Alea iacta est
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Alea iacta est (Latin: "The die is cast") [ˈaːlɛa ˈjakta ɛst] is what Julius Caesar is reported by Suetonius to have said on January 10, 49 BC as he led his army across the River Rubicon in Northern Italy out of the province assigned to him by the Roman Senate. With this step, he rejected the Senate's authority and began his long civil war against Pompey and the Optimates. By some accounts, Caesar used the imperative "iaci" rather than the passive "iacta est" ("Cast the die!").
It implies that he has taken a chance and has passed a point of no return, i.e., he cannot take back what he has done, much like the gambler who has wagered everything on a throw of the dice. Caesar was said to have borrowed the phrase from his favorite Greek writer of comedy Menander. Today, the phrase means to take an irrevocable step, often a dangerous or confrontational one.
See also
- Aleatoric
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