Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 3.25 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 3.25
In like manner it is more in accord with Nature to emulate the great Hercules and undergo the greatest toil and trouble for the sake of aiding or saving the world, if possible, than to live in seclusion, not only free from all care, but revelling in pleasures and abounding in wealth, while excelling others also in beauty and strength. Thus Hercules denied himself and underwent toil and tribulation for the world, and, out of gratitude for his services, popular belief has given him a place in the council of the gods. The better and more noble, therefore, the character with which a man is endowed, the more does he prefer the life of service to the life of pleasure. Whence it follows that man, if he is obedient to Nature, cannot do harm to his fellow-man.
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 3.25, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/3.25
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 notesA life of effort and sacrifice for others, like the legendary Hercules, is more in tune with human nature than a comfortable, pleasure-filled life of seclusion with plenty of wealth and good looks. The nobler a person's character, the more they choose service over pleasure, and such a person does not harm others.
Older wording
- “tribulation”
- — severe hardship
- “revelling”
- — indulging boisterously
Themes and situations
- Community and our duty to others
- Virtue and character
- Courage
- Duty and roles
- Searching for meaning
- Money, status and wanting more
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