and armies marched. Unlike the earlier muddy tracks around much of the Mediterranean, Roman roads were meant to endure and rarely yielded to the vagaries of topography. Unless prevented by impassable mountains or impregnable swamps, the Romans built their roads straight as an arrow across the landscape. They were in fact a sermon in stone to the world—Romans do not yield.”
― Philip Freeman, Julius Caesar