Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 2.72 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 2.72
Now, since we have finished the discussion of that kind of helpful services which concern individuals, we must next take up those which touch the whole body politic and the state. Of these public services, some are of such a nature that they concern the whole body of citizens; others, that they affect individuals only. And these latter are the more productive of gratitude. If possible, we should by all means attend to both kinds of service; but we must take care in protecting the interests of individuals that what we do for them shall be beneficial, or at least not prejudicial, to the state. Gaius Gracchus inaugurated largesses of grain on an extensive scale; this had a tendency to exhaust the exchequer. Marcus Octavius inaugurated a moderate dole; this was both practicable for the state and necessary for the commons; it was, therefore, a blessing both to the citizens and to the state.
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 2.72, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/2.72
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 notesPublic benefits come in two kinds, those for everyone and those for individuals, and the latter earn more gratitude. Either way, help to individuals must not harm the community: extravagant grain handouts drained the treasury, while a moderate dole was sustainable.
Older wording
- “largesses”
- — generous handouts
- “exchequer”
- — the state treasury
- “prejudicial”
- — harmful to
Themes and situations
- Community and our duty to others
- Leadership and power
- Justice and fairness
- Wealth and poverty
- Leading others
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