Euro 2012 history lessons: Steven Gerrard quotes Caesar, Horace and ‘Del Boy’ Trotter
ENGLAND play Italy tonight at Europ 2012. The Sun says that England’s “lion-hearted”captain Steve Gerrard has adopted the habits of “Rome’s Julius Caesar — whose motto was: ‘Seize the day.'”
Carpe diem is a phrase from a Latin poem by Horace:
“Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero.”
This translates to:
“Seize the Day, putting as little trust as possible in the future”
Or:
“Pluck the day, trusting as little as possible in the future.”
Horace wrote the line in Odes Book I, a book on Gerrard’s library shelves, between the box sets of Only Fools And Horses (motto: “He who dares…”)
Horace lived from 65 BC to 8 BC. Caesar lived from 100 BC to 44 BC. They shared Earth’s air for 21 years. Horace wrote Odes in 23 BC – Caesar was already dead.
Says Gerrard:
“It’s important we seize this opportunity and this moment. That we grasp it and don’t go home with any regrets.”
Adding, “It’s what Quintus Horatius Flaccus would have wanted…”
Posted: 24th, June 2012 | In: Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
