12 Quotes by John Maddox Roberts

I have never been among those who think that it is better to be dead than to leave Rome. In fact, I have fled Rome many times in order to preserve my life.

And so, forbidden by a Roman official and warned by a slave, I went forth at dusk to meet with a high-class Greek prostitute.

At least, when the great Temple of Jupiter had burned twenty years before, Sulla had had the good taste to restore it to its original design and condition. They don’t make tyrants like Sulla anymore.

The Claudians,” I observed, “are a family of insane hereditary criminals.

One forced to live in surroundings that might have been devised by Plato must seek relief and an outlet for the human urges despised by philosophers. Wickedness and debauchery may not be the only answers, but they are certainly the ones with the widest appeal.

Look out!” Julia cried. “he has a snake! And he’ll use it!

Think nothing of it,” I said. “We’ve all wanted to kill Clodius from time to time.

At this time, about the only thing that was still regarded as perverted was a public display of affection toward one’s wife.

Pugilism is the silliest of all combat arts. It consists of taking the human hand, with its multitude of tiny, frangible bones, and smashing it against the human skull, a most unyielding target.