Julius Caesar - Wikiquote

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Veni, vidi, vici.
Gaius Julius Caesar
(Classical Latin:
AIVS
VLIVS
AESAR
) (
12 July
100 BC
15 March
44 BC
) was a Roman
religious
, military, and political leader. He played an important part in the transformation of the
Roman Republic
into the
Roman Empire
. His
conquest of Gaul
extended the Roman world all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, with the
first Roman invasion of Britain
in 55 BC. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest military geniuses of all time, as well as a brilliant politician and one of the ancient world's strongest leaders.
For the famous play by
William Shakespeare
, see
Julius Caesar
(play)
Quotes
edit
Men willingly
believe
what they wish.
The die is cast.
Fortune, which has a great deal of power in other matters but especially in war, can bring about great changes in a situation through very slight forces.
Veni, vidi, vici.
"I came, I saw, I conquered". Written in a report to Rome 47 B.C., after conquering
Pharnaces
at
Zela
in Asia Minor in just five days, as quoted by
Plutarch
in
Life of Caesar
, a work written in Greek (
ἦλθον, εἶδον, ἐνίκησα
). This is also reported to have been inscribed on one of the decorated wagons in the Pontic triumph in
Lives of the Twelve Caesars
Julius
, by
Suetonius
in Latin (
veni, vidi, vici
).
Variant translation:
Came, Saw, Conquered
Inscription on the triumphal wagon reported in
The Twelve Caesars
by
Suetonius
, as translated by
Robert Graves
(1957).
Alea iacta est
The die is cast
As quoted in
Vita Divi Iuli
The Life of the deified Julius
] (121 CE) by
Suetonius
paragraph 33
Caesar: ... "Iacta
alea
est", inquit.
Caesar said ... "the die is cast".
Said when crossing the river Rubicon with his legions on 10 January, 49 BC, thus beginning
the civil war
with the forces of
Pompey
. The Rubicon river was the boundary of Gaul, the province Caesar had the authority to keep his army in. By crossing the river, he had committed an invasion of Italy.
A contrasting account from
Plutarch
Life of Pompey,
60.2.9:
Ἑλληνιστὶ
πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας ἐκβοήσας, «Ἀνερρίφθω κύβος», [
anerrhíphtho kúbos
] διεβίβαζε τὸν στρατόν.
He [Caesar] declared
in Greek
with loud voice to those who were present 'Let the die be cast' and led the army across.
He was reportedly quoting the playwright
Menander
, specifically "Ἀρρηφόρῳ" (
Arrephoria,
or "The Flute-Girl"), according to
Deipnosophistae
Book 13
, paragraph 8, saying «Ἀνερρίφθω κύβος» (
anerrhíphtho kúbos
). The Greek translates rather as "
let
the die
be
cast!", or "Let the game be ventured!", which would instead translate in Latin as
iacta ālea estō.
According to
Lewis and Short
Online Dictionary:
alea
Lewis and Short
at the Perseus Project. See bottom of section I.).
Gallia omni pacata est.
All
Gaul
was subdued.
Written in a letter with which Caesar informed the Roman Senate of his victory over
Vercingetorix
in 52 BC
Sed fortuna, quae plurimum potest cum in reliquis rebus tum praecipue in bello, parvis momentis magnas rerum commutationes efficit; ut tum accidit.
Fortune
, which has a great deal of
power
in other matters but especially in
war
, can bring about great changes in a situation through very slight forces.
The Civil War
, Book III, 68; variant translation: "In war, events of importance are the result of trivial causes."
I assure you I had rather be the first man here than the second man in
Rome
On passing through a village in the Alps, as attributed in
Parallel Lives
, by
Plutarch
, as translated by John Langhorne and William Langhorne (1836), p. 499
Variant: First in a village rather than second in Rome.
I will not ... that my wife be so much as suspected.
His declaration as to why he had divorced his wife
Pompeia
, when questioned in the trial against
Publius Clodius Pulcher
for sacrilege against
Bona Dea
festivities (from which men were excluded), in entering Caesar's home disguised as a lute-girl apparently with intentions of a seducing Caesar's wife; as reported in
Plutarch's Lives of Coriolanus, Caesar, Brutus, and Antonius
by
Plutarch
, as translated by Thomas North, p. 53
Variant translations:
Caesar's wife must be above suspicion.
It is not the well-fed long-haired man I fear, but the pale and the hungry looking.
As reported in
Plutarch
's
Anthony';
William Shakespeare
adapted this in having Caesar declare Cassius as having "a lean and hungry look."
Καὶ σύ, τέκνον;
And you, son?
Reported as Caesar's last words, spoken to
Marcus Junius Brutus
, as recorded in
Divus Iulius
by
Suetonius
, paragraph 82; this gave rise to
William Shakespeare
's famous adaptation in
Julius Caesar
: "Et tu, Brute? — Then fall, Caesar!"
De Bello Gallico
edit
He seated himself at the head of the lines in front of the camp, the Gallic chieftains are brought before him. They surrender
Vercingetorix
, and lay down their arms.
Commentarii de Bello Gallico
Commentaries on the Gallic War
Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres.
All Gaul is divided into three parts
Book I, Ch. 1
; these are the first words of
De Bello Gallico
, the whole sentence is "All Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani another, those who in their own language are called Celts, in ours Gauls, the third."
[1]
Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani another, those who in their own language are called Celts, in our [Latin] language Gauls the third. All these differ from each other in language, customs and laws. The River Garonne separates the Gauls from the Aquitani, the Marne and the Seine separates them from the Belgae. Of all these the most powerful are the Belgae.
Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae.
Of all these, the
Belgae
are the bravest/strongest .
Book I, Ch. 1
Consuesse enim deos immortales, quo gravius homines ex commutatione rerum doleant, quos pro scelere eorum ulcisci velint, his secundiores interdum res et diuturniorem impunitatem concedere.
The
immortal
gods
are wont to allow those persons whom they wish to
punish
for their
guilt
sometimes a greater
prosperity
and longer impunity, in order that they may suffer the more severely from a reverse of circumstances.
Book I, Ch. 14, translated by W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn
Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt.
In most cases men willingly believe what they wish.
Book III, Chapter 18
Variant translation:
Men willingly believe what they wish to be true.
As quoted in
The Adventurer
No. 69 (3 July 1753) in
The Works of Samuel Johnson
(1837) edited by Arthur Murphy, p. 32
Compare: "What each man wishes, that he also believes to be true"
Demosthenes
, Olynthiac 3.19
Sunt item, quae appellantur alces. Harum est consimilis capris figura et varietas pellium, sed magnitudine paulo antecedunt mutilaeque sunt cornibus et crura sine nodis articulisque habent neque quietis causa procumbunt neque, si quo adflictae casu conciderunt, erigere sese aut sublevare possunt. His sunt arbores pro cubilibus: ad eas se applicant atque ita paulum modo reclinatae quietem capiunt. Quarum ex vestigiis cum est animadversum a venatoribus, quo se recipere consuerint, omnes eo loco aut ab radicibus subruunt aut accidunt arbores, tantum ut summa species earum stantium relinquatur. Huc cum se consuetudine reclinaverunt, infirmas arbores pondere adfligunt atque una ipsae concidunt.
There are also
animals
which are called elks [alces "moose" in Am. Engl.; elk "wapiti"]. The shape of these, and the varied colour of their skins, is much like roes, but in size they surpass them a little and are destitute of horns, and have legs without joints and ligatures; nor do they lie down for the purpose of rest, nor, if they have been thrown down by any accident, can they raise or lift themselves up.
Trees
serve as beds to them; they lean themselves against them, and thus reclining only slightly, they take their rest; when the huntsmen have discovered from the footsteps of these animals whither they are accustomed to betake themselves, they either undermine all the trees at the roots, or cut into them so far that the upper part of the trees may appear to be left standing. When they have leant upon them, according to their habit, they knock down by their weight the unsupported trees, and fall down themselves along with them.
Book VI
It is, after all, well known that impulsive and inexperienced people are often terrified by false gossip and impelled to take inconsiderate action, making their own decisions about what should actually be matters of state.
Book V
[Of England] the coastal areas are inhabited by invaders who crossed from Belgica…settled there…all kept the names of the tribes from where they originated.
Vercingetorix
, having convened a council the following day, declares, "That he had undertaken that war, not on account of his own exigencies, but on account of the general freedom; and since he must yield to fortune, he offered himself to them for either purpose, whether they should wish to atone to the Romans by his death, or surrender him alive." Ambassadors are sent to Caesar on this subject. He orders their arms to be surrendered, and their chieftains delivered up. He seated himself at the head of the lines in front of the camp, the Gallic chieftains are brought before him. They surrender Vercingetorix, and lay down their arms.
Book VII
Qui se ultro morti offerant facilius reperiuntur quam qui dolorem patienter ferant.
It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience.
Book VII, Ch. 77
It was an enormous struggle to destroy the Belgian nation.
A cursory overview of the history of
Belgium
, applied to the present events, until January 1830, (Issued for the benefit of the fund for the needy relatives of the extended Volunteers from Northern Brabant) 's HERTOGENBOSCH, Ter Boek en Provinciale Courant - Drukkerij Van DE. LION en ZONEN. (Januari 1831) Quoted from Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico.
Disputed
edit
Nihil enim malo quam et me mei similem esse et illos sui.
I prefer nothing but that they act like themselves, and I like myself.
Reported by Marcus Tullius Cicero in a letter to Atticus.
Variant translations:
There is nothing I like better than that I should be true to myself and they to themselves.
Misattributed
edit
Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar.
This statement by an unknown author has also been wrongly attributed to
William Shakespeare
, but there are no records of it prior to late 2001. It has been debunked at
Snopes.com
I'd rather ten guilty persons should escape, than one innocent should suffer.
Attributed by Edward Seymour in 1696 during the parliamentary proceedings against John Fenwick (
"I am of the same opinion with the Roman, who, in the case of Catiline, declared, he had rather ten guilty persons should escape, than one innocent should suffer"
), to which Lieutenant General Harry Mordaunt replied "The worthy member who spoke last seems to have forgot, that the Roman who made that declaration was suspected of being a conspirator himself" (Caesar was the only one who spoke in the Senate against executing Catiline's co-conspirators and was indeed suspected by some to be involved in the plot). However, the Caesar's corresponding speech
as transmitted by Sallust
contains no such phrase, even though it appears to be somewhat similar in spirit ("Whatever befalls these prisoners will be well deserved; but you, Fathers of the Senate, are called upon to consider how your action will affect other criminals. All bad precedents have originated in cases which were good; but when the control of the government falls into the hands of men who are incompetent or bad, your new precedent is transferred from those who well deserve and merit such punishment to the undeserving and blameless.") The first person to undoubtedly utter such a dictum was in fact
John Fortescue
("It is better to allow twenty criminals to mercifully avoid death than to unjustly condemn one innocent person"). It should also be noted that whether the exchange between Seymour and Mordaunt even happened
is itself not clearly established
Quotes about Caesar
edit
He had inaugurated a new era. Before him Rome had been a city with a few scattered colonies. He was the one who founded the Empire. He had codified the law, reformed the currency and even modified the calendar on the basis of scientific knowledge. His Gallic campaigns, which had taken the Roman flag as far as distant Britain, had opened up a new continent to trade and civilization. His statue had its place with those of the Gods, he had given his name to cities as well as a month in the calendar, and the monarchs added his illustrious name to their own. The history of Rome had found its Alexander. It was already apparent that he would become the unattainable model for every dictator.
Bertolt Brecht
The Business Affairs of Mr Julius Caesar
(2016), p. 23; quoted in
Long Live Latin: The Pleasures of a Useless Language
(2019) by Nicola Gardini, p. 72
Caesar was the only man who undertook to overthrow the state when sober.
Saying of
Marcus Cato
, reported by
Suetonius
Life of Julius Caesar
, 53 (J. C. Rolfe, ed. 1913)
In that man were combined
genius
method
memory
literature
prudence
deliberation
, and
industry
He had performed exploits in war which, though calamitous for the republic, were nevertheless mighty deeds. Having for many years aimed at being a
king
, he had with great labor, and much personal danger, accomplished what he intended. He had conciliated the ignorant
multitude
by presents, by
monuments
, by largesses of food, and by banquets; he had bound his own party to him by rewards, his adversaries by the appearances of clemency. Why need I say much on such a subject? He had already brought a free city, partly by fear, partly by patience, into a habit of slavery. With him I can, indeed, compare you [
Mark Antony
] as to your desire to reign; but in all other respects you are in no degree to be compared to him.
Cicero
, 2nd Philippic,
section 116
and
117
Wherever you are, remember that you are equally within the power of the conqueror."
Cicero
in a letter to Marcus Marcellus on his Exile from Rome by Julius Caesar
Bent (1887)
Julius Caesar, a
radical
aristocrat
of unbounded
ambition
, and a successful commander and politician, gained
wealth
and
glory
by conquering Gaul, then won supreme power in a civil war. He destroyed the
Roman Republic
and seemed to be moving toward
monarchy
, but was assassinated before he could complete his plans.
Clive Foss,
The Tyrants: 2500 Years of Absolute Power and Corruption
, London: Quercus Publishing, 2006,
ISBN 1905204965
, p. 148
A hundred or even fifty years ago, Gaius Julius Caesar was variously described as the greatest man of action who has ever lived, the greatest man the earth has ever produced, and even as "the entire and perfect man". In an age like our own which has seen too much of men of action, enthusiasm on this particular score may have become somewhat muted. But it still remains impossible to think of anyone who has ever united a more spectacular and varied collection of talents.
He was an astute politician, a masterly propagandist and showman, a clever and effective administrator, an exceptionally gifted writer, a man of great and wide learning and taste, and a military genius who moved with terrifying speed and exercised magnetic authority over his troops.
Michael Grant
Julius Caesar
(1969), p. 15
The greatest man that ever lived was Julius Caesar.
Alexander Hamilton
, quoted by
Thomas Jefferson
in
a letter to
Dr.
Benjamin Rush
(1811)
Rome officially became an Empire on 16 January 27 BC, when the
Senate
awarded Octavian – an adopted son of Julius Caesar – the title of Augustus. Prior to this the Republic had been tortured by two decades of bloody civil wars; in the course of these, in 49 BC, Caesar had seized power and ruled as a military dictator. Yet Caesar was an
autocrat
both of his time and ahead of it, and on 15 March 44 BC – the
Ides of March
– he was murdered – direct reward, said the
scholar
and
bureaucrat
Suetonius (c. AD 70-130), for his vaunting ambition, in which many Romans perceived a desire to revive the monarchy. ‘Constant exercise of power gave Caesar a love for it,’ wrote Suetonius, who also repeated a rumour that as a young man Caesar dreamed of
raping
his own
mother
, a vision
soothsayers
interpreted as a clear sign ‘he was destined to
conquer the earth
.’
Dan Jones
Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages
(2021), pp. 12-13
Acer, et indomitus: quo spes, quoque ira vocasset,
Ferre manum, et nunquam temerando parcere ferro:
Successus urgere suos: instare favori
Numinis: impellens quicquid sibi summa petenti
Obstaret: gaudensque viam fecisse ruina.
Undaunted, keen: where Hope or Passion called
He'd fight, nor ever sheathe the murderous sword.
Pressing advantage, following up his star,
And sweeping all between him and his prize,
He hailed the ruin that bestrew’d his way.
Lucan
, 1, 146
Reported in
Classical and Foreign Quotations
(1904), no. 15
Jesus
, not Cæsar
, I repeat,—this is the meaning of our
history
and
democracy
Masaryk, Tomáš Garrigue
(c1921),
The Religious Conditions in Czechoslovakia
, p. 7
In his campaigns I find more restraint and reflection than in those of
Alexander
, who seems to go looking for dangers and charging at them like a rushing torrent which indiscriminately batters and unselectively attacks anything it meets.
Michel de Montaigne
Essays
, "Observations on Julius Caesar's methods of waging war" as translated by
M. A. Screech
(1993)
Whilst this great man was preparing himself to fulfil these lofty destinies, the remains of the aristocratic party, which owed their life to his generosity, conspired against his life.
Brutus
and
Cassius
were the leaders: Brutus was a stoic, the disciple of
Cato
. Cæsar loved him and had twice saved his life, but the sect to which he belonged admitted no mitigation of its austere principles. He was full of the ideas taught in the schools of Greece against tyranny; the assassination of every man who actually stood above the laws was regarded as a legitimate action. Cæsar, the perpetual dictator, governed the whole Roman world; he had only the semblance of a senate; it could not be otherwise, after the proscriptions of
Marius
and
Sylla
, the violation of the laws by
Pompey
, five years of civil war, so many veterans established in Italy, attached to their generals, awaiting every thing from the greatness of certain men, and nothing from the republic. In such a state of things, these deliberative assemblies could no longer govern: the person of Cæsar was then the guarantee of the supremacy of Rome over the world, and constituted the security of all parties of citizens: his authority was therefore legitimate.
Napoleon
Précis des Guerres de Jules César
(1836), p. 219, quoted in
The British and Foreign Review; Or, European Quarterly Journal. Vol. IV. January–April. 1837
(1837), p. 456
[T]he rule of Caesar, although during its establishment it gave no little trouble to its opponents, still, after they had been overpowered and had accepted it, they saw that it was a
tyranny
only in name and appearance, and no cruel or tyrannical act was authorized by it; nay, it was plain that the ills of the
state
required a
monarchy
, and that Caesar, like a most gentle physician, had been assigned to them by Heaven itself. Therefore the Roman people felt at once a yearning for Caesar, and in consequence became harsh and implacable towards his murders...
Plutarch
Parallel Lives
"Dion and Brutus"
Even following in Caesar's footsteps with the benefits of modern travel's been a pretty exhausting business. But at the end of my 2,000 mile quest, I can certainly say I hail Caesar, even if given his ruthless ambition, I can't actually say that I like him very much. Nevertheless, he was one of history's truly epic figures. He lived life with an energy and a ferocity that it's hard to imagine in anyone today. And his achievements were really colossal. His conquests ensured that European culture would be classical and not Celtic. And perhaps most important of all, he persuaded the Roman people that one-person rule
could
work, and this new model of the Roman Caesar would change Roman history forever.
Tony Robinson
Tony Robinson's Romans
(2003)
Caesar overtook his advanced guard at the river Rubicon, which formed the frontier between Gaul and Italy. Well aware how critical a decision confronted him, he turned to his staff, remarking:
We may still draw back but, once across that little bridge, we shall have to
fight
it out
As he stood, in two minds, an apparition of superhuman size and beauty was seen sitting on the river bank playing a reed pipe. A party of shepherds gathered around to listen and, when some of Caesar's men broke ranks to do the same, the apparition snatched a trumpet from one of them, ran down to the river, blew a thunderous blast, and crossed over. Caesar exclaimed:
Let us
accept
this as a
sign
from the
Gods
, and follow where they beckon, in vengeance on our double-dealing enemies. The
die
is cast.
He led his army to the farther bank, where he welcomed the tribunes of the people who had fled to him from Rome. Then he tearfully addressed the troops and, ripping open his tunic to expose his breast, begged them to stand faithfully by him.
Suetonius
, in
The Twelve Caesars
, as translated by
Robert Graves
(1957), ¶ 31-33
Variant translations:
He caught up with his cohorts at the River Rubicon, which was the boundary of his province, where he paused for a while, thinking over the magnitude of what he was planning, then, turning to his closest companions, he said: "
Even now we can still turn back. But once we have crossed that little bridge, everything must be decided by arms.
" As he paused, the following portent occurred. A being of splendid size and beauty suddenly appeared, sitting close by, and playing music on a reed. A large number of shepherds hurried to listen to him and even some of the soldiers left their posts to come, trumpeters among them. From one of these, the apparition seized a trumpet, leapt down to the river, and with a huge blast sounded the call to arms and crossed over to the other bank. Then said Caesar: "
Let us go where the gods have shown us the way and the injustice of our enemies calls us. The die is cast.
" And so the army crossed over and welcomed the tribunes of the plebs who had come over to them, having been expelled from Rome. Caesar addressed the sol- diers, appealing to their loyalty, with tears, and ripping the garments from his breast.
As translated by Catherine Edwards (2000)
Brutus, quia reges eiecit, consul primus factus est; Hic, quia consules eiecit, rex postremo factus est.
Brutus was elected consul, when he sent the kings away; Caesar sent the consuls packing, Caesar is our king today.
Note left on a statue of Caesar in Rome, prior to the Ides of March, as reported in
Suetonius
, in
The Twelve Caesars
, as translated by
Robert Graves
(1957),
Divus Iulius
¶ 80
Caesar was a logical man; and the heir of Caesar displayed coherence in thought and act when he inaugurated the proscriptions and when he sanctioned clemency, when he seized power by force, and when he based authority upon law and consent.
Ronald Syme
The Roman Revolution
(1939)
Caesar was and is not lovable. His generosity to defeated opponents, magnanimous though it was, did not win their affection. He won his soldiers' devotion by the victories that his intellectual ability, applied to warfare, brought them. Yet, though not lovable, Caesar was and is attractive, indeed fascinating. His political achievement required ability, in effect amounting to genius, in several different fields, including administration and generalship, besides the minor arts of wire pulling and propaganda. In all these, Caesar was a supreme virtuoso.
Arnold Toynbee
, as quoted in the preface of
American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964
(1978)
External links
edit
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
has an article about:
Julius Caesar
Wikisource
Wikisource
has original works by or about:
Julius Caesar
Commons
Wikimedia Commons
has media related to:
Iulius Caesar
Caesar's own writings
Forum Romanum Index to Caesar's works online
in Latin and translation
Caesar and contemporaries on the civil wars
omnia munda mundis
Hypertext of Caesar's De Bello Gallico
Works by
Julius Caesar
at
Project Gutenberg
Ancient historians on Caesar
Suetonius: The Life of Julius Caesar
(Latin and English, cross-linked: the English translation by J. C. Rolfe)
Suetonius: The Life of Julius Caesar
(J. C. Rolfe English translation, modified)
Plutarch: The Life of Julius Caesar
(English translation)
Plutarch: The Life of Mark Antony
(English translation)
Plutarch on Antony
(English translation, Dryden edition)
Cassius Dio, Books 37‑44
(English translation)
Appian, Book 13
(English translation)
Secondary sources
Julius Caesar — virgil.org
An Annotated Guide to Online Resources categorized into Primary Sources, Background & Images, Modern Essays & Historical Fiction.
Julius Caesar
, page with many links in several languages, including English
History of Julius Caesar
A Day in the Life of Julius Ceasar
Retrieved from "
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