--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He bared thick teeth. ‘I am Zacchariah…" description: "\"“He bared thick teeth. ‘I am Zacchariah. My price will be right. You show me now?’ In that moment, ten generations of horse-traders counted for more th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93d/m-c-scott-17388_ancient-rome_he-bared-thick-teeth-i-am-zacchariah-my_621837.jpg" --- # He bared thick teeth. ‘I am Zacchariah. My price will be… ![“He bared thick teeth. ‘I am Zacchariah. My price will be right. You show me now?’ In that moment, ten generations of horse-traders counted for more than half a lifetime in the legions. I was my father made young again, itching to make a sale. Abandoning the Eagle – I was a horse-trader, what did I…” quote by M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93d/m-c-scott-17388_ancient-rome_he-bared-thick-teeth-i-am-zacchariah-my_621837.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93d/m-c-scott-17388_ancient-rome_he-bared-thick-teeth-i-am-zacchariah-my_621837.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93d/m-c-scott-17388_ancient-rome_he-bared-thick-teeth-i-am-zacchariah-my_621837.jpg) > ““He bared thick teeth. ‘I am Zacchariah. My price will be right. You show me now?’ In that moment, ten generations of horse-traders counted for more than half a lifetime in the legions. I was my father made young again, itching to make a sale. Abandoning the Eagle – I was a horse-trader, what did I care for a gold bird on a stick, however venerated by the Hebrews? – I gathered Pantera and Horgias about me, and trekked back to the inn of the Cedar Tree. Along the way, we collected Zacchariah’s well-muscled younger relatives, three other, unrelated, horse merchants who gazed at him with undisguised venom, a woman who claimed she could more accurately assess the sex of the foal our pregnant mare carried, a bone-setter who set to arguing with Horgias but gave up when his poor Greek met Horgias’ worse Greek – and Nicodemus and his seven zealots who stood about as we conducted our business, obviously waiting for a chance to inflict violence upon us.”” [M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A trader confronts moral conflict, choosing profit over sacred symbols, while surrounded by rivals and violence. **In simple terms:** Choosing money over values leads to danger. Key Takeaway Beware letting greed override principles. Themes greed morality conflict violence trade Mood tension foreboding critical Type narrative dramatic philosophical When to use this quote - market negotiations - military contracts - family legacy - ethical decision making Key Concepts capitalism ethical dilemma power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What values are you willing to sacrifice for profit? - How does sacred symbolism affect your choices? 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Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [“Seeking more information, I walked through the market listening to the gossip and discovered that our new general, the man sent to quell the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/seeking-more-information-i-walked-through-the-market-listening-to-the/) [M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [Judea and Samaria can be a place of refuge for the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naftali-bennett/judea-and-samaria-can-be-a-place-of-refuge-for-the-nation/) [Naftali Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naftali-bennett/) > [“Jesus was a penniless teacher who wandered about the dusty sun-bit country of Judea, living upon casual gifts of food; yet he is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/jesus-was-a-penniless-teacher-who-wandered-about-the-dusty-sun-bit/) [H.G. 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It's, you know, a little less than the length of Manhattan, without the West Bank, without Judea and Samaria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/israel-is-so-tiny-it-s-you-know-a-little-less-than-the-length-of/) [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/) > [ \[I believe in the\] rebuilding of Judea as an independent nation. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-believe-in-the-rebuilding-of-judea-as-an-independent-nation/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [“Such were the shepherds of Judea! In appearance, rough and savage as the gaunt dogs with them around the blaze; in fact, simple-minded, tender-hearted;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/such-were-the-shepherds-of-judea-in-appearance-rough-and-savage-as/) [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) > [One could establish a system in one state in which Judea and Samaria are jointly held. The Jews would vote for a Jewish parliament…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reuven-rivlin/one-could-establish-a-system-in-one-state-in-which-judea-and-samaria/) [Reuven Rivlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reuven-rivlin/) > [“135 years later, in 586 BCE, the Babylonians conquered Judea, the southern kingdom. They destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem and forced thousands of Jews…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-goldstein/135-years-later-in-586-bce-the-babylonians-conquered-judea-the/) [Phyllis Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-goldstein/) ## More by M.C. Scott > [“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. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [“It would have been easy to ask, then, ‘What of this Eagle?’, to have wheedled out of them all they knew: where it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/it-would-have-been-easy-to-ask-then-what-of-this-eagle-to-have/) [M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [“The dying go so swiftly at the end. Always the speed of their leaving catches me unawares; so much left to say, to promise,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/the-dying-go-so-swiftly-at-the-end-always-the-speed-of-their-leaving/) [M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [“Tell me we’re not going to be stoking up the cook fires to build palisades through the night by their light.’ I stood, turning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/tell-me-we-re-not-going-to-be-stoking-up-the-cook-fires-to-build/) [M.C. 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Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [“We broke camp together and set off in our opposite directions: we of the XIIth and our allies marched east, towards the rising sun,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/we-broke-camp-together-and-set-off-in-our-opposite-directions-we-of/) [M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [“He is wounded, but he is still the Leopard, still dangerous. His eyes look through you, until they don’t. That’s when he’ll kill you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/he-is-wounded-but-he-is-still-the-leopard-still-dangerous-his-eyes/) [M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [“What of honour? What of courage? What of all the things that bind the legions together?’ He gave a shrug and a nod together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/what-of-honour-what-of-courage-what-of-all-the-things-that-bind-the/) [M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [“The camp offices stood in the centre, adjoining the shrine to Jupiter that held the legion’s Eagle. In the camps of the Vth Macedonica…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/the-camp-offices-stood-in-the-centre-adjoining-the-shrine-to-jupiter/) [M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [“Silvanus, the camp prefect, took a step forward. I heard his voice every morning after parade, but had never listened to the tones of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/silvanus-the-camp-prefect-took-a-step-forward-i-heard-his-voice-every/) [M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [“In the centre of our line, eighty paces to my left, I felt Cadus raise his hand; I did not need to look. ‘Sound,’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/in-the-centre-of-our-line-eighty-paces-to-my-left-i-felt-cadus-raise/) [M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [“I nursed that flame as if it were my only son, and all round the ram nineteen other men did likewise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/i-nursed-that-flame-as-if-it-were-my-only-son-and-all-round-the-ram/) [M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [“Imagine Melitene, land of plenty, under snow and ice and high blue skies; imagine it in spring, with the meltwater running off the mountains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/imagine-melitene-land-of-plenty-under-snow-and-ice-and-high-blue/) [M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) [Explore all 37 M.C. Scott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) ## 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. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [“Cum dignitate otium”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/cum-dignitate-otium/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [“When you fear nothing, you have nothing to fear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-f-chandler/when-you-fear-nothing-you-have-nothing-to-fear/) S.F. Chandler > [From food trucks to hot dog stands to county fair favorites, 'street food' has enjoyed a rich and storied history in American cuisine. 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Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [ “My tongue tasted like a gladiator's jockstrap \[Marcus Corvinus after a night out\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wishart/my-tongue-tasted-like-a-gladiator-s-jockstrap-marcus-corvinus-after-a/) David Wishart > [I write about times and places I would visit in a time machine, like ancient Rome or the Wild West.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-lawrence/i-write-about-times-and-places-i-would-visit-in-a-time-machine-like/) [Caroline Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-lawrence/) > [I was born in England and went to school there. That's when I discovered my undying passion for history - not just for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-henley/i-was-born-in-england-and-went-to-school-there-that-s-when-i/) [Virginia Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-henley/) > [“The fervor and single-mindedness of this deification probably have no precedent in history. It's not like Duvalier or Assad passing the torch to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-fervor-and-single-mindedness-of-this-deification-probably-have-no/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) [Browse all 142 Ancient rome quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-rome/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He bared thick teeth. ‘I am Zacchariah. My price will be right. You show me now?’ In that moment, ten generations of horse-traders counted for more than half a lifetime in the legions. I was my father made young again, itching to make a sale. Abandoning the Eagle – I was a horse-trader, what did I care for a gold bird on a stick, however venerated by the Hebrews? – I gathered Pantera and Horgias about me, and trekked back to the inn of the Cedar Tree. Along the way, we collected Zacchariah’s well-muscled younger relatives, three other, unrelated, horse merchants who gazed at him with undisguised venom, a woman who claimed she could more accurately assess the sex of the foal our pregnant mare carried, a bone-setter who set to arguing with Horgias but gave up when his poor Greek met Horgias’ worse Greek – and Nicodemus and his seven zealots who stood about as we conducted our business, obviously waiting for a chance to inflict violence upon us.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "M.C. 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