Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 3.56 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 3.56
In this way, then, in certain doubtful cases moral rectitude is defended on the one side, while on the other side the case of expediency is so presented as to make it appear not only morally right to do what seems expedient, but even morally wrong not to do it. This is the contradiction that seems often to arise between the expedient and the morally right. But I must give my decision in these two cases; for I did not propound them merely to raise the questions, but to offer a solution.
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 3.56, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/3.56
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 notesA short summary of the two cases: sometimes the case for advantage is made to look not merely permitted but even required, and Cicero promises to give his own verdict rather than leave the questions open.
Older wording
- “propound”
- — put forward
- “expedient”
- — useful or advantageous
Themes and situations
- Justice and fairness
- Virtue and character
Quote cards
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