The divine Augustus, to whom the gods gave more than to any man, never ceased to pray for rest for himself and to seek release from the affairs of state. Every conversation of his kept coming back to this theme, that he was hoping for leisure; he would relieve his toils with this sweet, even if illusory, consolation, the thought that one day he would live for himself ... He who saw that the world depended on him and him alone, who determined the fortunes of individuals and nations, he was happiest in looking forward to that day on which he would lay aside his greatness ... He knew by experience how much sweat was wrung from him by those blessings that gleamed the word over; he knew the scale of the hidden anxieties they veiled ... this was the prayer of the man who could grant the prayers of other men.
- Hardship & Happiness, Lucius Annaeus Seneca