How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Gladiator.
Quote #7
MAXIMUS: I knew a man who once said, "Death smiles at us all." All a man can do is smile back.
Maximus never once acts as though he's afraid of death. He's internalized the words of Marcus Aurelius (which he quotes here), and knows that death will come when it will come. There's no way around it. That is one of the reasons he is so fearless.
Quote #8
LUCILLA: Is Rome worth the life of one good man? We believed it once. Make us believe it again. He was a soldier of Rome. Honor him.
Maximus' death, while tragic, proves to be heroic and meaningful. His life is sacrificed, essentially, for Rome. Commodus' death also, strangely, saves Rome as well, but there's nothing sacrificial or heroic about it, just as there is nothing sacrificial or heroic about killing of a virus.