Monday, October 03, 2011

Respica te, hominem te memento

When a Roman emperor achieved a great military victory he would parade into town in an elaborate procession called a triumph. The story goes that a slave would ride on the chariot going “Respica te, hominem te memento” (“Look behind you, remember you are only a man”) and “Memento mori” (“Remember (that you are) mortal”).

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