Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
Tusculan Disputations 1 ¶143–144 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
From “On the Contempt of Death”
Translation by C. D. Yonge (1853)
Cicero (on the Stoics), Tusculan Disputations 1 ¶143–144
A. I am persuaded you have not; and, indeed, that peroration has confirmed me. M. I am glad it has had that effect. But it is now time to consult our health. Tomorrow, and all the time we continue in this Tusculan villa, let us consider this subject; and especially those portions of it which may ease our pain, alleviate our fears, and lessen our desires, which is the greatest advantage we can reap from the whole of philosophy.
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), Tusculan Disputations 1 ¶143–144, tr. C. D. Yonge (1853)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/tusculan-disputations/1.143
Cicero, Tusculan Disputations, tr. C. D. Yonge (1853). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesThe first day's conversation closes with a plan to keep discussing the subject over the following days, focusing on the parts of philosophy that ease pain, calm fears and curb desires, which the speaker names as its greatest benefit.
Themes and situations
- Learning and progress
- Fear and anxiety
- Desire and craving
- Pleasure and pain
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