Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 3.62 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 3.62
Why, when Quintus Scaevola, the son of Publius Scaevola, asked that the price of a farm that he desired to purchase be definitely named and the vendor named it, he replied that he considered it worth more, and paid him 100,000 sesterces over and above what he asked. No one could say that this was not the act of an honest man; but people do say that it was not the act of a worldly-wise man, any more than if he had sold for a smaller amount than he could have commanded. Here, then, is that mischievous idea—the world accounting some men upright, others wise; and it is this fact that gives Ennius occasion to say: "In vain is the wise man wise, who cannot benefit himself." And Ennius is quite right, if only he and I were agreed upon the meaning of "benefit."
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 3.62, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/3.62
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 notesScaevola paid a seller more than he asked because he thought the farm was worth it, and people called him honest but not worldly-wise. The passage asks what counts as a real benefit, since the idea that a wise person must always look after their own advantage is only as good as its notion of benefit.
Older wording
- “sesterces”
- — Roman silver coins
- “vendor”
- — the seller
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- Wealth and poverty
- Justice and fairness
- An ethical dilemma
- Money, status and wanting more
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