
“In case you were wondering, it is preferable to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven—I’ve done both.”
Source: City of Heavenly Fire
After being suggested by Artembares, grandfather of Artayctes, to abandon the rocky land of Persia Proper for a better region in the empire.
Source: As quoted by Herodotus, in the final section of The Histories; cited in https://books.google.com/books?id=2fZmqKcsf-wC&pg=PT362&lpg=PT362
“In case you were wondering, it is preferable to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven—I’ve done both.”
Source: City of Heavenly Fire
Die Welt (1909); also in A Treasury of Jewish Quotations (1985) by Joseph L. Baron.
http://nofilmschool.com/2016/07/abbas-kiarostami-death-cinema-lessons
Letter to Sheridan (November 1864)
1860s, 1864
Joseph Conrad: An Appreciation (1930; New York: Haskell House, 1973) p. 11
“This hand, the rule of tyrants to oppose
Seeks with the sword fair freedom's soft repose.”
Manus haec inimica tyrannis
Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem.
As quoted in Life and Memoirs of Algernon Sidney; his father (Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester) wrote to him (30 August 1660) https://books.google.com/books?id=zUENAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA94&dq=: "It is said that the University of Copenhagen brought their album unto you, desiring you to write something; and that you did scribere in albo these words".