Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 1.16 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.16
For the more clearly anyone observes the most essential truth in any given case and the more quickly and accurately he can see and explain the reasons for it, the more understanding and wise he is generally esteemed, and justly so. So, then, it is truth that is, as it were, the stuff with which this virtue has to deal and on which it employs itself.
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.16, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/1.16
Cicero, On Duties (De Officiis), tr. Walter Miller (Loeb, 1913). Text: Perseus Digital Library (CC BY-SA 4.0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesThe more clearly and quickly someone can see the key truth in a situation and explain its reasons, the wiser they are rightly considered. Truth is the raw material this virtue works with.
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- Learning and progress
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