--- title: "3 Emperor Quotes By Gore Vidal" description: "3 Emperor quotes by Gore Vidal. Plus more from Gore Vidal and more Emperor sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/gore-vidal-466_actor_rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thou_32834.jpg" --- > [Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an emperor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thought-of-hiring-an-actor-to-go/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/gore-vidal-466_actor_rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thou_32834.jpg) > [At least when the Emperor Justinian, a sky-god man, decided to outlaw sodomy, he had to come up with a good practical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/at-least-when-the-emperor-justinian-a-sky-god-man-decided-to-outlaw/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/756/gore-vidal-466_areas_at-least-when-the-emperor-justinian-a-sk_2224490.jpg) > [Traitors who prevail are patriots; usurpers who succeed are divine emperors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/traitors-who-prevail-are-patriots-usurpers-who-succeed-are-divine/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cc/gore-vidal-466_divine_traitors-who-prevail-are-patriots-usurpe_3157362.jpg) ## Other authors on Emperor - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b008/author-edward-gibbon-31792.jpg) Edward Gibbon 12 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emperor/edward-gibbon/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b017/author-michel-de-montaigne-67580.jpg) Michel de Montaigne 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emperor/michel-de-montaigne/) - [Saint Augustine 5 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emperor/saint-augustine/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b020/author-rajneesh-77002.jpg) Rajneesh 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emperor/rajneesh/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b018/author-napoleon-bonaparte-70192.jpg) Napoleon Bonaparte 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emperor/napoleon-bonaparte/) ## More by Gore Vidal > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Many people in the United States happen to believe that United States policy is wrong in Vietnam and the Vietcong are correct in wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/many-people-in-the-united-states-happen-to-believe-that-united-states/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“It is curious how little interested we are in the sexual desires of those who do not attract us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-little-interested-we-are-in-the-sexual-desires-of/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/style-is-knowing-who-you-are-what-you-want-to-say-and-not-giving-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The oligarchs think that the people are both dangerous and stupid. Their point is moot. But we do know that the oligarchs are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-oligarchs-think-that-the-people-are-both-dangerous-and-stupid/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [It is curious how often one prefers his enemies to his friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-often-one-prefers-his-enemies-to-his-friends/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-societies-grow-decadent-the-language-grows-decadent-too-words-are/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an emperor while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thought-of-hiring-an-actor-to-go/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Sex is a continuum. You go through different phases along life's way... and if you don't, you've been sort of cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/sex-is-a-continuum-you-go-through-different-phases-along-life-s-way/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [All I want is that Americans still be able to read the alphabet in a hundred years. I am not very ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/all-i-want-is-that-americans-still-be-able-to-read-the-alphabet-in-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I do not admire 'the people,' as such. No one really does. Their folk wisdom is usually false, their instincts predatory. Even their sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/i-do-not-admire-the-people-as-such-no-one-really-does-their-folk/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“One of the problems of a society as tightly controlled as ours is that we get so little information about what those of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/one-of-the-problems-of-a-society-as-tightly-controlled-as-ours-is/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emperor/gore-vidal/#itemlist", "name": "3 Emperor Quotes By Gore Vidal", "numberOfItems": 3, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an emperor while the Praetorian Guard ruled.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gore Vidal" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thought-of-hiring-an-actor-to-go/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/gore-vidal-466_actor_rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thou_32834.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/gore-vidal-466_actor_rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thou_32834.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/gore-vidal-466_actor_rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thou_32834.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an…” — Gore Vidal", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "At least when the Emperor Justinian, a sky-god man, decided to outlaw sodomy, he had to come up with a good practical reason, which he did. 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