Behold a spectacle worthy of God's attention as he contemplates his work; behold a contest worthy of God: a brave man matched against ill fortune.
Ecce spectaculum dignum ad quod respiciat intentus operi suo deus, ecce par deo dignum, vir fortis cum fortuna mala compositus.
Philosophers
Cato the Younger
Roman senator (95-46 BC) and the most uncompromising Stoic of the late Republic, remembered as the man who could not be bribed. He chose suicide at Utica over surrender to Julius Caesar, and his refusal to bend became a moral touchstone for Seneca, the American Founders, and the modern Stoicism revival.
View this figure's profile
Cato the Younger's Other Quotes
Related Quotes
It is no good, pain; bothersome you may be, but you will never persuade me you are evil.
-- Posidonius
The victorious cause pleased the gods, but the conquered cause pleased Cato.
-- Cato the Younger
Cato, while he lived, lived in such a way that he lacked nothing — so long as he was free to die.
-- Cato the Younger
Never think you have exhausted every option. Stand at the cliff's edge, and a fresh wind will surely blow.
-- Kōnosuke Matsushita
Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
-- Ray Kroc