When Vespasian, Roman emperor from AD 69 to AD 79, commanded a senator to give his voice against the interests of his country and threatened him with immediate death if he spoke on the other side, the senator, conscious that this was his chance to serve the people, answered with a smile, "Did I ever tell you that I was immortal? My virtue is at my own disposal, my life at yours; you do what you will, I shall do what I ought. And if I fall in the service of my country, I shall have more triumph in my death than you in all the laurels that you wear."*
羅馬皇帝韋斯巴薌公元六十九至七十九年在位。有一次，他命令元老院一位議員贊同不利羅馬的事，反對則立刻處死。那議員知道這是為民出力的機會，微笑着回答說：「我有沒有跟陛下說過，死亡於我無有？我的性命在陛下掌上，德行則由我自己掌握。陛下想怎樣做，就怎樣做好了。我只會做應做的事。假如我為國犧牲，則於死亡之中所得勝利，比陛下戰場之上屢次奏凱還要光榮。」*
*古羅馬將軍、運動員等告捷，會戴上月桂樹葉編成之冠。韋斯巴薌一生戰功彪炳，所以那議員提及其laurels。
我國春秋時代有一個類似故事：楚國白公勝將作亂，要易甲協助，否則受死。易甲不從，笑道：「子行子之威，而吾亦得明吾義也。」至死「顏色不變」（《新序．義勇》）。