Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 1.14 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.14
And it is no mean manifestation of Nature and Reason that man is the only animal that has a feeling for order, for propriety, for moderation in word and deed. And so no other animal has a sense of beauty, loveliness, harmony in the visible world; and Nature and Reason, extending the analogy of this from the world of sense to the world of spirit, find that beauty, consistency, order are far more to be maintained in thought and deed, and the same Nature and Reason are careful to do nothing in an improper or unmanly fashion, and in every thought and deed to do or think nothing capriciously. It is from these elements that is forged and fashioned that moral goodness which is the subject of this inquiry—something that, even though it be not generally ennobled, is still worthy of all honour; and by its own nature, we correctly maintain, it merits praise, even though it be praised by none.
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.14, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/1.14
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 notesOnly humans have a feel for order, fitting behaviour and measure in what we say and do, and that extends from the beauty of the visible world to beauty in conduct. Moral goodness is built from these and deserves honour for its own sake, even if nobody praises it.
Older wording
- “propriety”
- — appropriate, fitting behaviour
- “capriciously”
- — on a whim, without reason
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- Reputation and others' opinions
- Nature and the cosmos
- Self-discipline and habit
Quote cards
The opening line of this passage as an image, with its citation — for sharing or keeping.