I came, I saw, I conquered. – Julius Caesar

Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war and subsequently became dictator of Rome from 49 BC until his assassination in 44 BC. He played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire.

I came, I saw, I conquered.

This is a famous phrase people use to describe complete success or extraordinary achievement.

Used to express one's total victory over someone or something. Often altered in various ways, as to suit the context, for humorous effect, etc. From the Latin phrase veni, vidi, vici, popularly attributed to Julius Caesar following his victory at the Battle of Zela.

Veni, vidi, vici is a Latin phrase popularly attributed to Julius Caesar who, according to Appian, used the phrase in a letter to the Roman Senate around 47 BC after he had achieved a quick victory in his short war against Pharnaces II of Pontus at the Battle of Zela (modern-day Zile, Turkey). The phrase is used to refer to a swift, conclusive victory.

The phrase is attributed in Plutarch's Life of Caesar and Suetonius's Lives of the Twelve Caesars: Julius. Plutarch writes that Caesar used it in a report to Amantius, a friend of his in Rome. Suetonius states that Caesar displayed the three words as an inscription during his Pontic triumph.

Allusions and references

Variations of the sentence Veni, vidi, vici are often quoted, and also used in music, art, literature, and entertainment.

Since the time of Caesar, the phrase has been used in military contexts. King Jan III of Poland alluded to it after the 17th-century Battle of Vienna, saying Venimus, Vidimus, Deus vicit ("We came, we saw, God conquered"). In 2011, then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton referred to the death of Muammar Gaddafi with a similar phrase, saying "We came, we saw, he died".

The sentence has also been used in music, including in several well-known works over the years. The opening of Handel's 1724 opera Giulio Cesare contains the line: Curio, Cesare venne, e vide e vinse ("Curio, Caesar came, saw and conquered"). In popular music, it is expected that the audience will know the original quotation, so modified versions are frequently used. This can range from slight changes in perspective, as in the title song in the musical Mame (You came, you saw, you conquered) or the 1936 song These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You) (You came, you saw, you conquered me) to wordplay, such as in the album title Veni Vidi Vicious by Swedish band The Hives or Pitbull's song "Fireball" (I saw, I came, I conquered Or should I say, I saw I conquered, I came) or Ja Rule's debut album Venni Vetti Vecci.

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