Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 2.62 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 2.62
It will be the duty of charity to incline more to the unfortunate, unless, perchance, they deserve their misfortune. But of course we ought by no means to withhold our assistance altogether from those who wish for aid, not to save them from utter ruin but to enable them to reach a higher degree of fortune. But, in selecting worthy cases, we ought to use judgment and discretion. For, as Ennius says so admirably, "Good deeds misplaced, methinks, are evil deeds."
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 2.62, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/2.62
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 notesGive help first to those in real misfortune, unless they brought it on themselves, but do not refuse those who are only trying to get ahead. Choose with care, because help given to the wrong people does more harm than good.
Older wording
- “perchance”
- — perhaps
- “methinks”
- — it seems to me
Themes and situations
- Kindness and forgiveness
- Justice and fairness
- Judgements and impressions
- A hard decision
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