This quote is doing the rounds on the net, abut I can’t find an attributed source anywhere. Do you know where the original is or from what oit has been taken or translated???
"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 with 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."
“Et tu, Brute” is from Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.”
However, the quote (in which Caesar allegedly explains that people are gullible sheep who’ll gladly give up their rights if a dictator convinces them there’s a threat from outsiders) in the OP is utterly bogus. Caesar never said that or anything remotely like it.
NOTHING in that quote pertained to Julius Caesar or to the Rome he knew. It’s not as if ancient Rome was a democracy in which foolish fearful voters ELECTED Caesar to rule over them! It’s not as if the average Roman HAD any “rights” to give up in the name of security. And it’s not as if Rome in Caesar’s day HAD any enemies powerful enough to pose a plausible threat.
The quote is a crock, designed to scare latter-day Americans into thinking that all anti-terrorist measures are just the first step toward fascism. Look, if you dislike current or proposed security measures in the U.S., fine, go ahead and argue against them. Just don’t try to use a fraudulent quote from a long-dead Roman emperor to buttress your case.
Sorry if you have misunderstood my query! I’m looking for the original source of this quote, whether it is right or wrong.
I am happy to be a Card carrying Pacifist who is openly worried about the Dogs of War being unleashed - but I am more interested on this board of having questions answered and presumptions such as yours left at the door on the way in.
I do not seek or require, as you phrase it “… fraudulent quote from a long-dead Roman emperor to buttress your case.” I never would use such a thing in any event.
I prefer truth and less subjective bias!
Do you by any chance know what the original source for the quote/misquote is and, even better, where I can find it online???
I know that there are some very interesting quotes that are attributed and easily located such as;
“They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
– Benjamin Franklin
All the best and keep the subjective bias under control!
There is already another thread in GQ discussing this quote. No conclusion as to the source of the quote, although it seems pretty clear that Julius Caesar was not the author.
Short of a web search using a unique phrase from the quote in hopes of finding someone who admits - or claims - to be its author(which will probably result in thousands of sites using the quote), I suspect that there may be no way to trace its origin.