Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 2.33 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 2.33
Secondly, the command of confidence can be secured on two conditions: (1) if people think us possessed of practical wisdom combined with a sense of justice. For we have confidence in those who we think have more understanding than ourselves, who, we believe, have better insight into the future, and who, when an emergency arises and a crisis comes, can clear away the difficulties and reach a safe decision according to the exigencies of the occasion; for that kind of wisdom the world accounts genuine and practical. But (2) confidence is reposed in men who are just and true—that is, good men—on the definite assumption that their characters admit of no suspicion of dishonesty or wrong-doing. And so we believe that it is perfectly safe to entrust our lives, our fortunes, and our children to their care.
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 2.33, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/2.33
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 notesPeople trust those who combine practical wisdom with honesty. We rely on those who see further ahead and can steady things in a crisis, and we entrust our lives, money and children only to those we believe are free of dishonesty.
Older wording
- “exigencies”
- — the urgent demands of a situation
- “reposed”
- — placed or invested
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- Justice and fairness
- Leadership and power
- Reputation and others' opinions
- Leading others
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