This article brings a select a few ‘Gladiator’ movie quotes. This is one of the most acclaimed films, which is a story of a power struggle between the son of a Roman emperor, and a general who is selected by the emperor to succeed him.
A Tribute
Instead of bringing aboard a new member on the team to replace Oliver Reed, who passed away during the shooting of the movie, the remainder of the movie was shot using Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) and props.
‘Gladiator’, a historical drama movie directed by Ridley Scott, is a story of the struggle for accession to the throne of Rome. The emperor, Marcus Aurelius, asks his loyal general Maximus Decimus Meridius to succeed him, much to the chagrin of Commodus, the son of the emperor. Commodus betrays Maximus and annexes the throne.
The plot of this movie showcases the rise of Maximus after being reduced to slavery when his family is slaughtered, to him becoming a gladiator after successfully evading execution, to the confrontation with Commodus. There are many inspirational quotes in this movie. Here is a list of some of the most famous quotes from the Gladiator.
Gladiator Movie Quotes
“What we do in life echoes in eternity.”
― Maximus
“I will see you again… but not yet… not yet..”
― Juba
“At my signal, unleash hell.”
― Maximus
“Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?”
― Maximus
Maximus: I knew a man once who said, “Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back.”
Commodus: I wonder, did your friend smile at his own death?
Maximus: You must know. He was your father.
Commodus: You loved my father, I know. But so did I. That makes us brothers, doesn’t it? Smile for me now, brother.
“Today I saw a slave become more powerful than the Emperor of Rome.”
― Lucilla
Maximus: They fought for you and for Rome.
Marcus Aurelius: And what is Rome, Maximus?
Maximus: I’ve seen much of the rest of the world. It is brutal and cruel and dark, Rome is the light.
Marcus Aurelius: Yet you have never been there. You have not seen what it has become. I am dying, Maximus. When a man sees his end… he wants to know there was some purpose to his life. How will the world speak my name in years to come? Will I be known as the philosopher? The warrior? The tyrant…? Or will I be the emperor who gave Rome back her true self? There was once a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish… it was so fragile. And I fear that it will not survive the winter.
Lucilla: My brother hates all the world and you most of all.
Maximus: Because your father chose me.
Lucilla: No. Because my father loved you. And because I loved you.
Maximus: You don’t find it hard to do your duty?
Cicero: Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to.
Commodus: The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor. Striking story! But now, the people want to know how the story ends. Only a famous death will do. And what could be more glorious than to challenge the Emperor himself in the great arena?
Maximus: You would fight me?
Commodus: Why not? Do you think I am afraid?
Maximus: I think you’ve been afraid all your life.
Marcus Aurelius: When was the last time you were home?
Maximus: Two years, two hundred and sixty-four days and this morning.
“There was a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish, it was so fragile.”
― Marcus Aurelius
Proximo: Can any of them fight? I’ve got a match coming up.
Slave Trader: Some are good for fighting, others for dying. You need both, I think.
“The frost, it sometimes makes the blade stick.”
― Maximus
Marcus Aurelius: Let us pretend that you are a loving daughter, and I am a good father.
Lucilla: This is a pleasant fiction, is it not?
Gracchus: Have you ever embraced someone dying of plague, sire?
Commodus: No, but if you interrupt me again, I assure you that you will.
“Three weeks from now, I will be harvesting my crops. Imagine where you will be, and it will be so.”
― Maximus
Maximus: To my son – I tell him I will see him again soon. To keep his heels down while riding his horse. To my wife… that is not your business.
Marcus Aurelius: You have proven your valor once again, Maximus. Let us hope for the last time.
Maximus: There is no one left to fight, sire.
Marcus Aurelius: There is always someone left to fight. How can I reward Rome’s greatest general?
Maximus: Let me go home.
Marcus Aurelius: Ah, home.
“Your Emperor asks for your loyalty, Maximus. Take my hand, I only offer it once.”
― Commodus
“I don’t pretend to be a man of the people. But I do try to be a man for the people.”
― Gracchus
“Some of you are thinking that you won’t fight. Others, that you can’t fight. They all say that, until they’re out there.”
― Proximo
“Roma Ignis”
― Maximus
Verus: Are you the one they call the Spaniard?
Maximus: Yes.
Lucius Verus: They said you were a giant. They said you could crush a man’s skull with one hand.
Maximus: A man’s? No. A boy’s.
“He will bring them death, and they will love him for it.”
― Gracchus
Lucilla: I want to help you.
Maximus: Yes, you can help me… Forget you ever knew me, and never come back here again.
Marcus Aurelius: I want you to become the protector of Rome after I die. I will empower you to one end alone, to give power back to the people of Rome and end the corruption that has crippled it. Do you accept this great honor that I have offered you?
Maximus: With all my heart, no.
Marcus Aurelius: Maximus, that is why it must be you.
Gracchus: He enters Rome like a conquering hero. What has he conquered?
Falco: Give him time. He’s young. I think he could do very well.
Gracchus: For Rome or for you?
Proximo: What do you want? Hmmmm? Girl? Boy?
Maximus: You sent for me?
Proximo: Yes I did. You are good, Spaniard, but you’re not that good. You could be magnificent.
Maximus: You knew Marcus Aurelius?
Proximo: I did not say I knew him. I said he touched me on the shoulder once!
Maximus: You see, my wife and my son are already waiting for me.
Juba: You will meet them again. But not yet. Not yet.
Maximus: Not yet. Not yet.
“My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius. Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.”
― Maximus
Commodus: What did you feel when you saw him?
Lucilla: I felt nothing.
Commodus: He wounded you deeply, didn’t he?
Lucilla: No more than I wounded him.
“You have a great name. He must kill your name before he kills you.”
― Juba
Falco: Senator Gracchus. Don’t often see you enjoying the pleasures of the vulgar crowd.
Gracchus: I do not pretend to be a man of the people, Senator. But I do try to be a man for the people.
“The time for honoring yourself will soon be at an end. Highness.”
― Maximus
“Why do I want that. He makes me rich. Oh I…I know that you are a man of your word, General. I know that you would die for honor. You would die for Rome. You would die for the memory of your ancestors. But I on the other hand, I am an entertainer.”
― Proximo
“Quintus, free my men. Senator Gracchus is to be reinstated. There was a dream that was Rome, it shall be realized. These are the wishes of Marcus Aurelius.”
― Maximus
“You should see the Colosseum Spaniard. Fifty-thousand Romans watching every movement of your sword, willing you to make that killer blow. The silence before you strike and the noise afterwards. It rises. It rises up like a storm. As if you were the thunder god himself.”
― Proximo
Quintus: I’m a soldier. I obey.
Maximus: Nothing happens to anyone that he is not fitted by nature to bear.
“There was once a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish, it was so fragile.”
― Marcus Aurelius
“A general who became a slave. A slave who became a gladiator. A gladiator who defied an emperor.”
― Commodus
“Ultimately, we are all dead men. Sadly we cannot choose how but, we can decide how we meet that end, in order that we are remembered, as men.”
― Proximo
“I think he knows what Rome is. Rome is the mob, conjure magic for them and they will be distracted. Take away their freedom and still they’ll roar. The beating heart of Rome is not the marble of the senate it’s the sand of the Colosseum. He will bring them death and they will love him for it.”
― Gracchus
“There is always someone left to fight.”
― Gracchus
These were some fun and motivational quotes from the movie Gladiator. This movie won close to 50 awards, including five prestigious Academy Awards as well.
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