Who first said, "Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword"? The quote ends with "I am Caesar," but I don't think it was Caes
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OverRate_504
ANSWERS: 5
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Apparently not Caesar, Julius or any other. It seems to have gained currency only since December 2001 and intensified during the build-up to the Iraq War. http://www.snopes.com/quotes/caesar.htm Just do what I did : google 'beware leader whip' and you will get a lot of hits.
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I think you're missing the point of the passage regardless of who may have written it. The author clearly understands the psychology of men. Here's a documented quote in the very same vein: "Of course the people don't want war ...but, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament or a communist dictatorship ... voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and for exposing the country to danger." -- Hermann Goering at his Nuremberg trial, 1946 In other words, wake the hell up from our comas!
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Actually it was Julius Caesar. The quote was repopularized by George W. Bush in an address about America's new "anti-terrorism policy". The entire quote is as follows: "Beware the leader who bangs the drum of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor. For patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood just as it narrows the mind. "And when the drums of war have reached their fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind is closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. "Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. "How do I know? For this I have done." Now then, after doing a bit of research after posting my initial answer, it seems that I may very well be wrong. Apparently the author is unknown and the quote has been erroneously attributed to Julius Caesar. My sincerest apologies for the misleading information.
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It was Shakespeare goddamnit. Please read some good literature.
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The quote is fake. It's most famous for Barabara Streisand quoting it dumbly in front of a large audience. Try to investigate its accusations though; you can - just go against the "busy-body" norm of our culture, give yourself some time to do a little research, and you will find true facts that will surprise you. Just check your facts first though so you can sort through the junk (like this "Caesar" quote). Start with google-ing Myron Fagan foreign relations.
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