Veni, vidi, vici (Classical Latin:[ˈu̯eːniːˈu̯iːd̪iːˈu̯iː.kiː],Ecclesiastical Latin:[ˈveːniˈviːd̪iˈviː.t͡ʃi]; "I came; I saw; I conquered") is a Latin phrase used to refer to a swift, conclusive victory. The phrase is popularly attributed toJulius Caesar who, according toAppian,[1] used the phrase in a letter to theRoman Senate around 47 BC after he had achieved a quick victory in his short war againstPharnaces II of Pontus at theBattle of Zela (modern-dayZile,Turkey).[2]
The phrase is attributed inPlutarch'sLife of Caesar andSuetonius'sLives of the Twelve Caesars: Julius. Plutarch writes that Caesar used it in a report to Amantius, a friend of his in Rome.[3] Suetonius states that Caesar displayed the three words as an inscription during his Pontic triumph.[4]
Variations of the sentenceVeni, vidi, vici are often quoted, and also used in music, art, literature, and entertainment.
Since the time of Caesar, the phrase has been used in military contexts.King Jan III of Poland alluded to it after the 17th-centuryBattle of Vienna, sayingVenimus, Vidimus, Deus vicit ("We came, we saw, God conquered").[5] In 2011, thenUS Secretary of StateHillary Clinton referred to the death ofMuammar Gaddafi with a similar phrase, saying "We came, we saw, he died".[6][7]
The sentence has also been used in music, including several well-known works over the years. The opening ofHandel's 1724 operaGiulio Cesare contains the line:Curio, Cesare venne, e vide e vinse ("Curio, Caesar came, saw and conquered"). In popular music, it is expected that the audience will know the original quotation, so modified versions are frequently used. This can range from slight changes in perspective, as in the title song in the musicalMame (You came, you saw, you conquered) or the 1936 songThese Foolish Things (Remind Me of You) (You came, you saw, you conquered me) to wordplay, such as in the album titleVeni Vidi Vicious by Swedish bandThe Hives orPitbull's song "Fireball" (I saw, I came, I conquered Or should I say, I sawI conquered,I came) orJa Rule's debut albumVenni Vetti Vecci.ASAP Rocky andSkepta use a variation in their songPraise the Lord (Da Shine) with "I came, I saw, I praise the Lord, then break the law"
The phrase has also been heavily referenced in literature and film. The title of French poetVictor Hugo'sVeni, vidi, vixi ("I came, I saw, I lived"), written after the death of his daughter Leopoldine at age 19 in 1843, uses the allusion with its first verse:J'ai bien assez vécu...("I have lived quite long enough...").Peter Venkman, one of the protagonists in the 1984 filmGhostbusters, delivers a humorous variation: "We came. We saw. We kicked its ass!" This line was among the 400 nominees for theAFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes.[8]
Veni,vidi, andvici arefirst person singularperfectindicativeactive forms of the Latin verbsvenire,videre, andvincere, which mean "to come", "to see", and "to conquer", respectively. The sentence's form is classed as atricolon and ahendiatris.
The English phrase "I came, I saw, I conquered" employs what is known as acomma splice. Grammarians generally agree that using a comma to join two independent clauses should be done sparingly.[9] Sometimes, the comma splice is avoided by using a semicolon instead: "I came; I saw; I conquered".[10] Alternatively, "I came, I saw, I conquered" can be justified as an example ofasyndeton, where the lack of the expected conjunction emphasizes the suddenness and swiftness of Caesar's victories. Similarly, this sentence also serves as a famous example of analliteration due to the repeated use of its first consonant.
In the second of two videos showing her reaction to different stages of reports, in this case the confirmation of Gaddafi's death, Clinton proclaims "We came, we saw, he died." For those who have not recently brushed up on theirr Roman history, that is a reference to Julius Caesar's famous line "veni, vidi, vici," which means "I came, I saw, I conquered."
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