From: Gladiator
Genre: Movies
Who said it?: Maximus Decimus Meridius
The story behind the quote: The quote comes Ridley Scott’s Gladiator starring Russell Crowe as Maximus, the titular “Gladiator” of the film. The movie is about a former Roman general who, because he didn’t give his fealty to Commodus (played by Joaquin Pheonix) and after some heartbreaking events, became a gladiator in the Roman colosseum.
The quote comes after one of Maximus’ early gladitorial fights. After handily defeating several other well-armed opponents and disrespecting the governor, Maximus turns to the crowd and delivers the quote.
Geek wisdom: People do find pleasure in watching mayhem. It’s a part of human nature. No matter how hard you want to deny it, there is a certain allure about it. However, just because it look enticing, that doesn’t mean we should perform random acts of violence.
Real life violence should only be used during desperate times and not for “entertainment” value.