Vidal Gore — Eighteen Seventy [3106]

Garfield’s face did not for an instant lose its beautiful candid expression. “Mr. Nordhoff, when you are dealt the cards, you play them.” So Caesar must have sounded when he set aside the old republic. — Vidal Gore, Eighteen Seventy, 3106

Note

This line uses historical allusion to draw parallels between Garfield’s pragmatic acceptance of political reality and Caesar’s disregard for the republic, emphasizing themes of power and political maneuvering.