--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Julius waited stone-faced as the other…" description: "\"“Julius waited stone-faced as the other centurions scattered to their centuries, eager to make sure their men were ready for a forced march, none of th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b4/anthony-riches-32646_ancient-rome_julius-waited-stone-faced-as-the-other-c_178692.jpg" --- # Julius waited stone-faced as the other centurions… ![“Julius waited stone-faced as the other centurions scattered to their centuries, eager to make sure their men were ready for a forced march, none of them wanting to suffer the embarrassment of causing the cohort any delay in their headlong charge to the west. The tribune watched them go for a…” quote by Anthony Riches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b4/anthony-riches-32646_ancient-rome_julius-waited-stone-faced-as-the-other-c_178692.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b4/anthony-riches-32646_ancient-rome_julius-waited-stone-faced-as-the-other-c_178692.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b4/anthony-riches-32646_ancient-rome_julius-waited-stone-faced-as-the-other-c_178692.jpg) > ““Julius waited stone-faced as the other centurions scattered to their centuries, eager to make sure their men were ready for a forced march, none of them wanting to suffer the embarrassment of causing the cohort any delay in their headlong charge to the west. The tribune watched them go for a moment, then turned back to the heavily built centurion with a grim smile. ‘So, Centurion, what, you are wondering, have you done to have your expected position as Uncle Sextus’s deputy usurped by your colleague Clodius?’ Julius shrugged, his heavyset face impassive. ‘The Badger’s a good man, Tribune, more than capable of leading the cohort down a road and deploying them to wipe out a few hundred bandits. I’ll admit I’m curious though. Was it something I’ve done?’ Scaurus smiled, putting a hand on the big man’s shoulder. ‘Yes, Julius, it was something you’ve done. It was every little bit of professionalism you’ve displayed since I took this cohort under my command, every order given and every enemy killed. In the absence of the first spear you’re my best individual officer, and I’ve got a job that needs doing here that I can’t entrust to anyone less than my best centurion. We’re forced to withdraw our force from Tungrorum to deal with this new threat, but there’s enough money being held in the headquarters’ safe room to attract every thief and gang leader in this whole city, what with the pay chests and the proceeds of the grain fraud. I’m leaving you here, Julius, you and your century, and depending on you to make sure that nobody gets their grubby fingers on that money. I want a double-strength guard on the vault, and the rest of your men, whether eating, resting or sleeping, no more than a dozen heartbeats away. You can also keep Centurion Corvus’s wife and the wounded safe from harm while you’re at it, and relieve me of the trouble of carting that jar of naphtha around. As of this moment you’re free to kill anyone and everyone you suspect to be a threat to the emperor’s gold, without hesitation or fear of any repercussion. If we return that gold to the throne we will be congratulated and possibly even rewarded, but if we lose it again, having exposed its original loss and recapture to the throne’s eyes, the outcome will be altogether darker for everyone concerned. Do we understand each other, Centurion?”” [Anthony Riches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-riches/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A seasoned centurion is tasked with protecting a valuable vault and ensuring security while managing his men, highlighting trust, responsibility, and vigilance in leadership. **In simple terms:** A trusted officer must guard a vault and keep his troops ready. Key Takeaway Maintain vigilance and protect assets. Themes leadership trust security responsibility military Mood determined serious Type military instructional When to use this quote - guarding a treasury - defending a strategic point - coordinating troop readiness - protecting civilians during conflict Key Concepts professionalism command risk management Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance duty with personal limits? - What safeguards can prevent over‑reliance on one leader? A Different Perspective Reliance on a single officer may overload him and risk failure if he is compromised. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient rome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-rome/) [Centurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centurion/) [Centurions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centurions/) [Good man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-man/) [Officers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/officers/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [No," Frank said. "I'm only a centurion." 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All they‟re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-riches/the-hamians-the-centurion-s-voice-was-little-better-than-a-squeak/) [Anthony Riches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-riches/) [Explore all 15 Anthony Riches quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-riches/) ## More Ancient rome quotes > [“The truth is heavier than a sword.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naiyem-chowdhury-rony/the-truth-is-heavier-than-a-sword/) [Naiyem Chowdhury Rony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naiyem-chowdhury-rony/) > [“What you seem so unwilling to accept, even now, is this: that the ideals which supported the old Republic had no correspondence to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/what-you-seem-so-unwilling-to-accept-even-now-is-this-that-the-ideals/) [John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/) > [“Governor Paetus...’ Lupus closed his eyes that we might not read the rage in them. ‘Governor Paetus has informed us that he will return…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/governor-paetus-lupus-closed-his-eyes-that-we-might-not-read-the-rage/) [M.C. 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The tribune watched them go for a moment, then turned back to the heavily built centurion with a grim smile. ‘So, Centurion, what, you are wondering, have you done to have your expected position as Uncle Sextus’s deputy usurped by your colleague Clodius?’ Julius shrugged, his heavyset face impassive. ‘The Badger’s a good man, Tribune, more than capable of leading the cohort down a road and deploying them to wipe out a few hundred bandits. I’ll admit I’m curious though. Was it something I’ve done?’ Scaurus smiled, putting a hand on the big man’s shoulder. ‘Yes, Julius, it was something you’ve done. It was every little bit of professionalism you’ve displayed since I took this cohort under my command, every order given and every enemy killed. In the absence of the first spear you’re my best individual officer, and I’ve got a job that needs doing here that I can’t entrust to anyone less than my best centurion. We’re forced to withdraw our force from Tungrorum to deal with this new threat, but there’s enough money being held in the headquarters’ safe room to attract every thief and gang leader in this whole city, what with the pay chests and the proceeds of the grain fraud. I’m leaving you here, Julius, you and your century, and depending on you to make sure that nobody gets their grubby fingers on that money. I want a double-strength guard on the vault, and the rest of your men, whether eating, resting or sleeping, no more than a dozen heartbeats away. You can also keep Centurion Corvus’s wife and the wounded safe from harm while you’re at it, and relieve me of the trouble of carting that jar of naphtha around. As of this moment you’re free to kill anyone and everyone you suspect to be a threat to the emperor’s gold, without hesitation or fear of any repercussion. If we return that gold to the throne we will be congratulated and possibly even rewarded, but if we lose it again, having exposed its original loss and recapture to the throne’s eyes, the outcome will be altogether darker for everyone concerned. Do we understand each other, Centurion?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anthony Riches" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-riches/julius-waited-stone-faced-as-the-other-centurions-scattered-to-their/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ancient rome" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-riches/julius-waited-stone-faced-as-the-other-centurions-scattered-to-their/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b4/anthony-riches-32646_ancient-rome_julius-waited-stone-faced-as-the-other-c_178692.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b4/anthony-riches-32646_ancient-rome_julius-waited-stone-faced-as-the-other-c_178692.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b4/anthony-riches-32646_ancient-rome_julius-waited-stone-faced-as-the-other-c_178692.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Julius waited stone-faced as the other centurions scattered to their centuries, eager to make sure their men…” — Anthony Riches", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anthony Riches", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-riches/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Julius waited stone-faced as the other...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-riches/julius-waited-stone-faced-as-the-other-centurions-scattered-to-their/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-riches/julius-waited-stone-faced-as-the-other-centurions-scattered-to-their/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```