Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 1.160 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.160
This, then, may be regarded as settled: in choosing between conflicting duties, that class takes precedence which is demanded by the interests of human society. [And this is the natural sequence; for discreet action will presuppose learning and practical wisdom; it follows, therefore, that discreet action is of more value than wise (but inactive) speculation.] So much must suffice for this topic. For, in its essence, it has been made so clear, that in determining a question of duty it is not difficult to see which duty is to be preferred to any other. Moreover, even in the social relations themselves there are gradations of duty so well defined that it can easily be seen which duty takes precedence of any other: our first duty is to the immortal gods; our second, to country; our third, to parents; and so on, in a descending scale, to the rest.
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.160, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/1.160
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 notesWhen duties clash, give priority to the one that serves human society, and prudent action ranks above silent speculation. Among social duties there is a ranking too: first the gods, then country, then parents, and onward down the scale.
Older wording
- “gradations”
- — ranked steps or levels
- “discreet”
- — prudent and sensible
Themes and situations
- Duty and roles
- Community and our duty to others
- Family and love
- Virtue and character
- A hard decision
- An ethical dilemma
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