Domitian

"Domitian does not exist."

"I wish that I hated as few people as I do."

"How much better it is to weep at joy than to joy at weeping."

"No one can ever be certain of his tenure of power."

"The greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something."

"I have always preferred mercy to severity."

"Even if I am not loved, let me at least be feared."

"Time is the measure of business."

"A ruler must know when to use the sword and when to sheath it."

"What is the point of power if not to preserve oneself?"

"Men are creatures of habit and fear."

"In Rome, blood washes away all debts."

"The empire stands on the backs of soldiers and slaves."

"Fear keeps order where love cannot."

"A man who has never feared death has never truly lived."

"Fortune favors the vigilant."

"Mercy is the privilege of the strong."

"The Senate is a collection of useful shadows."

"I build to be remembered, not merely to be practical."

"Water and bread sustain the body; power sustains the soul."

"A tyrant is merely a king who has lost the love of his people."

"The games are the opium of the masses."

"To rule is to watch, and watching requires eternal vigilance."

"Beauty fades; power endures."

"My enemies did not understand that mercy was a calculated move."

"The marble I command to be carved will outlast my name."

"Every friend is a potential enemy in disguise."

"The past cannot be changed, but it can be rewritten."

"Patience is a weapon sharper than any blade."

"To forgive is to show weakness."