Julius Caesar Quotes

“The two men that agitated for the death of Julius Caesar more than any others were Senators Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, better known to Shakespeareans as the diabolical Brutus and Cassius.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“Quite possibly with the image of the library of Alexandria still fresh in his mind, Caesar wished to have buildings of learning along with with people of learning. He sought the construction of his own massive library.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“So it would be that Marc Antony was left as the master of Rome when Julius Caesar departed once again for a final campaign against the remaining supporters of Pompey in North Africa.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“The main stage of the Roman civil war would be set for the Greek city of Pharsalus in 48 BCE, where Caesar’s men finally crushed the army of Pompey.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“Caesar advanced with such force that it provoked Cicero, the famous writer and Senator of the time, to famously remark, “The wariness and speed of that monster are terrifying”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“You rightly surmise of me that of all things I abhor cruelty. I am not disturbed by the fact that those whom I have released are said to have left the country in order to make war against me once more.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“Instead of conducting a bloody purge of his enemies, Julius declared a general amnesty and made it known that he had no intention to prosecute his political adversaries. This move was his first step in his official new policy of “Clementia,” the Latin root of the very word “Clemency.” He boldly proposed to forge “a new style of conquest, to make mercy and justice our shield.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“Prior to Caesar’s measures to reorganize the calendar, Romans numbered their days sequentially from the first to the last. Within each month they learned to count backwards from three fixed points, with the Kalends (from which we get calendar) being the 1st, the Nones being the 5th or 7th, and the Ides being the 13th or 15th. This method dated back to the use of a lunar calendar. Caesar disposed of the lunar calendar and sequential numbering in order to make for a more accurate chronicling for the passage of time.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“it is the Julian calendar that most of the world uses as their mainstay when it comes to counting days.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“He then sent scholars to all corners of the Republic in order to gather up all of the classic works that they could find in both Latin and Greek so that he could bring them all under this one centralized repository of learning.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“With his archenemy finally put away, in October of 48 BCE Caesar was declared dictator. Along with Caesar’s own title, his colleague Marc Antony was named “Master of the Horse,” which essentially could be called the position of Vice Dictator. The title Master of the Horse actually originates from the idea that during a battle the dictator would stay with his infantry while his second in command would be in charge of the cavalry. So it would be that Marc Antony was left as the master of Rome when Julius Caesar departed once again for a final campaign against the remaining supporters of Pompey in North Africa.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“Ptolemy agreed to this arrangement, thinking that his forces could intercept Cleopatra before she arrived. Cleopatra however was aware of her brother’s plans and came up with the idea of smuggling herself directly into Caesar’s chambers. She managed to slip through her brother’s dragnet and arrived in Alexandria by small boat. She then had her servants wrap her up in a rug and carry her right inside the palace where Caesar was staying. Once inside, her servants unfurled the rug and Cleopatra introduced herself to a very surprised Julius Caesar. This abrupt meeting would be the beginning of a very powerful relationship as the two brokered the future of the entire Mediterranean world. After deposing Ptolemy, Caesar installed Cleopatra as the ruler of Egypt, who then married her surviving brother Ptolemy XIV, who would rule as a figurehead with Cleopatra the true power behind the throne.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“Caesar sought to insert himself directly into the affairs of Ptolemaic politics by directly intervening in the dynastic struggle between Ptolemy and Cleopatra. Caesar proposed that both factions of the Egyptian government should seek audience with him to dictate the future terms of government in Egypt.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“His arrival on Egyptian shores soon led the ruling King of Egypt Ptolemy XIII into a quandary as to what he should do with the defeated general. The Egyptian government had kept up with the latest developments in the Roman civil war and they knew full well that if they harbored Pompey and protected him from Caesar, the whole force of Rome would soon be marching down on them. However, they also realized that if they simply let Pompey walk away he would most likely seek refuge from Ptolemy’s sister (and wife) Cleopatra VII. The siblings were currently embroiled in a bitter dynastic dispute. It was because of this perceived dilemma that the Ptolemaic government concluded that the only safe way to deal with Pompey was to have him executed. In order to achieve this grisly task they used marked deception. They pretended to accept Pompey’s wish for asylum and sent envoys to him telling him as much. Yet as soon as Pompey set foot on Egyptian soil he was ambushed and struck down. Envoys of Ptolemy then promptly delivered the slain Roman’s head to Julius Caesar. For his part he feigned outrage at the act and used it as an excuse to declare martial law in Egypt.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“With the city captured and Pompey’s army defeated, Caesar took the time to show his mercy by immediately issuing the order “Parce Civibus” (Spare the Citizens), making sure that the defeated city was allowed to surrender in peace. Pompey, on the other hand, sought to escape; rather than surrendering, he fled to Egypt.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“The military machine of Caesar advanced with such force that it provoked Cicero, the famous writer and Senator of the time, to famously remark, “The wariness and speed of that monster are terrifying.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“Greek city of Pharsalus in 48 BCE, where Caesar’s men finally crushed the army of Pompey.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“Although Pompey was the one who was officially in charge of the armed forces of the Roman Republic, Caesar was pleasantly surprised that many of the local garrisons he encountered offered to lend their support instead of offering resistance to him.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“The Senators’ own reaction to his refusal was swift and decisive, declaring martial law on January 7th 49 BCE, renouncing Julius Caesar as an outlaw and propping up Pompey as their new dictator. Three days later, Caesar led a legion of his men across the Rubicon River out of Gaul and into Italy, planning to take Rome by force.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“Pompey had the Senate on his side; the Senators made an official edict that Julius Caesar should resign from his military command and immediately return to Rome as a private citizen.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“Hammering out a five-year agreement for all three members of the triumvirate, it was determined that Caesar would be allotted five years in Gaul, Crassus another five years in Syria, and Pompey would rule Spain for another five years as well. Issued in 56 BCE, this temporary patchwork deal seemed to bring peace, but when the other member of the Triumvirate Crassus was killed in battle three years later in a campaign in Parthia (modern Iraq), all bets were off.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“by 58 BCE cracks would begin to show in Caesar’s triumvirate.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“Caesar then amassed his troops by putting together an expedition for Britain in July of 56 BCE.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“Many of his peers in government were outraged and conspired to have Caesar arrested, but due to Roman law, they could not touch him as long as he was in office. To further distance himself from the threat, he arranged to be appointed governor of the territory just northwest of Italy known as “Gaul.” The land of the Gauls would become his sanctuary, and as soon as Julius Caesar arrived he went about raising a private army with his own money.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“With this political power structure in place, one of Caesar’s first actions as consul was to order the redistribution of lands to the poor. Although this managed to skyrocket Caesar’s popularity with the common people of Rome, it sparked animosity among many of the wealthy, land owning Senators who had the most to lose in the motion. As a result, the Senate attempted to block Caesar’s legislation, but with the help of his triumvirate and the general support of the Romans, Caesar was able to thwart their will and for the most part ignored the wishes of the Senate.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“It was in order to offset his foes in the Senate that the first triumvirate was born. He aligned himself with the powerful military general Pompey in order to ensure his military might; he also maintained his old alliance with Crassus, seeking his financial favor as well as powerful political connections. This alliance would be further sealed with General Pompey’s marriage to Caesar’s only daughter, Julia. Becoming known as the first “Triumvirate,” this political alliance would last until 54 BCE.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“Caesar returned from Spain in the summer of 60 BCE. He was now 40 years old and eligible to hold a seat in the consulship.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“In yet another move for a marriage of political convenience, he married Calpurnia, the daughter of a popular Senator named Lucius Calpernius Piso.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“Caesar sought out what could be considered one of the world’s first Super PACs when he offered his political support in exchange for financial contributions from the rich Senator Crassus. This political maneuvering had eliminated most of his debt, but some residual unpaid bills remained for Caesar in the Iberian Peninsula; in order to cancel out the rest he resorted to sheer military force to wipe the slate clean.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End

“Pontifex Maximus, from which the future Catholic Church would derive its own title of “Pontiff” was a special position of leadership over the state-run religion, a centralized role that gave him plenty of leverage for future political ambition. This first seat in political office would then open up further doors to him, first the seat of praetor in 62 BCE and then the appointment as governor of Hispania Ulterior in southeastern Spain.”
― Henry Freeman, Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End