Cassius Dio (c. 163-235)
“Your position should be invulnerable to any insolence and too exalted for such conduct to come near you; and you should never allow it to enter your head or allow others to imagine that you can be treated with disrespect. In short, men should regard you just as they do the gods, as surrounded by an inviolable sanctity.”
- From Cassius Dio’s The Roman History (Book 52, chapter 31), translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert (Penguin Classics, 1987). Dio wrote this quote in the character of Maecenas for a scene where Octavian was hearing advice from his advisors before deciding if Rome should become a democracy or remain dictatorial.
