Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 1.60 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.60
But as neither physicians nor generals nor orators can achieve any signal success without experience and practice, no matter how well they may understand the theory of their profession, so the rules for the discharge of duty are formulated, it is true, as I am doing now, but a matter of such importance requires experience also and practice. This must close our discussion of the ways in which moral goodness, on which duty depends, is developed from those principles which hold good in human society.
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.60, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/1.60
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 notesKnowing the theory is not enough: doctors, generals and speakers all need experience and practice to succeed, and the same goes for performing one's duties well. The rules are written down, but mastery comes from repeated use.
Older wording
- “signal success”
- — outstanding, notable success
Themes and situations
- Learning and progress
- Duty and roles
- Self-discipline and habit
Quote cards
The opening line of this passage as an image, with its citation — for sharing or keeping.