Not mentioned in the article is that Caesar himself was inspired by a previous Roman general, Sulla. Sulla marched on Rome about 30 years before Caesar did, thus showing that it was possible. Caesar's march also gave rise to some expressions still used today: "the die is cast" and "crossing the Rubicon" - both of which mean "going beyond the point of no return."

Sulla is generally seen as having set the precedent for Caesar's march on Rome and dictatorship. Cicero comments that Pompey once said "If Sulla could, why can't I?". Sulla's example proved that it could be done, and therefore inspired others to attempt it; and in this respect, he has been seen as another step in the Republic's fall.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulla#Legacy

Kafka also has a nice related aphorism: "Beyond a certain point there is no return. This point has to be reached."