--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some would say it hardly mattered what…" description: "\"“Some would say it hardly mattered what women thought of Tavius, that even senators' wives, like Mucia, had no power to shape events. But what if Porti..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/phyllis-t-smith-18694_beloved-wife_some-would-say-it-hardly-mattered-what-w_780018.jpg" --- # Some would say it hardly mattered what women thought of… ![“Some would say it hardly mattered what women thought of Tavius, that even senators' wives, like Mucia, had no power to shape events. But what if Portia, Brutus's beloved wife, rather than encouraging his plan to assassinate Julius Caesar, had told him he would pointlessly destroy himself and…” quote by Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/phyllis-t-smith-18694_beloved-wife_some-would-say-it-hardly-mattered-what-w_780018.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/phyllis-t-smith-18694_beloved-wife_some-would-say-it-hardly-mattered-what-w_780018.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/phyllis-t-smith-18694_beloved-wife_some-would-say-it-hardly-mattered-what-w_780018.jpg) > ““Some would say it hardly mattered what women thought of Tavius, that even senators' wives, like Mucia, had no power to shape events. But what if Portia, Brutus's beloved wife, rather than encouraging his plan to assassinate Julius Caesar, had told him he would pointlessly destroy himself and others? I think Portia might have changed history.”” [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imagining a different influence of Portia on Brutus suggests that individual voices can alter political outcomes. **In simple terms:** A single voice could change history. Key Takeaway Consider how personal counsel can affect larger events. Themes history influence gender Mood speculative analytical Type historical literary When to use this quote - political negotiations - family counsel - social movements Key Concepts counterfactual political agency Questions to Reflect On - What if more women had been heard in ancient politics? - How do personal relationships shape public decisions? A Different Perspective The scenario may oversimplify complex historical forces beyond one person's sway. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beloved wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beloved-wife/) ## Related quotes > [He felt a momentary pang of regret that he had not spent more time with his beloved wife. 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Both of them are so in love, you can't separate them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bamikole/dancing-is-to-music-what-a-beloved-wife-is-to-her-husband-both-of/) [Paul Bamikole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bamikole/) > [“This new concept of the "finest, highest achievement of art" had no sooner entered my mind than it located the imperfect enjoyment I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/this-new-concept-of-the-finest-highest-achievement-of-art-had-no/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“A companion," he whispered against her mouth. "A lover." He nibbled at her bottom lip, and his hand slid from her nape to cup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-draven/a-companion-he-whispered-against-her-mouth-a-lover-he-nibbled-at-her/) [Grace Draven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-draven/) > [“There, a simple headstone marked the grave of Eva Saloman Johansen, "beloved wife and grandmother." Tess was intrigued to see a phrase in Hebrew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/there-a-simple-headstone-marked-the-grave-of-eva-saloman-johansen/) [Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/) > [That same night, I wrote my first short story. It took me thirty minutes. It was a dark little tale about a man who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/that-same-night-i-wrote-my-first-short-story-it-took-me-thirty/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“What can I say to you that I haven't already said? What can I give you that I haven't already given? 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My beloved wife said: 'You'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/i-said-that-if-i-hadn-t-been-a-politician-i-d-have-liked-to-be-a/) [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) > [“GENEVA SWEET ran an orange extension cord past Mayva Greenwood, Beloved Wife and Mother, May She Rest with Her Heavenly Father.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attica-locke/geneva-sweet-ran-an-orange-extension-cord-past-mayva-greenwood/) [Attica Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attica-locke/) ## More by Phyllis T. Smith > [“Any woman who says she does not want to guide the actions of the man she loves is, in my opinion, lying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/any-woman-who-says-she-does-not-want-to-guide-the-actions-of-the-man/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“Somewhere here there’s important information I absolutely need,” Tavius said. “But it’s hard for anyone else to sort out what I should know about.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/somewhere-here-there-s-important-information-i-absolutely-need-tavius/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“In his arrogance, Caesar had even renamed one of the months of the year—the most beautiful summer month—Julius, after himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/in-his-arrogance-caesar-had-even-renamed-one-of-the-months-of-the/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“A day is a day whether you are a washerwoman or a baker or the ruler of Rome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/a-day-is-a-day-whether-you-are-a-washerwoman-or-a-baker-or-the-ruler/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“managed to ride it out. Tavius ordered”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/managed-to-ride-it-out-tavius-ordered/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“promised myself I would never cry again for this cause. I would not attend anymore to my guilt, or my regrets about the past.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/promised-myself-i-would-never-cry-again-for-this-cause-i-would-not/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“The defeated gladiator fought reasonably well, and at the end, with a sword to his throat, raised his hand to appeal for mercy. Tavius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/the-defeated-gladiator-fought-reasonably-well-and-at-the-end-with-a/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“The past lives in us, and blood is blood. 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When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/i-have-often-thought-she-said-that-women-are-the-only-true-adults-in-2/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“I wonder how many women from time immemorial have thought that if only women could rule the world it would be better than it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/i-wonder-how-many-women-from-time-immemorial-have-thought-that-if/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“Old age can be a deceiver. My knees ache when I walk, but if I sit still, I do not feel so different from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/old-age-can-be-a-deceiver-my-knees-ache-when-i-walk-but-if-i-sit/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“Livia has gotten bad press. Rumor has a way even now of attaching to women who break the conventional mold, and it certainly did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/livia-has-gotten-bad-press-rumor-has-a-way-even-now-of-attaching-to/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“Women carry the burden of the family’s survival on their backs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/women-carry-the-burden-of-the-family-s-survival-on-their-backs/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) [Explore all 34 Phyllis T. Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) ## More Beloved wife quotes > [He felt a momentary pang of regret that he had not spent more time with his beloved wife. But it passed when he remembered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/he-felt-a-momentary-pang-of-regret-that-he-had-not-spent-more-time/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [I said that if I hadn't been a politician, I'd have liked to be a barrister, or an academic. My beloved wife said: 'You'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/i-said-that-if-i-hadn-t-been-a-politician-i-d-have-liked-to-be-a/) [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) > [Taj Mahal was built up by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who wanted his beloved wife to be remembered by one and all, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/taj-mahal-was-built-up-by-the-mughal-emperor-shah-jahan-who-wanted/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can’t. He has it shielded. Besides, he’s a god and can be a nasty one if you upset him. You try popping into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/you-can-t-he-has-it-shielded-besides-he-s-a-god-and-can-be-a-nasty/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“No betrayal was more acute than Molotov’s for his beloved wife Polina Zhemchuzhina, a Jew who was arrested in 1948 and did not return…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-b-smith/no-betrayal-was-more-acute-than-molotov-s-for-his-beloved-wife-polina/) Mark B. Smith > [“If I were to think, as so many think, that now that my beloved wife and my beloved parents are gone, that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-albert-smith/if-i-were-to-think-as-so-many-think-that-now-that-my-beloved-wife-and/) [George Albert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-albert-smith/) > [“What can I say to you that I haven't already said? What can I give you that I haven't already given? Is there anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcguire/what-can-i-say-to-you-that-i-haven-t-already-said-what-can-i-give-you/) [Jamie McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcguire/) > [That same night, I wrote my first short story. It took me thirty minutes. It was a dark little tale about a man who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/that-same-night-i-wrote-my-first-short-story-it-took-me-thirty/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“There, a simple headstone marked the grave of Eva Saloman Johansen, "beloved wife and grandmother." Tess was intrigued to see a phrase in Hebrew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/there-a-simple-headstone-marked-the-grave-of-eva-saloman-johansen/) [Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/) > [“A companion," he whispered against her mouth. "A lover." 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Both of them are so in love, you can't separate them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bamikole/dancing-is-to-music-what-a-beloved-wife-is-to-her-husband-both-of/) [Paul Bamikole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bamikole/) > [In the career of female fame, there are few prizes to tie obtained which can vie with the obscure state of a beloved wife…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/in-the-career-of-female-fame-there-are-few-prizes-to-tie-obtained/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) > [“As is often the case, the sole person not left speechless in awe by my brilliance is my own beloved wife.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-womack/as-is-often-the-case-the-sole-person-not-left-speechless-in-awe-by-my/) [Jack Womack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-womack/) > [“GENEVA SWEET ran an orange extension cord past Mayva Greenwood, Beloved Wife and Mother, May She Rest with Her Heavenly Father.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attica-locke/geneva-sweet-ran-an-orange-extension-cord-past-mayva-greenwood/) [Attica Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attica-locke/) [Browse all 18 Beloved wife quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beloved-wife/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Some would say it hardly mattered what women thought of Tavius, that even senators' wives, like Mucia, had no power to shape events. 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