Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 3.97 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 3.97
Ulysses thought his ruse expedient, as the tragic poets, at least, have represented him. In Homer, our most reliable authority, no such suspicion is cast upon him; but the tragedies charge him with trying to escape a soldier's service by feigning madness. The trick was not morally right, but, someone may perhaps say, "It was expedient for him to keep his throne and live at ease in Ithaca with parents, wife, and son. Do you think that there is any glory in facing daily toil and danger that can be compared with a life of such tranquillity?" Nay; I think that tranquillity at such a price is to be despised and rejected; for if it is not morally right, neither is it expedient.
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 3.97, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/3.97
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 notesFaking madness to dodge military service and stay home in comfort is a dishonourable trick, and a quiet life bought that way is worth nothing. If something is not right it is not truly advantageous either, so comfort won by shirking a duty should be rejected.
Older wording
- “ruse”
- — a clever trick
- “feigning”
- — pretending
Themes and situations
- Courage
- Duty and roles
- Peace of mind
- Virtue and character
- An ethical dilemma
- A hard decision
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