I had rather be first in a village than second at Rome.

Gaius Julius Caesar (12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman, who played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. Caesar was an accomplished author and historian as well as a statesman; much of his life is known from his own accounts of his military campaigns. Other contemporary sources include the letters and speeches of Cicero and the historical writings of Sallust.