Quote 1
Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus, and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs and peep about
To find ourselves dishonorable graves. (1.2.142-145)
As Cassius tries to convince Brutus that Caesar needs to be taken down, he conjures up a vivid image of the Roman leader as a "Colossus" – a giant statue, like the Colossus of Rhodes. The funny thing is, Cassius also likes to go around talking about what a wimp Caesar is. Just a few lines earlier, Cassius tells Brutus the story of how Caesar almost drowned as a young boy and how he once became so ill that he acted like a "sick girl." So what's the deal with all of these competing images of Caesar in the play? Is he really an all-powerful figure, or is he made out to be a bigger threat than he really is?
Quote 2
CASSIUS
And why should Caesar be a tyrant then?
Poor man! I know he would not be a wolf
But that he sees the Romans are but sheep;
He were no lion, were not Romans hinds.
Those that with haste will make a mighty fire
Begin it with weak straws. What trash is Rome,
What rubbish, and what offal when it serves
For the base matter to illuminate
So vile a thing as Caesar! (1.3.107-115)
Here Cassius doesn't specifically blame Caesar for his would-be tyranny. He believes it's the responsibility of the people to show they won't be subjugated like "sheep." Cassius reasons that if a political leader behaves like a "wolf" or a "lion," it's only because the people have allowed him to do so. According to Cassius, it's the people's job to keep their leaders in check.
Quote 3
Men at some time are masters of their fates.
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings. (1.2.146-148)
As Cassius complains about Caesar's power, he claims that it's Rome's own fault for being servile to one man. Men, according to Cassius, are "masters of their fates," which means it's up to them to take down Caesar. This seems like a fine idea, but there's a lot of evidence in the play (like prophesies and omens that come true) that men don't have much control over their destinies.