Emperor Tiberius

Emperor Tiberius (r. 14-37)

"So long as my wits do not fail me, you can count on the consistency of my behavior; but I should not like you to set the precedent of binding yourselves to approve a man's every action, for what if something happened to alter that man's character?"

• Quote attributed to Emperor Tiberius in The Twelve Caesars (Tiberius) by Suetonius, translated by Robert Graves and edited by James B. Rives. New York: Penguin Classics, 2007.

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Tiberius

Emperor Tiberius (r. 14-37)

"Rulers die; the country lives for ever."

• A quote attributed to Tiberius in The Annals of Imperial Rome (Book II, translator chapter 5), by Tacitus, translated by Michael Grant (Penguin Classics, 1996).

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Emperor Tiberius

Emperor Tiberius (r. 14-47)


"A good shepherd shears his flock; he does not flay them."

• In The Twelve Caesars (Tiberius, sec. 32), Suetonius recorded the above quote as a response from Tiberius sent to governors who were asking about taxation policy. The line presumably came from a letter that was preserved in Rome during the time of Suetonius (c. 70-130+).

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