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''Capax imperii nisi imperasset'' is a Latin phrase written by
''Capax imperii nisi imperasset'' is a Latin phrase written by Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars.
The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...
in Chapter 1.49 of his '' Histories''.
Upon the death of Galba, Tacitus discusses Galba's life and character and ends Chapter 49 with this sentence: ''Maior privato visus dum privatus fuit, et omnium consensu capax imperii nisi imperasset'' ("He seemed too great to be a citizen so long as he was a citizen and all would have agreed that he was worthy to the imperial office, if he had never held it").
It has been said that the phrase is used by Tacitus to sum up Galba's character, as one who seemed to hold all the values of a good leader but failed when he became leader. In modern times, the phrase has been used to describe leaders who have failed to live up to their expectations. Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Dickson Paxman (born 11 May 1950) is an English broadcaster, journalist, author, and television presenter. Born in Leeds, Paxman was educated at Malvern College and St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he edited the undergraduate new ...
has quoted the phrase to describe Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
becoming prime minister, and it has also been used to describe Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Tony B ...
.
See also
*List of Latin phrases
__NOTOC__
This is a list of Wikipedia articles of Latin phrases and their translation into English.
''To view all phrases on a single, lengthy document, see: List of Latin phrases (full)''
The list also is divided alphabetically into twenty pag ...
* Peter Principle
The Peter principle is a concept in management developed by Laurence J. Peter, which observes that people in a hierarchy tend to rise to "a level of respective incompetence": employees are promoted based on their success in previous jobs until ...
References
{{reflist Latin proverbs Tacitus Galba