quotations about Rome
Rome has not seen a modern building in more than half a century. It is a city frozen in time.
RICHARD MEIER
attributed, The Ultimate Book of Quotations
Her smile, I'm sure, burnt Rome to the ground.
MARK Z. DANIELEWSKI
House of Leaves
Who set Rome on fire? The man we must admire. For killing his wife, and taking the life of mother and brother and so many others, while plucking his damnable lyre.
PAUL L. MAIER
The Flames of Rome
Is this what true power feels like?
Racing round my veins
Like a motorbike
It's the fall of Rome
My Caligula syndrome
SOFT CELL
"Caligula Syndrome"
And if I were the king of Rome
I couldn't be more tragic
My fate to roam so far from home
In search of mindless magic
PET SHOP BOYS
"King of Rome"
Rome is a very long way from normal Western standards of civility and decorum.
MASSIMILIANO TONELLI
"Rome is on the verge of collapse and needs urgent repair, leaders warn", The Telegraph, July 16, 2015
There is so much to see in the Eternal City--the history so vast, the traffic so crazy, the food so enticing--that it's tempting to do what's easy and stay in a well-trod neighborhood steps from the Forum or the Trevi Fountain ... and legions of tourists. But then you'd be missing the flavor of Rome, with all its messiness, beauty, and surprise. For a more authentic experience, plunk down in one of Rome's less-frequented neighborhoods and savor the local culture, and then venture out from there.
MONA GABLE
"Two Must-Visit Tourist-Free Neighborhoods in Rome", Vogue, August 10, 2017
New Rome will be destroyed
By the attacks of new vandals.
God always remains silent.
DEJAN STOJANOVIC
Circling: 1978-1987
When you live in Rome, it's easy to take the city's history for granted, but some ruins are more spectacular than others. Some are so well-preserved that they seem to bring the ancient city to life, narrowing the gap between the past and the present, while others are disorientating, even alienating, as their fragmented state makes it impossible to visualise the original building.
ALEXANDRA TURNEY
"Exploring the ruins of Rome", L'Italo-Americano, February 20, 2016
Living in Rome is either a one or a two, or a nine or ten. Not much in between. And some days it's both.
JUDITH WORKS
City of Illusions
Rome is not just degradation.
VIRGINIA RAGGI
"Rome not just degradation says M5S candidate Raggi", ANSA, February 25, 2016
For Rome is sometimes cold and rainy in the winter in spite of all the naked statues.
JOHN CHEEVER
The Stories of John Cheever
Three days in Rome
I laid my heart out
I laid my soul down
I'll always remember
Three days in rome
SHERYL CROW
"The Book"
When falls the Coliseum, Rome shall fall;
And when Rome falls--the World.
LORD BYRON
Childe Harold's Pilgrimage
I sometimes fancy ... that Rome ... will crowd everything else out of my heart.
NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
The Blithedale Romance
The city is crumbling
Like Rome or Pompeii
And there's nothing to do
But get out of the way
SHAWN COLVIN
"Fall of Rome"
Rome Rome Rome Rome
Focus looking forward the Colosseum
Oh no! what did I say? what can I say?
Rome Rome many tears have fallen here
I'll be driving, you look the other way
PHOENIX
"Rome"
In my own opinion, the average American's cultural shortcomings can be likened to those of the educated barbarians of ancient Rome. These were barbarians who learned to speak--and often to read and write--Latin. They acquired Roman habits of dress and deportment. Many of them handily mastered Roman commercial, engineering and military techniques--but they remained barbarians nonetheless. They failed to develop any understanding, appreciation or love for the art and culture of the great civilization around them.
J. PAUL GETTY
How to Be Rich
Rome is fining tourists who take a dip in the historic city's famed, centuries-old Baroque fountains. Tourists (and residents, for that matter) are also banned from eating and drinking while sitting on the edge of the fountains, and they aren't allowed to let their pets lap up water or splash in the fountains. When in Rome ... break one of these rules, and be ready to pay a $340 fine.
BRITTANY ANAS
"This city is fining tourists $590 for 'bad behavior'", ABC Action News, September 27, 2017
In Rome, where time is measured in thousands of years, rather than hundreds as in the U.S., there's a broader understanding of the flow and ebb of civilizations -- what they exacted and also what they contributed. There is less illusion, less denial ... or at least, they harbor different illusions.
NICOLA SMITH
"Art Notes: Painter Takes a Long View of the U.S.", Valley News, October 5, 2017