Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 1.70 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.70
Such men have had the same aims as kings—to suffer no want, to be subject to no authority, to enjoy their liberty, that is, in its essence, to live just as they please. So, while this desire is common to men of political ambitions and men of retirement, of whom I have just spoken, the one class think they can attain their end if they secure large means; the other, if they are content with the little they have And, in this matter, neither way of thinking is altogether to be condemned; but the life of retirement is easier and safer and at the same time less burdensome or troublesome to others, while the career of those who apply themselves to statecraft and to conducting great enterprises is more profitable to mankind and contributes more to their own greatness and renown.
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.70, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/1.70
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 notesBoth people who retire from public life and those who pursue power are after the same thing: independence, needing nothing, answering to no one. The retiring route is easier, safer and less burdensome on others, while the public career benefits mankind more and builds greater renown, so neither choice is entirely wrong.
Older wording
- “statecraft”
- — skill in running government
- “renown”
- — fame and reputation
Themes and situations
- Solitude and retreat
- Ambition and success
- Freedom
- Duty and roles
- Community and our duty to others
- A hard decision
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