Substitution Cipher Puzzle

This quote is adapted from William Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar," written around 1599. The original line, spoken by Cassius to Brutus in Act 1, Scene 2, reads: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings." Cassius uses this argument to persuade Brutus that they should not passively accept Caesar's rising power but instead take their fate into their own hands.

The quote reflects a tension between fate and free will that was central to Elizabethan thought. In Shakespeare's time, astrology was taken seriously by many, and the idea that the stars governed human affairs was widespread. By having Cassius reject stellar influence in favor of personal agency, Shakespeare was making a bold philosophical statement about human responsibility. The adapted version has become a popular inspirational quote, emphasizing self-determination over predestination.