Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 2.17 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 2.17
Since, therefore, there can be no doubt on this point, that man is the source of both the greatest help and the greatest harm to man, I set it down as the peculiar function of virtue to win the hearts of men and to attach them to one's own service. And so those benefits that human life derives from inanimate objects and from the employment and use of animals are ascribed to the industrial arts; the co-operation of men, on the other hand, prompt and ready for the advancement of our interests, is secured through wisdom and virtue [in men of superior ability].
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 2.17, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/2.17
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 notesSince other people are the greatest source of both help and harm, the special job of virtue is to win their hearts and enlist their willing cooperation. Practical crafts deal with things and animals, but only wisdom and good character earn the goodwill of people.
Older wording
- “ascribed”
- — credited to
- “industrial arts”
- — practical crafts and trades
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- Community and our duty to others
- Leadership and power
- Leading others
- Conflict at work
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