Cicero was too sassy for one video

It turns out my video on Cicero just wasn’t enough to capture the full scope of the man’s pettiness. The guy was known for some pretty banger quips and comebacks, a senator once insulted his background as a commoner by asking “Who is your father?” Cicer answered and clapped back “As for you sir, your mother has made that quite hard to determine”. He made 14 speeches sh*t-talking Mark Antony, although there was some justification there, but what really takes the cake: Cicero wrote an epic poem with the scope of the Odyssey or the Illiad… about himself. Everyone told him he was full of hot air… and so he wrote a second one!

#shorts

[benpusey]

"It's nice to meet you, but it's even better to meet me." - Cicero probably

[Jimbo]

Cicero, Dante, and Napoleon. The writing fan fiction about yourself trifecta

[kekero]

The Roman republic was always run by egomaniacs it’s what makes it so fun to read about. The art of clapping back was something they refined to perfection.

[Vesperitis]

Cicero wasn't too sassy for one video, he was too sassy for two books.

[stevejohnson]

Today, the line about 'your mother' might be considered unparliamentary language.

[NomicFin]

It's a shame Cicero's epic about himself (IIRC it was called "de suis temporibus") has not survived. Apparently it wasn't very popular so not many people made copies. But the bits we can gleam from his letters where he asks his friend Atticus for feedback make it sound hilariously self-congratulatory. There's one letter where Cicero writes to Atticus something along the lines of "What was your favorite part of my book? Personally I really liked the part where ALL THE GODS DESCEND FROM THE HEAVENS AND DECLARE ME TO BE THE WISEST AND MOST JUST ROMAN WHO HAS EVER LIVED"

[iancody]

Cicero literally invented the “your mother” joke😂

[Rideca]

The sheer animosity Cicero had for authority and still giving the respect deserved describes one of the many traits of the citizens of Cicero, IL. I should know for I am one.

[issintf]

As petty as he was I love all the stories cicero left behind. When other people in power got angry, the solution was to start a civil war. When cicero was angry he would release some banger poetry that grills whoever he is mad at.

[CollinMcLean]

I like to imagine in a Cicero version of the Odyssey it's the Roman senate putting wax in their ears not to block out the calls of the Sirens... But to block out the 2 hour long speech Cicero wrote in honor of himself...

[golddisasters]

And yet this man also wrote a bunch of essays on the nature of friendship! Cicero really was a fantastic writer, and he’s honestly just a hysterical historical character.

[grigorirasputin]

Cicero was known for some very witty and true statements.

"The more laws, the less justice."

[kekero]

I would love a TV series sit com that is just the Roman senate debating various topics.

[atticusp]

Man, I really wished he joined the Triumvirate, Caesar offered him twice, imagine that

[Borderose]

_This_ is the kind of personality it takes to truly excel in politics.

[TheAdmirableAdmiral]

The dude saved the republic TWICE and still found the time to write a self agrandizing epic AND found the philisophical concept of Natural Law. what a chad

[lucario]

It is amazing how many books that Cicero wrote have survived time.

[yung.alchemist]

happy to see this hella early but fr jack rackam i just wanna say you are seriously dope and underappreciated, youre fire and i hope youre happy and doing good. Also you took the name of my rl favorite pirate so good choice. take care and know you are appreciated

[corncobb]

the fact that your mom jokes and quips are very heavily present in accounts of ancient history will always be amazing to me

[kafkaesk]

That's not petty. That's just roasting someone