Veni, vidi, vici
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Veni, vidi, vici is a famous Latin phrase coined by Roman general and consul Julius Caesar in 47 BC; Caesar used the phrase as the full text of his message to the Roman senate describing his recent victory over Pharnaces II of Pontus in the Battle of Zela. Caesar's terse remark -- it translates to "I came, I saw, I conquered" -- simultaneously proclaimed the totality of his victory and served to remind the senate of Caesar's military prowess (Caesar was still in the midst of a civil war); alternatively, the remark can be viewed as an expression of Caesar's contempt for the patrician senate, traditionally representing the most powerful group in the Roman Republic.
Use in society today
Today it is a common Latin term used often in business and sometimes in social competition. Jokingly, an executive might sign a profitable contract and utter the phrase. Many popular media also place it in the mouths of different Roman figures. The comic Asterix sees the various centurions crossing the two protagonists using the phrase quite often, or variations thereof.
It has also been misconceived as a sort of "magic word." The television show Doug from Nickelodeon applied the term as such. The three words in the phrase are very similar, suggesting a sort of chant or spell rather than language in the modern sense.
In Ghostbusters, Bill Murray made a parody of this line by saying while referring to a ghost: "We came, we saw, we kicked its ass."
In "Encore", a rap single recorded by Jay-Z from his 2003 album The Black Album, as well as in "Numb / Encore", co-recorded with Linkin Park, Jay-Z refers to this line by singing:
From record sales, to sold out concerts
In the song "Get Back" by Ludacris, Ludacris says I came, I saw, I hit him right there in the jaw.
Garage punk band The Hives named their second full length album Veni Vidi Vicious, obviously a play on the Julius Caesar quote.
"Beware! Criminal" by Incubus features a chorus with the line "you came, you saw, you conquered..."
Virgin Steele, an american epic-metal band, have a 10 minute song named "Veni Vidi Vici" on their 1998 album Invictus.
In an early episode of Johnny Bravo, a relatively recently retired show from Cartoon Network, Johnny Bravo made a parody of this line after getting injured prior to his collapse: "I came, I saw, I broke a hip."
In the 1990s, T-shirts were available with the line, "Veni, vidi, veggie: I came. I saw. I had a salad."
"Veni Vidi Vici" can also be found on the coat of arms of Philip Morris International, producer of Marlboro cigarettes.
In his Discworld novel Jingo, Terry Pratchett's character Samuel Vimes speculates on other possible phrases (Veni, vermini, vomui - I came, I got ratted, I threw up; Visi, veneri, vamoosi - I visited, I caught an embarrassing disease, I ran away), and decides that "he probably made it up first, and then went off to see somewhere and conquer it".
In the original pilot to the series The Black Adder, the family crest read "Veni Vidi Castratavi Illegitimos" which translates roughly as "I came, I saw, I castrated the bastards."
In the TV show The Vicar of Dibley, the Horton motto is veni, vidi, brutus spearium gloriosus. It means I came, I saw, I tore the thick bastards limb from limb.
The computer game The Settlers II used the phrase as its subtitle.
Rapper Ja Rule's first album is entitled Venni Vetti Vecci, a play on Caesar's line.de:Veni vidi vici fr:Veni vidi vici it:Veni, vidi, vici hu:Veni, vidi, vici tr:Veni, vidi, vici