Julius Caesar

This article is about GritCult's view of Julius Caesar. For a general overview, see Julius Caesar on Wikipedia.

Julius Caesar
“If you study him you will realise he is extremely rare. 43 battles, he won 38 and lost 5 Napoleon overcame…” (17 December 2022)
In the archive
Portal	Warlords & Empires
Posts	78
Retweets	1,460
Likes	16,956
First post	26 January 2018
Latest post	25 May 2026
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Alexander the Great Genghis Khan Hitler Napoleon Churchill

Caesar is GritCult's case study in the compounding returns of sheer nerve. The pirate kidnapping, his most retweeted Caesar story, contains the entire philosophy in miniature.

Views

The anecdote: kidnapped by pirates at 25, Caesar laughs when they demand 20 talents of silver and tells them he's worth at least 50 ^[1]; once released, he goes back and kills them all ^[2]. GritCult told it twice in early 2026: the shorter version opens with its lesson, "Sometimes you need to hold grudges" ^[2], while the more widely shared one dwells on the nerve of a captive naming his own, higher ransom ^[1].

He places Caesar inside a chain of imitation that runs through history: Hitler wanted to be like Napoleon, Napoleon like Charlemagne, Charlemagne like Caesar, Caesar like Alexander, Alexander like Achilles ^[3]. It is a lineage of ambition copying ambition, each man measuring himself against the last great name. Caesar is also the benchmark when the military record gets cited like a statistic to settle an argument: alongside Napoleon's 43 battles, 38 won and 5 lost, every loss commanded at a disadvantage, Caesar is the general named as the closest ^[4].

The emotional beat he returns to is Caesar weeping in front of a statue of Alexander the Great ^[5], which he uses as a direct rebuke to modern men crying about making friends instead. Even Caesar's cultural residue shows up in throwaway jokes: a minor political moment gets compared, half-seriously, to the energy of Caesar crossing the Rubicon ^[6].

Recurring themes

• the kidnapping story as a parable of nerve under pressure
• grudges held for a purpose
• the chain of historical imitation, each great man chasing the last
• military record cited as hard proof, not vibes
• weeping at another man's achievement as a call to action, not despair

Notable post

The most retweeted GritCult post on the subject, with 868 retweets:

Selected posts

All 78 posts in the archive about Julius Caesar, ranked by retweets. Select a column heading to sort.

Date	Retweets	Likes	Post	Media	Source
17 February 2026	868	9,497	Julius Caesar was kidnapped by pirates at 25. They demanded 20 talents of silver. He laughed at them. Told them he was worth at least 50. They thought he was joking. He wasnt. While being held captive he treated the pirates like his subordinates. Made them listen to his…		View
15 January 2026	194	2,001	Sometimes you need to hold grudges. Julius Caesar was kidnapped as a kid. Pirates wanted a ransom. He mocked them and told them to get a bigger one. Once released he went back and killed them all.		View
1 December 2022	134	1,122	hitler wanted to be like napoleon napoleon wanted to be like charlamagne charlamagne wanted to be like caesar caesar wanted to be like alexander alexander wanted to be like achilles and achilles did not exist.		View
21 December 2025	63	1,860	@itsaNLR Hitler wanted to be like Napoleon. Napoleon wanted to be like Caesar. Caesar wanted to be like Alexander. Alexander wanted to be like Achilles. In a 100 years what NPCs feel about historical figures will change. The real man thinks alone.		View
17 December 2022	31	375	If you study him you will realise he is extremely rare. 43 battles, he won 38 and lost 5 Napoleon overcame odds in 17 of his victories commanded at disadvantage in all 5 losses No other general is close to Napoleon in total battles. hes in the top right Caesar was the closest.		View
24 June 2023	10	295	Imagine if this guy takes over Russia and then takes over ukraine and then tries to retake most former soviet territories. Pure warlord physiognomy. This is basically what Caesar did after Gaul.		View
3 December 2021	10	70	COWARDS DIE MANY TIMES BEFORE THEIR DEATHS. JULIUS CAESAR		View
26 August 2022	9	49	When Caesar saw a statue of Alexander the Great. He wept. And you’re crying about making friends. Npc sims characters fr		View
15 January 2025	8	167	Trump just got the presidential Diet Coke. The levels of we are back haven’t been this since Caesar crossed the rubicon. Diet Coke is the drink of champions.		View
1 August 2018	8	39	> thinks we are living in a simulation > is unaware of the chaotic life Julius Caesar led. frankly too many had gotten used to how boring life actually has become. the chaos isnt an anomaly, "muh trump muh democracy" its the other way round, chaos is the natural order.		View
12 March 2021	7	44	FUCK THATTTT COMPARE YOURSELF TO GENGHIS KHAN TO NAPOLEON TO CAESAR!!!!! DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED?!? OR DO YOU WANT TO BE COMFORTABLE AND NOT HAVE UR FEELINGS HURT?		View
9 October 2025	6	136	Nietzsche talking about Caesar.		View
27 July 2018	6	33	“It is better to create than to learn! Creating is the essence of life.” - Gaius Julius Caesar		View
27 October 2018	6	24	This is the key. They both have beginner mindset. Napoleon and Caesar were geniuses in their own right both were known on some level to have childish like wonder and traits Forever curious. About everything. Many are dulled and stop progressing.		View
18 August 2018	5	36	caesarean thoughts : on Caesar saw a IYI, IQ indicator supremacist on twitter tote how IQ is to be favoured over all else IQ =/= savagery but theyve not studied their CAESAR (or napoleon, or any military history) Caesar = High IQ + Savage +(probably a psycho/sociopath)		View
22 February 2019	5	23	@cryptogrit Spezzaturra, Midas touch. Caesar had arose to the status of God. The game is sold not told. When people ask for the sauce. I just say I'm lucky. God on my side. Blessed from birth. Had a JuJu witch doctor bless me while I was a infant. I see which way the wind blows.		View
20 October 2018	5	19	As a rule, men worry more about what they can't see than about what they can. - Julius Caesar		View
14 August 2018	5	6	@gxdarz @MimeticValue @JordanTSack @dopaminendreams mandate of heaven seems like the meme of divine right of kings which emerged in europe in rome too, they used to deify nobles like caesar and augustus notice : laurel wreath on napoleons head to show the divinity and ascension to emporer (from greek gods)		View
7 June 2023	4	106	julius caesar wept when he saw a statue of alexander.		View
2 November 2022	4	55	If I could go back in time. I would introduce cigarettes and black coffee to julius Caesar. I believe it would change the entire world history. And we would be speaking Latin rn.		View
9 January 2021	4	52	@naval They killed Caesar in public too. Caesar thinking himself safe though nobles would never commit murder in public went unarmed to the senate. There they killed him. And the rest is history. Statues fall all the time.		View
19 October 2020	4	33	the notion of "cancelling" a public figure is not new. julius caesar was "cancelled" by the senate.		View
22 October 2023	4	32	this phenomena goes back to julius caesar of rome who once said it would be easier to find someone who would volunteer to be tortured than it would be to find someone who can be left alone with their thoughts		View
15 December 2018	4	10	"Creation is divine" (paraphrasing Caesar.) One must create something of value(to someone), in order for it to be appreciated. Is Elon musk then an "artist" ? Is the act of generating value a creative endeavour ? Business as art.		View
25 May 2026	3	74	in 24 hours i will be a shark on this new media livestreaming fundraising show this is internet capital markets manifest - a new era is upon us. there is nothing stopping you. if alexander was alive, if caesar was alive, if napoleon was alive - theyd be livestreaming		View
20 October 2018	3	34	loneliness is the inability to sit in silence with yourself caesar knew about the long internal grinding It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience. - Julius Caesar		View
2 August 2018	3	21	been studying Caesar unrelenting genius gauls initiate scorch earth expected : retreat Caesar : retaliates with his own scorch earth. prepare to starve em out for over year faces reinforcements : builds another outer wall lesson, but modern war has increased in complexity		View
17 August 2018	3	19	and i dont think you can get more god-like than julius caesar he was literally deified the world still recognises and uses his name as a title tzar, czar both stem from caesar his martyrisation at his peak (like jesus) cemented this apotheosis		View
20 October 2018	3	18	It is not these well-fed long-haired men that I fear, but the pale and the hungry-looking. - Julius Caesar		View
9 January 2021	3	16	The three main events that inspired the above tweet are Napoleon, Caesar and Alexander. All somewhat were linked to nobility, part of the elite class. More often than not, have political allies in place. Too many elites leads to ruin, the state becomes more zero sum.		View
27 July 2018	3	15	most people think they want that im not sure people are capable with that amount of responsibility & freedom are humans drawn to idle pleasure ? "It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience" Julius Caesar		View
29 November 2024	2	161	In a 100 years. Hitler will be looked upon with indifference like we look at Napoleon, Caesar and Alexander.		View
17 February 2026	2	98	its a factual thing that caesar did but that doesnt matter - if your first instinct is to balk and recess and cry out at this story - you are not the target audience, you are likely a spirtual slave		View
31 March 2023	2	78	I love my collection of old rare books This is the Gallic wars and other writings by Caesar. Smells so good		View
16 September 2020	2	21	roman soldiers said they would die for caesar, but they all died for rome. trump, biden... doesnt matter, the empire lives on.		View
24 August 2018	2	16	"I assure you I had rather be the first man here than the second man in Rome." - Caesar, On passing through a village in the Alps relative wealth is more important relative tribe relative clout sometimes better to be a big fish in a small pond why sub-niches can have groupies		View
25 February 2021	2	15	IN ISOLATION: There has not been a great man in history who has made history by himself, who would alexander be if it were not for his loyal and dedicated men, and what of caesar who would not have had augustus or marc anthony? This rule is absolute. HUMANS ARE TRIBAL		View
25 June 2019	2	14	Watching a lot of documentaries on Rome and on empire in general recently. Many lessons to be learnt from history. Power, politics, biology. fascinated Currently watching Shakespeares Caesar 1965 by the BBC Link for friends, Romans countrymen		View
25 September 2022	2	13	It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience. Julius Caesar		View
23 June 2020	2	8	when i am giving a presentation, i it is better to pretend you are just talking to a friend or you are caesar and giving a great speech before battle. no middle ground.		View
18 August 2018	2	4	caesar quote men would rather die than endure long term pain		View
8 September 2018	2	2	due to caesars big head, C-sections, have become more prevalent and thus reliance on technology is becoming more prevalent technology and biology have already merged some cant survive without augments like glasses		View
24 June 2018	1	63	@earthlivenews @RT_com this is wild its even wilder in response to the Caesar big head story		View
15 February 2024	1	18	@sama Julius Caesar is in the senate of the Roman Empire. Brutus is about to draw out his knife. But Julius has a spider sense and senses danger. Then he turns around and says it’s clobbering time and he turns into the iron man and kills all the romans and the empire expands		View
31 December 2018	1	14	Imagine Caesar on nootropics. Beautiful.		View
3 August 2018	1	12	thinking on caesar again, why was the triumvirate successful and stable why is current liberal democracy faltering and chaotic ? triumvirate => triangle : stable structure, 3 powers keep others in check linear : polar => opposing forces, less stable, right left dichotomy		View
3 June 2021	1	11	5/ IN ISOLATION: There has not been a great man in history who has made history by himself, who would alexander be if it were not for his loyal and dedicated men, and what of caesar who would not have had augustus or marc anthony? This rule is absolute. HUMANS ARE TRIBAL		View
27 September 2018	1	8	ambition: creating yourself (self authorship) creating the future (wisdom as future abstraction) trying to align the two ubermensch = control over memes лишний человек superflous man borrows from the great man theory of history, napoleon, caesar et al		View
3 June 2021	1	7	14/ IF YOU WANT TO GO FAST, GO ALONE IF YOU WANT TO GO FAR, BRING YOUR TEAM. one of the reasons why mark anothony was not routed out by republican forces after the death of caesar was because he had his team and with his team he was able to last longer, he was ready in trenches		View
26 July 2018	1	3	seneca :the eunuchs are revolting caesar : why ? seneca : their assets have been seized !		View
13 July 2018	1	2	or.. you gain apotheosis like caesar, buddha, jesus, mohammed depends on how		View
17 August 2018	1	2	@ThouArtThat @Via_Benjamin @gxdarz @MimeticValue @mindless1729 @yungdeleuze @krumbbumm @0x49fa98 @JordanTSack @mmay3r @mistermircea was it caesars love for conquest or hate for inadequacy that lead him to change to course of history ?		View
17 August 2018	1	2	napoleon also achieved divinity in some regards, but not such a great legacy i think it is due to no sacrifice whereas caesar was immortalised : "Et tu brute" poetic, where as napoleon one of the greats, is mocked, has a syndrome named after him		View
8 September 2018	1	2	thread on the apotheosis of heroes, main focus on Caesar, and how he started a pseudo religion within the pantheon of roman gods a cult, tmk how the world still uses his name to signify greatness in title		View
5 May 2018	1	0	was it that cato and caesar were extraordinary so much ? ive been hearing stories how a freind of the family literally got picked to become a politician by higher ups out of chance, her winning a demographic, and now she is a baroness or was it that all the others were average		View
1 November 2020	0	14	when caesar was in spain, he was around his early 30s. he came across a statue of alexander the great, and wept because he felt as though he had accomplished nothing compared to alexander who at his age had conquered much of the known world.		View
27 November 2020	0	14	Cassius, conspired against Caesar, an example of a miserable person. He couldn’t stand anyone more talented and accomplished than he. His dissatisfaction and hatred of Caesar infected Brutus (who wouldve ascended the throne). The result was one of the great tragedies of history.		View
16 September 2023	0	10	Bust of Roma. The symbol of rome. Julius Caesar. Augustus. Octavian.		View
15 August 2021	0	8	Caesar had the same policies. Romans used to be vengeful but Caesar decided not to persecute his former enemies once he had won. It gave way to PAX ROMANA		View
24 January 2022	0	8	@DejaRu22 Strong eyebrows and Caesar like head shape. Downward facing nose. And big ears.		View
25 February 2021	0	7	IF YOU WANT TO GO FAST, GO ALONE. IF YOU WANT TO GO FAR, BRING YOUR TEAM. one of the reasons why mark anothony was not routed out by republican forces after the death of caesar was because he had his team and with his team he was able to last longer, he was ready in trenches.		View
22 July 2023	0	7	One thing that becomes blatantly obvious when reading caesars Gallic war and his civil war commentaries. Is that he knew that this would be read by others. He is bias but even still you can’t help but create a human connection with the author His enemies become your enemies.		View
22 November 2018	0	6	i made the same mistake, and i feel as though i am talking from experience in terms of self titles and residual self image, but look who in history we have called polymaths : aristotle newton da vinci avicenna its akin to calling yourself CAESAR		View
18 March 2020	0	5	each abstraction layer morphing and getting messier. all hail caesar		View
20 January 2021	0	5	@BNONews same head shape as caesar		View
15 July 2021	0	5	IMAGINE CAESAR ON NOOTROPICS. BEAUTIFUL.		View
31 December 2020	0	3	@TheBethofDeath @0x49fa98 @lisatomic5 Mantle of Rome changed throughout history as did the mantle of Caesar and czar. Blocked for not knowing Rome is eternal!		View
9 February 2020	0	2	Napoleon is a title. Like Caesar.		View
5 July 2021	0	2	@adamscrabble @KenTheroux I called him Caesar before		View
2 August 2018	0	1	@Akev4262F @Kurdishlogician @sapinker @QuilletteM when rome butchered and conquered gaul they rebuilt the villages that started out from caesars campaign led to the city of paris and luxembourg and many others things are as barbaric today, your just isolated to them also population stats difference		View
10 August 2018	0	1	78th caesar, again but on the dichotomy of modernist politics themselves there exists two major poles in politics which has existed since the last major world war and increased under the cold war world polar dichotomy order is breaking		View
26 November 2018	0	1	@YesThatAnna @LeaWSol @GhostInTheSh It's more statesmanship. What will constitute a good state. With minimal trade offs. Augustus the first Caesar. Implemented anti adultery laws. He enforced monogamy. His reign started pax Romana		View
9 February 2020	0	1	@jposhaughnessy Caesar sure did have luck on his side. But he didn't face the same level of opponent's as Napoleon imo. Caesar had a Roman war machine Vs barbarians.		View
10 January 2026	0	1	@cantdon @RasmusJarlov Quite. Pompeys head was served on a platter to Caesar by the Egyptians. If I’m remembering correctly.		View
26 January 2018	0	0	Ave Caesar		View
10 August 2018	0	0	first one was lot less polar than the second but caesar is what spawned the thought which is why i digress into general dichotomy of politics		View
24 August 2018	0	0	@Truckin718 @bronzeagemantis history is filled with slaves slavish men unless motivated and guided stay slavish not everyone is a Caesar slaves usually outnumbered free-men in society		View
18 August 2021	0	0	@SeanMcCarthyCom @giantgio Caesars are great. Commodus. Not so much		View

History

GritCult first posted about Julius Caesar on 26 January 2018, and most recently on 25 May 2026. Across the archive the subject comes up 78 times, most often in 2018 (32 posts).

See also

Warlords & Empires portal

References

1. ^GRITCULT [@GRITCULT] (17 February 2026). Julius Caesar was kidnapped by pirates at 25. They demanded 20 talents of silver. He laughed at them. Told them he was worth at least 50. They thought he was joking. He wasnt. X.
2. ^GRITCULT [@GRITCULT] (15 January 2026). Sometimes you need to hold grudges. Julius Caesar was kidnapped as a kid. Pirates wanted a ransom. He mocked them and told them to get a bigger one. Once released he went back and killed them all. X.
3. ^GRITCULT [@GRITCULT] (1 December 2022). hitler wanted to be like napoleon napoleon wanted to be like charlamagne charlamagne wanted to be like caesar caesar wanted to be like alexander alexander wanted to be like achilles. X.
4. ^GRITCULT [@GRITCULT] (17 December 2022). 43 battles, he won 38 and lost 5... commanded at disadvantage in all 5 losses... No other general is close to Napoleon in total battles... Caesar was the closest. X.
5. ^GRITCULT [@GRITCULT] (26 August 2022). When Caesar saw a statue of Alexander the Great. He wept. And you're crying about making friends. Npc sims characters fr. X.
6. ^GRITCULT [@GRITCULT] (15 January 2025). Trump just got the presidential Diet Coke. The levels of we are back haven't been this since Caesar crossed the rubicon. X.

Further reading

• “Decisive Action and the Tax w/ GRITCULT: Ep. 487”, GritCult on The J. Burden Show (May 2026)

External links

• Posts about Julius Caesar by GRITCULT on X
• Julius Caesar on Wikipedia