Josiah

“The final victory over Carthage in the Punic Wars led to rising economic inequality, dislocation of traditional ways of life, increasing political polarization, the breakdown of unspoken rules of political conduct, the privatization of the military, rampant corruption, endemic social and ethnic prejudice, battles over access to citizenship and voting rights, ongoing military quagmires, the introduction of violence as a political tool, and a set of elites so obsessed with their own privileges that they refused to reform the system in time to save it.”
― Mike Duncan, The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic

“Human nature is universally imbued with a desire for liberty, and a hatred for servitude. Caesar, Gallic Wars
Only a few prefer liberty—the majority seek nothing more than fair masters. Sallust, Histories”
― Tom Holland, Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic

“At the heart of the crisis lay the simple fact that Caesar, if he were permitted to progress seamlessly from Gaul to a second consulship, would at no stage be a private citizen. This, to many, was intolerable—for only a private citizen could be brought to trial.”
― Tom Holland, Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic

“Every member of every tribe was entitled to his vote, but since this had to be delivered in person at the Ovile the practical effect was to ensure that only the wealthiest out-of-towner could afford to travel to Rome to exercise his right. Inevitably, this served to skew the voting in favor of the rich.”
― Tom Holland, Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic