There was once a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish, it was so fragile.[to Maximus]
The time for honoring yourself will soon be at an end… Highness.[to Commodus]
The crowd don’t want a butcher, they want a hero.[to Maximus]
Some of you are thinking you won’t fight, some that you can’t fight. They all say that until they’re out there.
Rome is the mob. Conjure magic for them, and they’ll be distracted. Take away their freedom, and still they’ll roar. The beating heart of Rome is not the marble of the Senate. It’s the sand of the Colosseum.
Proximo, are you in danger of becoming a good man?
Marcus Aurelius trusted you. His daughter trusts you. I will trust you.[to Maximus]
Life is more simple for a soldier.[to Maximus]
It’s an idea. Greatness. Greatness is a vision.
If they lie to me, they don’t respect me. If they don’t respect me, how can they ever love me?[to Lucilla]
I’ve seen much of the rest of the world. It is brutal and cruel and dark. Rome is the light.[to Marcus Aurelius]
I will win the crowd. I will give them something they’ve never seen before.[to Proximo]