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What Would Stoics Do

Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE

On Duties 1.59 — Cicero (on the Stoics)

Translation by Walter Miller (1913)

Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.59

But in the performance of all these duties we shall have to consider what is most needful in each individual case and what each individual person can or cannot procure without our help. In this way we shall find that the claims of social relationship, in its various degrees, are not identical with the dictates of circumstances; for there are obligations that are due to one individual rather than to another: for example, one would sooner assist a neighbour in gathering his harvest than either a brother or a friend; but should it be a case in court, one would defend a kinsman and a friend rather than a neighbour. Such questions as these must, therefore, be taken into consideration in every act of moral duty [and we must acquire the habit and keep it up], in order to become good calculators of duty, able by adding and subtracting to strike a balance correctly and find out just how much is due to each individual.
— Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.59 · tr. Walter Miller (1913)Read in context →

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Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.59, tr. Walter Miller (1913)

https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/1.59

Cicero, On Duties (De Officiis), tr. Walter Miller (Loeb, 1913). Text: Perseus Digital Library (CC BY-SA 4.0). Sources and licences

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In plain English

AI-written notes

Which duty comes first depends on what each person most needs and what they cannot manage without you, so the ranking of relationships is not fixed: you might help a neighbour with harvest before a brother, but defend a relative in court before a neighbour. Get into the habit of weighing and balancing obligations like a careful accountant. The bracketed phrase appears to be a translator's addition.

Older wording

“kinsman”
— a relative

Themes and situations

  • Duty and roles
  • Judgements and impressions
  • Family and love
  • Friendship
  • A hard decision
  • An ethical dilemma

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Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.59, tr. Walter Miller (1913)