Best Roman Empire Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings Page 4

“A people who still remembered that their ancestors had been the masters of the world would have applauded, with conscious pride, the representation of ancient freedom, if they had not long since been accustomed to prefer the solid assurance of bread to the unsubstantial visions of liberty and greatness.”

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“Yet the people, and even the clergy, incapable of forming any rational judgment of the business of peace and war, presumed to arraign the policy of Stilicho, who so often vanquished, so often surrounded, and so often dismissed the implacable enemy of the republic. The first moment of the public safety is devoted to gratitude and joy; but the second is diligently occupied by envy and calumny.”

Source: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Edited and Abridged): Abridged Edition

“These idle disputants overlooked the invariable laws of nature, which have connected peace with innocence, plenty with industry, and safety with valour.”

Law History Industry Safety Connected Plenty Innocence Idle Laws Of Nature Roman Empire Overlooked Valour

Book:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“The incapacity of a weak and distracted government may often assume the appearance and produce the effects of a treasonable correspondence with the public enemy. If Alaric himself had been introduced into the council of Ravenna, he would probably have advised the same measures which were actually pursued by the ministers of Honorius.”

Ifs May Government Enemy History Effects Produce Weak Assuming Appearance Ministers Council Distracted Pursued Roman Empire Correspondence Incapacity Public Enemies

Book:The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Edited and Abridged): Abridged Edition

Source: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Edited and Abridged): Abridged Edition

“The ancients were destitute of many of the conveniences of life which have been invented or improved by the progress of industry; and the plenty of glass and linen has diffused more real comforts among the modern nations of Europe than the senators of Rome could derive from all the refinements of pompous or sensual luxury.”

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“In populous cities, which are the seat of commerce and manufactures, the middle ranks of inhabitants, who derive their subsistence from the dexterity or labour of their hands, are commonly the most prolific, the most useful, and, in that sense, the most respectable part of the community.”

Hands Community Cities History Middle Seats Labour Commerce Respectable Roman Empire Subsistence Dexterity

Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“At the hour of midnight the Salerian gate was silently opened, and the inhabitants were awakened by the tremendous sound of the Gothic trumpet. Eleven hundred and sixty-three years after the foundation of Rome, the Imperial city, which had subdued and civilised so considerable a part of mankind, was delivered to the licentious fury of the tribes of Germany and Scythia.”

Years Three Sound Hours Cities History Mankind Hundred Foundation Germany Gates Rome Three Years Sixty Tribes Midnight Fury Gothic Eleven Awakened Trumpets Roman Empire Civilised

Author:Edward Gibbon

“The brutal soldiers satisfied their sensual appetites without consulting either the inclination or the duties of their female captives; and a nice question of casuistry was seriously agitated, Whether those tender victims, who had inflexibly refused their consent to the violation which they sustained, had lost, by their misfortune, the glorious crown of virginity. There were other losses indeed of a more substantial kind and more general concern.”

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“There exists in human nature a strong propensity to depreciate the advantages, and to magnify the evils, of the present times.”

Humans Evil Strong History Human Nature Advantage Roman Empire Propensity Present Time Depreciate

Book:The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume II: A.D. 395 to A.D. 1185 (A Modern Library E-Book)

Source: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume II: A.D. 395 to A.D. 1185 (A Modern Library E-Book)

“In less than seven years the vestiges of the Gothic invasion were almost obliterated, and the city appeared to resume its former splendour and tranquillity. The venerable matron replaced her crown of laurel, which had been ruffled by the storms of war, and was still amused in the last moment of her decay with the prophecies of revenge, of victory, and of eternal dominion.”

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“But the desire of obtaining the advantages, and of escaping the burthens, of political society, is a perpetual and inexhaustible source of discord; nor can it reasonably be presumed that the restoration of British freedom was exempt from tumult and faction. The pre-eminence of birth and fortune must have been frequently violated by bold and popular citizens; and the haughty nobles, who complained that they were become the subjects of their own servants, would sometimes regret the reign of an arbitrary monarch.”

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“The division of the Roman world between the sons of Theodosius marks the final establishment of the empire of the East, which, from the reign of Arcadius to the taking of Constantinople by the Turks, subsisted one thousand and fifty-eight years in a state of premature and perpetual decay.”

Source: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume II: A.D. 395 to A.D. 1185 (A Modern Library E-Book)

“The pastoral labours of the archbishop of Constantinople provoked and gradually united against him two sorts of enemies; the aspiring clergy, who envied his success, and the obstinate sinners, who were offended by his reproofs. When Chrysostom thundered from the pulpit of St. Sophia against the degeneracy of the Christians, his shafts were spent among the crowd, without wounding or even marking the character of any individual.”

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“Such events may be disbelieved or disregarded; but the charity of a bishop, Acacius of Amida, whose name might have dignified the saintly calendar, shall not be lost in oblivion.”

May Might Names Lost History Events Charity Oblivion Bishops Calendars Roman Empire Disregarded

Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“The union of the Roman empire was dissolved; its genius was humbled in the dust; and armies of unknown barbarians, issuing from the frozen regions of the North, had established their victorious reign over the fairest provinces of Europe and Africa.”

History Genius Europe Army Unions Dust Empires Regions Reign Frozen Provinces Barbarians Roman Empire

Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“The laws of war, that restrain the exercise of national rapine and murder, are founded on two principles of substantial interest: the knowledge of the permanent benefits which may be obtained by a moderate use of conquest, and a just apprehension lest the desolation which we inflict on the enemy's country may be retaliated on our own. But these considerations of hope and fear are almost unknown in the pastoral state of nations.”

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“If all the barbarian conquerors had been annihilated in the same hour, their total destruction would not have restored the empire of the West: and if Rome still survived, she survived the loss of freedom, of virtue, and of honour.”

Ifs Stills Hours Loss History Virtue Destruction West Empires Honour Rome Survived Barbarians Roman Empire Conqueror

Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“The imprudent Maximus disregarded these salutary considerations: he gratified his resentment and ambition; he saw the bleeding corpse of Valentinian at his feet; and he heard himself saluted Emperor by the unanimous voice of the senate and people. But the day of his inauguration was the last day of his happiness.”

People Lasts Voice History Saws Heard Feet Ambition Consideration Senate Resentment Corpses Emperor Bleeding Roman Empire Last Day Inauguration Disregarded

Book:History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire V3: the History Focus

Source: History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire V3: the History Focus

“Charlemagne either died or was born or did something with the Holy Roman Empire in 800.”

Art Born Holy Died Entertainment Empires Roman Empire

Book:One Minute, Please

Source: One Minute, Please

“If you look at great human civilizations, from the Roman Empire to the Soviet Union, you will see that most do not fail simply due to external threats but because of internal weakness, corruption or a failure to manifest the values and ideals they espouse.”

Ifs Humans Looks Values Failing Civilization Weakness Ideals Unions Threat Corruption Dues Internals Empires Manifest Soviet Soviet Union Roman Empire Human Civilization

Author:Cory Booker

“Perhaps Western civilization is in a post-decline phase, or maybe the decline is just taking a really long time, like the Roman Empire's did. The Romans had gladiators and Christian-hungry lions and that sort of thing. We have MTV.”

Long Christian Civilization Long Time Western Hungry Posts Empires Lions Decline Phases Roman Empire Western Civilization Mtv Really Long Hungry Lion

Author:Tom Shales

“There is one great fact, characteristic of this our nineteenth century, a fact which no party dares deny. On the one hand, there have started into life industrial and scientific forces which no epoch of former human history had ever suspected. On the other hand, there exist symptoms of decay, far surpassing the horrors recorded of the latter times of the Roman empire. In our days everything seems pregnant with its contrary.”

Source: Karl Marx: Selected Writings

“The Roman Empire came to an end, but the Roman people didn't come to an end, so I see the American Empire coming to an end just as other empires have come to an end.”

People Ends Empires Roman Empire Coming To An End American Empire

Author:Howard Zinn

“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”

“The Papacy is not other than the Ghost of the deceased Roman Empire, sitting crowned upon the grave thereof.”

Sitting Graves Ghost Empires Roman Empire Deceased Leviathan Roman Civilization

Author:Thomas Hobbes

“Discussing the attempts of Augustus' generals to add to the extent of the Roman Empire early in his reign: The northern countries of Europe scarcely deserved the expense and labour of conquest. The forests and morasses of Germany were filled with a hardy race of barbarians, who despised life when it was separated from freedom; and though, on the first attack, they seemed to yield to the weight of the Roman power, they soon, by a signal act of despair, regained their independence, and reminded Augustus of the vicissitude of fortune.”

“America is the new Roman Empire. Remember what happened to Rome.”

America Remember Happened Empires Rome Roman Empire

Author:Eddie Izzard

“The Romans have provided a lot of writers with a model for various interstellar empires, of course, and no wonder. The Roman Empire is a really good example of a large empire that, in one form or another, functioned for quite a long time over a very large area. And over all that time, there was all sorts of exciting drama - civil wars and assassinations and revolts and bits breaking off and being forced back in ... But I didn't want my future - however fanciful it was - to be entirely European. The Radchaai aren't meant to be Romans in Space.”

“From my student days I found him a compelling and fascinating, though often puzzling, figure. It's a lifelong fascination now and I don't expect that to stop! His vision of God, God's faithfulness, God's purposes and so on is so much bigger and richer than almost any subsequent Christian thinker has ever managed. In addition, I have always loved ancient history, especially the history of the early Roman empire, and of course Paul fits right into that.”

“Today, on our own turf, we face pagan ignorance about God every bit as deep as that which the early church faced in the Roman Empire.”

Today Faces Bits Church Ignorance Empires Pagan Roman Empire Turf

Author:J. I. Packer

“God is the ruler of history. His times are well chosen The Roman Empire was an instrument in his hand. And so are the nations of the modern world.”

World Wells God Hands Time Nations History Modern Instruments Chosen Empires Rulers Theologian Modern World Roman Empire Instruments Of God

Author:John Gresham Machen

“[The] penalty of death was abolished in the Roman empire, a law of mercy most delightful to the humane theorist, but of which the practice, in a large and vicious community, is seldom consistent with the public safety.”

Law Community Practice Mercy Safety Consistent Empires Penalties Delightful Vicious Humane Roman Empire Theorists Public Safety

Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“The terror of the Roman arms added weight and dignity to the moderation of the emperors. They preserved the peace by a constant preparation for war.”

War Arms Dignity Weight Constant Terror Preparation Moderation Emperor Roman Empire

Book:The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Edited and Abridged): Abridged Edition

Source: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Edited and Abridged): Abridged Edition

“[Instead] of inquiring why the Roman empire was destroyed, we should rather be surprised that it had subsisted so long.”

Should Long Destroyed Empires Roman Empire Inquiring

Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“For what fortress, what city, in the wide extent of the Roman empire, can hope to exist, secure and impregnable, if it is our pleasure that it should be erased from the earth?”

Ifs Should Earth Pleasure Cities Wide Secure Empires Roman Empire Fortresses

Author:Attila the Hun

“I think democracies are prone to inflation because politicians will naturally spend [excessively] - they have the power to print money and will use money to get votes. If you look at inflation under the Roman Empire, with absolute rulers, they had much greater inflation, so we don't set the record. It happens over the long-term under any form of government.”

Ifs Thinking Looks Long Use Government Happens Form Term Democracy Records Greater Politician Vote Absolutes Long Term Empires Print Rulers Inflation Forms Of Government Roman Empire

Author:Charlie Munger

“Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples - an ornery, undependable, and hopelessly flawed group of men - became drunk with the power of a gospel that offered free forgiveness to the worst sinners and traitors. Those men managed to change the world.”

Men World Littles Jesus Groups Worst Impact Historical Corners Drunk Changing The World Empires Sinner Righteous Disciple Flawed Traitor Roman Empire Pharisees Ornery

Book:Grace Notes

Source: Grace Notes

“I'm sure back in the Greek days or the Roman Empire days, when guys fought in arenas and were fighting lions, people were talking smack. Every era in history has someone talking smack. No way you can have talent and not proclaim your victory.”

People Way Guy Fighting Talking Talent Victory Eras Greek Empires Lions Arena Roman Empire Smack Roman Civilization Smack Talk

Author:J. B. Smoove

“Christianity began with 120 in the Upper Room, within three centuries it had become the predominant religion of the Roman Empire. What brought this about? The answer is deceptively simple, while Christianity was being presented to unbelievers in both Word and deed, it was the deed that far exceeded the Word in evangelistic effectiveness.”

Three Simple Answers Rooms Christianity Century Deeds Empires Effectiveness Roman Empire Unbelievers

Author:C. Wagner

“When we look at these types of things it echoes to lessons we haven't learned from the past. We still don't see Rome as a negative thing; we glorify the Roman Empire. It was a fascist state under the control of an incredibly authoritarian militant pre-emptive striking genocidal regime.”

Looks Stills States Past Havens Type Lessons Negative Empires Rome Regimes Echoes Fascists Glorify Roman Empire Militant

Author:Immortal Technique

“We still haven't gotten the message; we still don't see that it's bad. And then we copy everything about their [Roman Empire] structure. I mean Paul Bremer was the proconsul of Iraq. We're still using ancient terminology, we still have Senators and we have an Emperor, almost.”

Mean Stills Havens Messages Structure Ancient Iraq Empires Copies Senators Emperor Roman Empire Terminology

Author:Immortal Technique

“The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy nor Roman nor an empire, the United Nations is a disunited collection of regimes, many of which do not represent the nations they govern.”

Nations United Holy Collections Empires Regimes United Nations Roman Empire

Author:George Will

“I am utterly struck how, 300 years after his execution, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.”

Years Christianity Officials Empires Execution Roman Empire Good Christian Roman Civilization

Author:Peter Jennings

“The real cause of the great upheavals which precede changes of civilisations, such as the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Arabian Empire, is a profound modification in the ideas of the peoples .... The memorable events of history are the visible effects of the invisible changes of human thought .... The present epoch is one of these critical moments in which the thought of mankind is undergoing a process of transformation.”

“Every historian has a vested interest. "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" was not about the Roman but the British empire. What price the truth?”

Fall Interest British Empires Historian Decline Roman Empire British Empire Vested Interests

Author:Peter Greenaway

“His [Andy warhol] films were way ahead of the times...and I'm not suggesting this has all necessarily been a good thing for America, mind you. I kind of think we're all in a really big mess, kind of like the end days of the Roman Empire.”

Thinking Way Mind Kind Ends Bigs America Film Good Things Mess Empires Roman Empire Suggesting Warhol

Author:Bob Colacello

“The eastern part of the Roman Empire spoke mostly Greek, and the western parts spoke mostly Latin. So very soon, you begin getting different emphases between the Eastern church and the Western church.”

Different Church Western Greek Empires Spokes Latin Emphasis Eastern Roman Empire

Author:Justo L. Gonzalez

“People think that, that conversion to Judaism is just a modern phenomenon. But there was an era in the late Roman Empire Judaism was not a proselytizing religion. It didn't go out looking for converts, but it accepted converts.”

People Thinking Modern Late Accepted Conversion Eras Empires Phenomenon Judaism Roman Empire Proselytizing

Author:Susan Jacoby

“The Roman Empire was fairly tolerant of religious choice as long as you made a point not of thumbing your nose in public at the Roman gods.”

Long Made Choices Religious Noses Empires Roman Empire Roman Gods

Author:Susan Jacoby

“Malcolm Bradbury made the point, and I don't know whether it's a valid one or not, that the real English at the moment is not the English spoken in England or in America or even in Canada or Australia or New Zealand. The real English is the English which is a second language, so that it's rather like Latin in the days of the Roman Empire when people had their own languages, but had Latin in order to communicate.”

People Knows Made Real Moments America Order Language England Communicate Canada Empires Australia Latin Roman Empire New Zealand Bradbury

Author:William Golding

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Roman Empire Quotes