Quotes from book

The Accusers

“Never stop to breathe the pretty flower scents. The graves of the poor still stink.”

“To be born with nothing was grim. But to be born with everything, then to lose it, was far more cruel.”

“When I hear the words 'social order', I start looking around for somebody to pick a fight with.”

“Intimidation and awe are how our rulers keep us respectful.”

“Do you want a cretin or a meddler?'
'Which is better for us?'
'Whoever gets the larger backhander.'
'We won't pay. We are going for probity.'
'Can't afford true justice, eh?”

“This was no more cynical than most lying lozenge-pushers, but when he thought it mattered, Rhoemetalces had been honest. We cannot have that. Rome is a complex, sophisticated society. Truth is distrusted as much as Greek philosophy.”