If you must break the law, do it to seize power: in all other cases observe it.
Julius CaesarRead
It is not these well-fed long-haired men that I fear, but the pale and the hungry-looking.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Fear is directed more towards those who seem desperate and deprived rather than those who are complacent and content.
In this quote, Julius Caesar expresses his concern not for those who are affluent and comfortable, but for those who are starving and desperate. The implication is that desperation can drive people to actions that are unpredictable and dangerous, making them a greater threat than those who are content and therefore less likely to act aggressively.
Themes
FearDesperationDangerThreatComplacency
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared in a discussion about the impact of poverty on society.
More from Julius Caesar
All quotes →War gives the right to the conquerors to impose any condition they please upon the vanquished.
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I have always reckoned the dignity of the republic of first importance and preferable to life.
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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.
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