Marcus Tullius Cicero (English byname Tully) was born in 106 BC in where is now Arpino, Italy. He was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, and writer who vainly tried to uphold republican principles in the final civil wars that destroyed the Roman Republic. His writings include books of rhetoric, orations, philosophical and political treatises, and letters. Above all, he considered politics of utmost importance, which should be effectively influenced by philosophy. He is remembered in modern times as the greatest Roman orator and innovator of what became known as Ciceronian rhetoric. Marcus Tullius Cicero was murdered by decree as an enemy of the state in 43 BC. Here is a favourite observation that should be committed to memory:
“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.”
Here are some more of our favourite Tully musings:
- “Our span of life is brief, but is long enough for us to live well and honestly.”
- “If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it.”
- “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”
- “Dum Spiro, spero.” – “As long as I breathe, I hope.”
- “The life given us, by nature is short; but the memory of a well-spent life is eternal.”
- “Politicians are not born; they are excreted.”
- “Non nobis solum nati sumus.” – “We are not born for ourselves alone.”
- “A happy life consists in tranquility of mind.”
- “It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment.”
- “What an ugly beast is the ape, and how like us.”
And Marcus Tullius Cicero is also known for his love of books and reading. On this subject he espoused:
- “Read at every wait; read at all hours; read within leisure; read in times of labor; read as one goes in; read as one goest out. The task of the educated mind is simply put: read to lead.”
- “A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
- “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”
- “For books are more than books, they are the life, the very heart and core of ages past, the reason why men worked and died, the essence and quintessence of their lives.”
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