compare, contrast, despise

[solarbird]

Have I played my part well in the farce of life?

— Augustus Caesar, first Emperor of Rome

as reported by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus
in The Life of Augustus
originally published 121 C.E., Roman Empire

Did you love my performance in Venezuela?
My performance in Iran is better, isn’t it?

— Donald Trump, President of the United States
as reported by Jonathan Carl of ABC News
originally reported March 6, 2026 C.E., United States

Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.

Comments

[sistawendy]

I'd trust Suetonius less than some other Roman historians. There was a tradition in the Roman empire of posthumous character assassination against earlier dynasties. The Julio-Claudians, being the first dynasty, were the first victims.

[solarbird]

Eh, maybe.

But it is not an uncommon train of thought for such megalomaniacs to see themselves as actors playing a role, on top of everything else.

And it's not unreasonable for even a more normal person to want affirmation on their deathbed that they've lived a good life.

Maybe he said it, maybe he didn't, but that's the record (or a record) that we have.

And Shitstain most definitely said this.