Jesse Donat

“Fullers were the Roman equivalents of laundry and dry-cleaning firms: soap had not been invented and clothes were bleached with human and animal urine”
― Anthony Everitt, Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician

“The main trouble with the Roman constitution was that it contained too many checks and balances, whether to restrain ambitious power-seekers or to protect ordinary citizens from the executive. It is somewhat surprising that anything was ever decided.”
― Anthony Everitt, Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician

“During one never-to-be-forgotten confrontation over a debt crisis in 493 BC, the entire population withdrew its labor. The plebs evacuated Rome and encamped on a neighboring hill. It was an inspired tactic. The Patricians were left in charge—but of empty streets.”
― Anthony Everitt, Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician

“superstitious people—including Martin Luther—believed that the devil had no buttocks and that by exposing one’s own buttocks in his general direction, the devil would be so envious at the mere sight of a rear end that he would avert his gaze and leave the mooner alone.”
― Mike Chase, How to Become a Federal Criminal: An Illustrated Handbook for the Aspiring Offender