Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
Tusculan Disputations 5 ¶43 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
From “Whether Virtue Alone Be Sufficient for a Happy Life”
Translation by C. D. Yonge (1853)
Cicero (on the Stoics), Tusculan Disputations 5 ¶43
Look but on the single consulship of Laelius, and that, too, after having been set aside (though when a wise and good man like him is outvoted, the people are disappointed of a good consul, rather than be disappointed by a vain people); but the point is, would you prefer, were it in your power, to be once such a consul as Laelius, or be elected four times like Cinna? I have no doubt in the world what answer you will make, and it is on that account I put the question to you.
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), Tusculan Disputations 5 ¶43, tr. C. D. Yonge (1853)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/tusculan-disputations/5.43
Cicero, Tusculan Disputations, tr. C. D. Yonge (1853). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesA question aimed at ambition: would you rather hold office once with the integrity of Laelius, who was even passed over for a second term, or be elected four times like the ruthless Cinna? The answer is meant to be obvious, and it shows that honest character outweighs repeated success.
Older wording
- “consulship”
- — the office of consul, Rome's highest elected position
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- Ambition and success
- Reputation and others' opinions
- A career setback
- An ethical dilemma
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