Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 1.81 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.81
Now all this requires great personal courage; but it calls also for great intellectual ability by reflection to anticipate the future, to discover some time in advance what may happen whether for good or for ill, and what must be done in any possible event, and never to be reduced to having to say "I had not thought of that." These are the activities that mark a spirit strong, high, and self-reliant in its prudence and wisdom. But to mix rashly in the fray and to fight hand to hand with the enemy is but a barbarous and brutish kind of business. Yet when the stress of circumstances demands it, we must gird on the sword and prefer death to slavery and disgrace.
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.81, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/1.81
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 notesCourage also needs foresight: think ahead, work out what could happen for good or ill, and decide in advance what to do, so you never have to say you had not thought of that. Rash brawling is brutish, but when circumstances demand it, one must be ready to fight and prefer death to enslavement and disgrace.
Older wording
- “gird on the sword”
- — get ready to fight
- “prudence”
- — practical wisdom and foresight
Themes and situations
- Preparing for difficulty
- Courage
- Judgements and impressions
- A hard decision
- Leading others
- Anxiety about the future
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