
Why caesar doesnt trust thin men? - delinquentme
I'm reading through a paul graham essay:<p>http://www.paulgraham.com/determination.html<p>"That's why Julius Caesar thought thin men so dangerous. They weren't tempted by the minor perquisites of power."<p>... I don't understand?<p>Physically thin men?
Prerequisites of physical strength?
Can someone speak intelligently on this?
======
drats
A recurrent theme in Roman political thought inhereted from the Greeks, as
almost everything of theirs was, was luxury and the possibility for luxury to
corrupt. Specifically to corrupt a person's public spirit or the general aim
of perfecting themselves (the Greek notion of arete). So Caesar was cautious
of the potential contained in evidently ambitious men who were not letting
themselves go in luxury as they were potential rival tyrants, or they could be
those who wished to restore a more Athenian mode of governance... It turns out
there were plenty of both types around.

A related notion from the ancient world:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_poppy_syndrome>

------
jeffcoat
From William Shakespeare's _Julius Caesar_ , Act I, Scene 2:

    
    
      CAESAR
      Let me have men about me that are fat;
      Sleek-headed men and such as sleep o' nights:
      Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;
      He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.
      
      ANTONY
      Fear him not, Caesar; he's not dangerous;
      He is a noble Roman and well given.
      
      CAESAR
      Would he were fatter! But I fear him not:
      Yet if my name were liable to fear,
      I do not know the man I should avoid
      So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much;
      He is a great observer and he looks
      Quite through the deeds of men: he loves no plays,
      As thou dost, Antony; he hears no music;
      Seldom he smiles, and smiles in such a sort
      As if he mock'd himself and scorn'd his spirit
      That could be moved to smile at any thing.
      Such men as he be never at heart's ease
      Whiles they behold a greater than themselves,
      And therefore are they very dangerous.

------
SHOwnsYou
It has to do with men who have the ability to over-indulge or be lazy (and get
fat) but have the strength to avoid such activities.

Physical strength is not a factor in this. It is strength of the mind.

~~~
mikecane
>>>men who have the ability to over-indulge or be lazy (and get fat)

No. Not everyone _can_ get fat. I know this. I'm one of them. And yes, Caesars
throughout history _should_ fear people like me. Because we're gunning for
their pompous, smug, fat, lazy asses. Aside from their flabby souls, their
physicality aesthetically disgusts us,

~~~
cullend
Shut up you idiot. First, you're missing more than half the point and im not
going to explain. Reread 3 times then try again.

Speaking to your personal anecdote you view as fact, Or your metabolism has
just been good with whatever you've thrown at it, and you've never put it into
a state of shock to cause one of the many means of retention.

Alternatively you can go with, CALORIES IN CALORIES OUT. CANT EXPLAIN THAT.

~~~
sorbus
You may want to look at the guidelines again. The relevant one in this case is
"When disagreeing, please reply to the argument instead of calling names. E.g.
"That is an idiotic thing to say; 1 + 1 is 2, not 3" can be shortened to "1 +
1 is 2, not 3.""

------
bigtech
In Caeser's mind, the main perk of power is more delicious food. Someone
uninterested in this can't be tempted or manipulated.

------
gort
Perquisite, not prerequisite. Perquisite means something like "perk".

~~~
chc
It's actually the origin of "perk" as in "job perks" (as opposed to "perk" as
in "stand up straight" or "be lively").

------
keiferski
All men are hungry. What separates the dangerous from the docile is what one
feeds this hunger with - political power or food, in Caesar's case.

