quotations The Best Cicero Quotes  

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1

82 5

It is the peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others and to forget his own. Cicero

2

131 12

Silence is one of the great arts of conversation. Cicero

3

92 7

The wise are instructed by reason, average minds by experience, the stupid by necessity and the brute by instinct. Cicero

4

103 9

The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living. Cicero

5

55 3

As you have sown so shall you reap. Cicero

6

44 2

The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory. Cicero

7

223 40

The budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt, the mobs should be forced to work and not depend on government for subsistence. Cicero

8

30 1

No well-informed person ever imputed inconsistency to another for changing his mind. Cicero

9

83 7

A room without books is like a body without a soul. Cicero

10

58 4

They condemn what they do not understand. Cicero

11

39 2

It is the nature of every person to error, but only the fool perseveres in error. Cicero

12

80 8

Life is nothing without friendship. Cicero

13

45 3

Virtue is its own reward. Cicero

14

14 0

Friendship is the only thing in the world concerning the usefulness of which all mankind are agreed. Cicero

15

14 0

It is a shameful thing to be weary of inquiry when what we search for is excellent. Cicero

16

34 2

Friends are proved by adversity. Cicero

17

34 2

There never was a great soul that did not have some divine inspiration. Cicero

18

70 8

While there's life, there's hope. Cicero

19

41 3

The good of the people is the greatest law. Cicero

20

58 6

To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. Cicero

21

32 2

Rightly defined philosophy is simply the love of wisdom. Cicero

22

13 0

The pursuit, even of the best things, ought to be calm and tranquil. Cicero

23

39 3

Let reason govern desire. Cicero

24

23 1

Glory follows virtue as if it were its shadow. Cicero

25

43 4

Brevity is a great charm of eloquence. Cicero

26

37 3

The causes of events are ever more interesting than the events themselves. Cicero

27

30 2

I prefer tongue-tied knowledge to ignorant loquacity. Cicero

28

22 1

When you are aspiring to the highest place, it is honorable to reach the second or even the third rank. Cicero

29

52 6

Before beginning, plan carefully. Cicero

30

12 0

Reason should direct and appetite obey. Cicero

31

35 3

I never admire another's fortune so much that I became dissatisfied with my own. Cicero

32

21 1

It is better to receive than to do injury. Cicero

33

44 5

I am not ashamed to confess I am ignorant of what I do not know. Cicero

34

20 1

Memory is the treasury and guardian of all things. Cicero

35

20 1

We think a happy life consists in tranquility of mind. Cicero

36

33 3

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. Cicero

37

33 3

Nothing is more noble, nothing more venerable than fidelity. Faithfulness and truth are the most sacred excellences and endowments of the human mind. Cicero

38

27 2

A friend is, as it were, a second self. Cicero

39

37 4

Let the punishment be proportionate to the offense. Cicero

40

37 4

If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it. Cicero

41

26 2

There is nothing so absurd that some philosopher has not already said it. Cicero

42

19 1

It shows a brave and resolute spirit not to be agitated in exciting circumstances. Cicero

43

19 1

Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends. Cicero

44

31 3

michaelj72 added Six mistakes mankind keeps making century after century: Believing that personal gain is made by crushing others; Worrying about things that cannot be changed or corrected; Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it; Refusing to set aside trivial preferences; Neglecting development and refinement of the mind; Attempting to compel others to believe and live as we do.

45

46 7

Orators are most vehement when their cause is weak. Cicero

46

18 1

There is wickedness in the intention of wickedness, even though it be not perpetrated in the act. Cicero

47

34 4

Can there be greater foolishness than the respect you pay to people collectively when you despise them individually? Cicero

48

24 2

Not to know what has been transacted in former times is to be always a child. If no use is made of the labors of past ages, the world must remain always in the infancy of knowledge. Cicero

49

10 0

The foolishness of old age does not characterize all who are old, but only the foolish. Cicero

50

10 0

Friendship makes prosperity brighter, while it lightens adversity by sharing its grieves and anxieties. Cicero