Julius Caesar never said, 'Et tu, Brute?'

Famous Figures

A lot of history's famous quotes are either misattributed or were never spoken in the first place. In addition to the fact that Gandhi never said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world," and no one aboard Apollo 13 ever uttered the phrase, "Houston, we have a problem," Julius Caesar never said, "Et tu, Brute?" ("You too, Brutus?") as he was stabbed to death by a group of Roman senators that included his supposed bestie. So why is that line so famous?

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By the Numbers

Stab wounds received by Caesar

Roman senators involved in the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar

~60

Did you know?

Brutus probably never said, "Sic semper tyrannis."

There's another famous quote attributed to Brutus himself, who's believed to have shouted, "Sic semper tyrannis" — "Thus always to tyrants" — as he stabbed Caesar. There's just one problem, though, and you can likely guess what it is: There's no evidence that Brutus said this or anything else while fatally betraying his former friend and ally. The Latin saying has stood the test of time nevertheless; in fact, John Wilkes Booth actually said it after he assassinated Abraham Lincoln. He did so 89 years after Virginia made the phrase its state motto and put it on the state seal.