Never forget. Never give in. Never give up.
Maximus : “Three weeks from now I will be harvesting my crops. Imagine where you will be, and it will be so. Hold the line. Stay with me. If you find yourself alone, riding in green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled; for you are in Elysium, and you’re already dead!
[The soldiers laugh]
Maximus : “Brothers, what we do in life, echoes in eternity.”
— Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius in Ridley Scott’s 2000 epic film Gladiator
“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?”
— Richard Harris as Marcus Aurelius in Gladiator, 2000
Marcus Aurelius : 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. Maximus, let us whisper now, together, you and I. You have a son. Tell me about your home.
Maximus : My house is in the hills above Trujillo. A very simple place. Pinkstones that warm in the sun. A kitchen garden that smells of herbs in the day, jasmine in the evening. Through the gate is a giant poplar. Figs, apples, pears. The soil, Marcus- black. Black like my wife’s hair. Grapes on the south slopes, olives on the north. Wild ponies play near my house. They tease my son. He wants to be one of them.
Marcus Aurelius : Remember the last time you were home?
Maximus : Two years, 264 days, and this morning.
Marcus Aurelius : I envy you, Maximus. It’s a good home. Worth fighting for. There is one more duty that I ask of you before you go home.
Maximus : What would you have me do, Caesar?
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. Will you accept this great honor I have offered you?
Maximus : With all my heart, no.
Marcus Aurelius : Maximus, that is why it must be you.
THE GREAT RICHARD HARRIS AS THE ICONIC MARCUS AURELIUS IN RIDLEY SCOTT’S GLADIATOR, 2000. HE PLAYED KING ARTHUR IN CAMELOT ON SCREEN AND WAS A TRUE KNIGHT IN REALITY BEING KNIGHTED BY THE QUEEN OF DENMARK IN 1985.