Once, when Julius Caesar and his friends were passing over the mountains of the Alps, they came through a little poor village that had not many households, and yet poor cottages. There, his friends asked him merrily if there was any contending for offices in that village, and if there was any strife there among the noblemen for honour. Caesar, speaking in good earnest, answered, "I cannot tell that, but for my part, I had rather be the chiefest man here, than the second person in Rome."
Another time, when Caesar had read the history of Alexander's acts, he was sorrowful a good while after, and then burst out weeping. His friends marvelled what should be the cause of his sorrow. He answered, "Do you not think that I have good cause to be heavy, when King Alexander, being no older than myself is now, had in old time won so many nations and countries, and that I hitherunto have done nothing worthy of myself?"
有一次，朱利葉斯．凱撒和夥伴在阿爾卑斯山上走，經過一條貧困小村莊，只見人家稀少，村舍簡陋。凱撒的夥伴帶笑問他說，在這村莊裏，不知有沒有人相爭權位，有沒有貴族相爭榮譽。凱撒十分認真，回答說：「我不知道，不過，就我而言，寧願在這裏居眾人之上，不願在羅馬居一人之下。」
又有一次，凱撒讀了亞歷山大事迹之後，良久鬱鬱不樂，終於哭起來。他的夥伴感到奇怪，不明白他為什麼悲傷。凱撒回答說：「亞歷山大國王當年年紀和我今天相若，卻已經征服了多個國家；而我直到今天，還未有一展所能，因此自傷自怨，各位難道認為不應該嗎？」