Carthago Delenda Est (Carthage Must Be Destroyed)
During the final years of the Third Punic War, Marcus Porcius Cato ended virtually every speech in the Roman Senate—regardless of topic—with his famous decree urging the total annihilation of Carthage.
Full Transcript
Conscript Fathers, you deliberate upon revenue, upon road works, upon provincial administration, and upon the peace of Italy. Yet while we debate the fine details of legislation, across the sea stands Carthage—a city that has twice raised arms against Rome and whose wealth and military ambitions multiply with every passing season.
It is a mistake to believe that peace signed upon parchment neutralizes an enemy whose heart burns with vengeance. The Hannibalic wars proved to us that Carthage does not seek trade; it seeks dominion. So long as the walls of Carthage stand, the maritime routes of Rome remain perilous and our southern flanks vulnerable.
We cannot afford the luxury of complacency. True security is not achieved through defensive posture, but through the permanent elimination of existential rivals.
Furthermore, I hold that Carthage must be destroyed.
Defining Key Excerpts
"Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam. (Furthermore, I hold that Carthage must be destroyed.)"
"No city that nourishes an existential threat upon our maritime borders can ever coexist safely with the Republic."
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