Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 2.18 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 2.18
And, indeed, virtue in general may be said to consist almost wholly in three properties: the first is [Wisdom,] the ability to perceive what in any given instance is true and real, what its relations are, its consequences, and its causes; the second is [Temperance,] the ability to restrain the passions (which the Greeks call πάθη) and make the impulses (ὁρμαί) obedient to reason; and the third is [Justice,] the skill to treat with consideration and wisdom those with whom we are associated, in order that we may through their co-operation have our natural wants supplied in full and overflowing measure, that we may ward off any impending trouble, avenge ourselves upon those who have attempted to injure us, and visit them with such retribution as justice and humanity will permit.
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 2.18, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/2.18
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 notesVirtue comes down to three abilities: seeing clearly what is true and what follows from it, restraining the passions so impulses obey reason, and treating the people around us with consideration so that they help meet our needs. Even self-defence and retribution are limited by what justice and humanity allow.
Older wording
- “πάθη”
- — Greek for passions, disturbing emotions
- “ὁρμαί”
- — Greek for impulses, urges to act
- “retribution”
- — punishment in return for harm
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- Emotions and the passions
- Self-discipline and habit
- Justice and fairness
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