Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 1.103 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.103
From all this—to return to our sketch of duty—we see that all the appetites must be controlled and calmed and that we must take infinite pains not to do anything from mere impulse or at random, without due consideration and care. For Nature has not brought us into the world to act as if we were created for play or jest, but rather for earnestness and for some more serious and important pursuits. We may, of course, indulge in sport and jest, but in the same way as we enjoy sleep or other relaxations, and only when we have satisfied the claims of our earnest, serious tasks. Further than that, the manner of jesting itself ought not to be extravagant or immoderate, but refined and witty. For as we do not grant our children unlimited licence to play, but only such freedom as is not incompatible with good conduct, so even in our jesting let the light of a pure character shine forth.
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.103, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/1.103
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 notesCalm your appetites and avoid acting on impulse without thought, because humans are made for serious pursuits, not just play. Enjoy humour and relaxation, like sleep, after you have done your serious tasks, and keep jokes refined, just as we limit children's play to what is compatible with good conduct.
Older wording
- “licence”
- — permission to do as one pleases
- “jest”
- — a joke
Themes and situations
- Self-discipline and habit
- Duty and roles
- Time and the present
- Procrastination
- Feeling life is slipping by
Quote cards
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