--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Imagine Melitene, land of plenty, under…" description: "\"“Imagine Melitene, land of plenty, under snow and ice and high blue skies; imagine it in spring, with the meltwater running off the mountains and the h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78e/m-c-scott-17388_ancient-rome_imagine-melitene-land-of-plenty-under-sn_1317326.jpg" --- # Imagine Melitene, land of plenty, under snow and ice and… ![“Imagine Melitene, land of plenty, under snow and ice and high blue skies; imagine it in spring, with the meltwater running off the mountains and the herds going up to the high pastures to graze and their milk scented with mint and citrus; imagine it in high summer, limpid in the day’s heat, with…” quote by M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78e/m-c-scott-17388_ancient-rome_imagine-melitene-land-of-plenty-under-sn_1317326.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78e/m-c-scott-17388_ancient-rome_imagine-melitene-land-of-plenty-under-sn_1317326.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78e/m-c-scott-17388_ancient-rome_imagine-melitene-land-of-plenty-under-sn_1317326.jpg) > ““Imagine Melitene, land of plenty, under snow and ice and high blue skies; imagine it in spring, with the meltwater running off the mountains and the herds going up to the high pastures to graze and their milk scented with mint and citrus; imagine it in high summer, limpid in the day’s heat, with the hawks circling high above and the mares full fat with foal, swatting flies with their tails. Imagine that a man enters this idyll who does not know that he has come to paradise, who brings with him such ill luck as to make the statue of Fortune fall on her face at his passing and set the crows circling in murderous groups, eleven at a time, number of ill augur. Imagine such a man causing the minted milk to sour, and the men to sour with it, even before he gives the word to prosecute an unwinnable war, against the orders of his betters; or at least against Corbulo’s explicit command. Such a man was our new general and while you will have heard of the statue that fell on its face and the other ill omens – they became common enough currency in Rome soon after – you may not know that he disobeyed orders when he began his war.”” [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 seemingly perfect land is corrupted by a leader whose bad luck and disobedience bring disaster, showing how fragile peace can be when authority is ignored. **In simple terms:** A good place can be ruined by a bad leader. Key Takeaway Beware leaders who ignore orders. Themes leadership authority fortune war disaster Mood anxious reflective Type cautionary historical When to use this quote - military campaigns - political decision‑making - environmental stewardship - community resilience Key Concepts hubris fate political instability Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate a leader is becoming a threat? - How can societies guard against unchecked authority? 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Today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lynch/the-citizens-of-new-hampshire-expect-and-deserve-a-government-as/) [John Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lynch/) > [“We just wanted a perfect life, with perfect smiles and perfect blue skies, but instead, we ended up with the gloomy grey clouds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shanora-williams/we-just-wanted-a-perfect-life-with-perfect-smiles-and-perfect-blue/) [Shanora Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shanora-williams/) > [Belly tops, flip flops Lemonade, in the shade Blue skies, hot guys, Late nights water fights, Ice creams, sweet dreams, Bathing suits, shooting hoops,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/belly-tops-flip-flops-lemonade-in-the-shade-blue-skies-hot-guys-late/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Darwin, landing in Brazil in 1832, had a similar reaction, colored by his reading of his predecessor." 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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. 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Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [“Three old men with moon-silver hair and slow, ponderous movement took him in their arms and laid him on a marble slab and set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/three-old-men-with-moon-silver-hair-and-slow-ponderous-movement-took/) [M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [“So we left the spear in the wagon and I dressed and still was not sick and together we walked to the head of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/so-we-left-the-spear-in-the-wagon-and-i-dressed-and-still-was-not/) [M.C. 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/) [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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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": "“Imagine Melitene, land of plenty, under snow and ice and high blue skies; imagine it in spring, with the meltwater running off the mountains and the herds going up to the high pastures to graze and their milk scented with mint and citrus; imagine it in high summer, limpid in the day’s heat, with the hawks circling high above and the mares full fat with foal, swatting flies with their tails. Imagine that a man enters this idyll who does not know that he has come to paradise, who brings with him such ill luck as to make the statue of Fortune fall on her face at his passing and set the crows circling in murderous groups, eleven at a time, number of ill augur. Imagine such a man causing the minted milk to sour, and the men to sour with it, even before he gives the word to prosecute an unwinnable war, against the orders of his betters; or at least against Corbulo’s explicit command. Such a man was our new general and while you will have heard of the statue that fell on its face and the other ill omens – they became common enough currency in Rome soon after – you may not know that he disobeyed orders when he began his war.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "M.C. 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