Quote by Theodore Roosevelt
The Roman Republic fell, not because of the ambition of Caesar or Augustus, but because it had already long ceased to be in any real sense a republic at all. When the sturdy Roman plebeian, who lived by his own labor, who voted without reward according to his own convictions, and who with his fellows formed in war the terrible Roman legion, had been changed into an idle creature who craved nothing in life save the gratification of a thirst for vapid excitement, who was fed by the state, and who directly or indirectly sold his vote to the highest bidder, then the end of the republic was at hand, and nothing could save it. The laws were the same as they had been, but the people behind the laws had changed, and so the laws counted for nothing.
Summary
This quote explains that the downfall of the Roman Republic was not primarily caused by the ambition of individuals like Caesar or Augustus, but rather by the decay of its fundamental values and principles. It states that the republic ceased to exist when citizens shifted from being strong, independent, and participatory in the political process to becoming idle, dependent on the state, and easily swayed by material rewards. Consequently, the laws themselves had remained intact, but the people's corruption and disengagement rendered the laws meaningless and contributed to the republic's demise.
Topics
Law
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