The Ides of March is marked annually on March 15 to remember the assassination of Julius Caesar. It is a day to think about loyalty as the 44 B.C. event in the Roman empire has been associated with betrayal.

The Roman ruler was betrayed by his confidant Marcus Junius Brutus and dozens of other senators. “Beware the Ides of March” – from William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” – is one of the most famous quotes associated with the day.

Here are a few quotes, courtesy the GoodReads, about loyalty to share on this day:

1. “I used to advertise my loyalty and I don’t believe there is a single person I loved that I didn’t eventually betray.” ― Albert Camus, “The Fall”

2. “I belong to the people I love, and they belong to me ― they, and the love and loyalty I give them, form my identity far more than any word or group ever could.” ― Veronica Roth, “Allegiant”

3. “Master, go on, and I will follow thee
To the last gasp with truth and loyalty.” ― William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”

4. “If I mistake not, a strong sense of duty is no bad part of a woman’s portion.” ― Jane Austen, “Persuasion”

5. “We have to recognize that there cannot be relationships unless there is commitment, unless there is loyalty, unless there is love, patience, persistence.” ― Cornel West, “Breaking Bread: Insurgent Black Intellectual Life”

6. “‘Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens,’ said Gimli.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Fellowship of the Ring”

7. “Unlike the puerile loyalty to a conviction, loyalty to a friend is a virtue ― perhaps the only virtue, the last remaining one.” ― Milan Kundera, “Encounter”

8. “I always think loyalty’s such a tiresome virtue. ” ― Agatha Christie, “Peril at End House”

9. “‘[Dumbledore] will only be gone from the school when none here are loyal to him,’ said Harry, smiling in spite of himself.” ― J.K. Rowling, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”

10. “Loyalty is earned, my dear, not commanded.” ― Terry Goodkind, “Shroud of Eternity”

The assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE triggered a two decade power struggle that led to the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire
The assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE triggered a two decade power struggle that led to the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire AFP / BORIS HORVAT
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