If you must break the law, do it to seize power: in all other cases observe it.
Julius CaesarRead
Let me have men about me that are fat, Sleek-headed-men, and such as sleep o'nights; Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; he thinks too much; such men are dangerous.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses a preference for followers who are content and stable rather than ambitious and overly critical individuals.
In this quote, Julius Caesar reflects on the qualities he values in his companions and followers. He suggests that he prefers men who are well-fed and at ease rather than those who are lean and eager for power, as the latter can be seen as threats due to their ambition and excessive contemplation. The line suggests that a leader seeks stability and loyalty over the potential dangers posed by those who are constantly seeking change or harboring discontent.
Themes
LeadershipDangerous MenAmbitionLoyaltyStability
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used to emphasize the importance of selecting stable and loyal team members during a leadership seminar.
More from Julius Caesar
All quotes βWar gives the right to the conquerors to impose any condition they please upon the vanquished.
Julius CaesarRead
I have always reckoned the dignity of the republic of first importance and preferable to life.
Julius CaesarRead
As a rule, men worry more about what they can't see than about what they can.
Julius CaesarRead
All bad precedents begin as justifiable measures.
Julius CaesarRead
No one is so brave that he is not disturbed by something unexpected.
Julius CaesarRead
Similar quotes
Our young people look up to us. Let us not let them down. Our young people need us. Saving them will make heroes of us all.
Gale SayersRead
A ruler must learn to persuade and not to compel.
Frank HerbertRead
The chief qualification of a mass leader has become unending infallibility; he can never admit an error.
Hannah ArendtRead
In order to lead a country or a company, you've got to get everybody on the same page and you've got to be able to have a vision of where you're going. America can't have a vision of health care for everybody, green economy, regulations - can't have a bunch of piece - meal activities. It's got to have a vision.
Jack WelchRead
In the end an organization is nothing more than the collective capacity of its people to create value.
Lou GerstnerRead
Being president is like running a cemetery: you've got a lot of people under you and nobody's listening.
William J. ClintonRead