Veni, Vidi, Vici

Anne Jonas, Nancy Ribard

Why do we say "Eureka!" when a great idea strikes us? And "Let's go!" when we decide to do something bold and important? Why do we claim that "it's not the victory that matters, but the participation," and where did the expressions "I wash my hands of it" and "after us, the deluge" come from? We often repeat common phrases, but sometimes we don't realize who said them or under what circumstances. Yet behind each of them lie fascinating and often dramatic events, intertwining facts, conjectures, and fictions. This book gathers 33 sayings of great people – from Archimedes to Einstein and from Caesar to General de Gaulle – each of which influenced the course of history and became our common heritage.