Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 1.101 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.101
Now we find that the essential activity of the spirit is twofold: one force is appetite (that is, ὁρμή, in Greek), which impels a man this way and that; the other is reason, which teaches and explains what should be done and what should be left undone. The result is that reason commands, appetite obeys. Again, every action ought to be free from undue haste or carelessness; neither ought we to do anything for which we cannot assign a reasonable motive; for in these words we have practically a definition of duty.
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.101, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/1.101
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 notesYour inner life has two forces: appetite, which pushes you around, and reason, which tells you what to do and not do; reason should lead and appetite follow. Avoid acting from haste or carelessness, and do only what you can give a sensible reason for, since that is close to a working definition of duty.
Older wording
- “appetite”
- — a drive or urge
Themes and situations
- Self-discipline and habit
- Emotions and the passions
- Judgements and impressions
- Duty and roles
- Breaking a bad habit
- A hard decision
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