Sic Semper Tyrannis Sic semper tyrannis is a Latin phrase meaning "thus always to tyrants." It is sometimes mistranslated as "death to tyrants" or "down with the tyrant." The phrase is often said to have originated with Marcus Junius Brutus during the assassination of Julius Caesar, but according to Plutarch, Brutus either did not have a chance to say anything, or if he did, none heard what was said: "Caesar thus done to death, the senators, although Brutus came forward as if to say something about what had been done, would not wait to hear him, but burst out of doors and fled, thus filling the people with confusion and helpless fear..."[1] The phrase has been invoked historically in Europe and other parts of the world as an epithet or rallying cry against abuse of power. In the U.S. it has particular infamy as the words John Wilkes Booth said that he shouted during his assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. It is also the official motto of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the city of Allentown, PA. Source Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sic_semper_tyrannis