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Marcus Tullius Cicero

Marcus Tullius Cicero Quotes

Philosopher

Marcus Tullius Cicero was a prominent philosopher, politician, lawyer, orator, and writer during the late Roman Republic. The exact dates of his birth and death are unknown, but he was active in the 1st century BC. Known for his profound thoughts and exceptional literary style, Cicero has had a lasting impact on Western culture.

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Famous Marcus Tullius Cicero Quotes

“To err is human, but to persevere in error is only the act of a fool.”

Humans Fool Errors Persevere Err Is Human

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Come now: Do we really think that the gods are everywhere called by the same names by which they are addressed by us? But the gods have as many names as there are languages among humans. For it is not with the gods as with you: you are Velleius wherever you go, but Vulcan is not Vulcan in Italy and in Africa and in Spain.”

Thinking Humans Names Language Spain

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“I know that it is likely that as worship of the gods declines, faith between men and all human society will disappear, as well as that most excellent of all virtues, which is justice.”

Knows Men Humans Wells Wisdom Politics Justice Economy Virtue Worship Disappear Excellent Liberalism Decline Human Society

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“To reduce man to the duties of his own city, and to disengage him from duties to the members of other cities, is to break the universal society of the human race.”

Men Humans Race Cities Break Atheism Duty Members Universal Positive Atheism Human Race

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Vicious habits are so great a stain to human nature, and so odious in themselves, that every person actuated by right reason would avoid them, though he were sure they would be always concealed both from God and man, and had no future punishment entailed upon them.”

Men Humans Persons Reason Would Be Human Nature Habit Punishment Vicious Concealed Stains

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“The human mind ever longs for occupation.”

Mind Humans Human Mind Occupation

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“If I am mistaken in my opinion that the human soul is immortal, I willingly err; nor would I have this pleasant error extorted from me; and if, as some minute philosophers suppose, death should deprive me of my being, I need not fear the raillery of those pretended philosophers when they are no more.”

Ifs Needs Should Humans Soul Opinion Minutes Errors Philosopher Pleasant Immortal Mistaken Human Soul

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“There are two ways to resolve conflicts, through violence or through negotiation. Violence is for wild beasts, negotiation is for human beings.”

Way Humans Two Human Beings Violence Conflict Beast Resolve Negotiation Two Ways Wild Beasts

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?”

Humans Children Political Born Records Ignorance Ignorant Human Life Ancestor Woven Family History

Book:Brutus

Source: Brutus

“God's law is 'right reason.' When perfectly understood it is called 'wisdom.' When applied by government in regulating human relations it is called 'justice.”

Humans Reason Government Law Justice Understood Relation Human Relations

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“For while we are enclosed in these confinements of the body, we perform as a kind of duty the heavy task of necessity; for the soul from heaven has been cast down from its dwelling on high and sunk, as it were, into the earth, a place just the opposite to godlike nature and eternity. But I believe that the immortal gods have sown souls in human bodies so there might exist beings to guard the world and after contemplating the order of heaven, might imitate it by their moderation and steadfastness in life.”

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

Mind Humans Motivational Truth Friendship Sacred Excellence Noble Devotion Human Mind Faithfulness Fidelity Endowment

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Nothing is more unreliable than the populace, nothing more obscure than human intentions, nothing more deceptive than the whole electoral system.”

Humans Whole Intention Obscure Hype Deceptive Unreliable Electoral Systems

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Of all nature's gifts to the human race, what is sweeter to a man than his children?”

Men Humans Children Race Baby Human Race

Book:Cicero in Twenty-eight Volumes: Pro Archiapoeta. Post reditum in senatu. Post reditum ad quirites. De domo sua.Deharuspicum responsis. Pro Plancio

Source: Cicero in Twenty-eight Volumes: Pro Archiapoeta. Post reditum in senatu. Post reditum ad quirites. De domo sua.Deharuspicum responsis. Pro Plancio

“I look upon the pleasure we take in a garden as one of the most innocent delights in human life.”

Humans Looks Pleasure Garden Delight Innocent Human Life Look Up

Book:Cicero's Three books of offices, or moral duties: also his Cato Major, an essay on old age; Lælius, an essay on friendship; Paradoxes; Scipio's dream; and Letter to Quintus on the duties of a magistrate

Source: Cicero's Three books of offices, or moral duties: also his Cato Major, an essay on old age; Lælius, an essay on friendship; Paradoxes; Scipio's dream; and Letter to Quintus on the duties of a magistrate

“I look upon the pleasure which we take in a garden as one of the most innocent delights in human life. . . It gives us a great insight into the contrivance and wisdom of Nature, and suggests innumerable subjects for meditation.”

Giving Humans Looks Pleasure Meditation Subjects Garden Delight Insight Innocent Human Life Look Up

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Death is not natural for a state as it is for a human being, for whom death is not only necessary, but frequently even desirable.”

Humans States Natural Human Beings Desirable

Book:De Re Publica

Source: De Re Publica

“The contemplation of celestial things will make a man both speak and think more sublimely and magnificently when he descends to human affairs.”

Thinking Men Humans Science Spirituality Speak Space Affair Astronomy Contemplation Mysticism Celestial Star Gazing Astronomy And Universe

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Every stage of human life, except the last, is marked out by certain and defined limits; old age alone has no precise and determinate boundary.”

Life Humans Age Lasts Certain Time Stage Youth Limits Aging Boundaries Old Age Defined Certainty Human Life Precise

Book:Essays on old age and friendship

Source: Essays on old age and friendship

“"I believe that no characteristic is so distinctively human as the sense of indebtedness we feel, not necessarily for a favor received, but even for the slightest evidence of kindness; and there is nothing so boorish, savage, inhuman as to appear to be overwhelmed by a favor, let alone unworthy of it."”

Inspirational Feels Believe Humans I Believe Kindness Evidence Favors Characteristics Savages Overwhelmed Unworthy Inhuman Inspirational Kindness Indebtedness

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Friendship is the only point in human affairs concerning the benefit of which all, with one voice, agree.”

Humans Real Voice Benefits Agree Affair Real Friends

Book:Cicero's Three Books Of Offices, Or Moral Duties: Also His Cato Major, an Essay on Old Age; Laelius, an Essay on Friendship; Paradoxes; Scipio's Dream; and Letter to Quintus on the Duties of a Magistrate

Source: Cicero's Three Books Of Offices, Or Moral Duties: Also His Cato Major, an Essay on Old Age; Laelius, an Essay on Friendship; Paradoxes; Scipio's Dream; and Letter to Quintus on the Duties of a Magistrate

“Friendship is nothing else than entire fellow feeling as to all things human and divine with mutual good-will and affection; and I doubt whether anything better than this, wisdom alone excepted, has been given to man.”

Men Humans Has Beens Real Feelings Given Doubt Divine All Things Fellows Affection Mutual Real Friends Good Will Fellow Feeling

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“It is like taking the sun out of the world, to bereave human life of friendship.”

World Humans Real Sun Human Life Real Friends

Book:Ethical Writings of Cicero: Cicero De Officiis, Cicero De Senectute, Cicero De Amicitia, Scipio's Dream

Source: Ethical Writings of Cicero: Cicero De Officiis, Cicero De Senectute, Cicero De Amicitia, Scipio's Dream

“We were born to unite with our fellow men, and to join in community with the human race.”

Men Humans Born Community Race Fellows Human Race Fellow Man Spiritual Community

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“In nothing do humans approach so nearly to the gods as doing good to others.”

Humans Religion Liberty Health Morality Approach Doing Good

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“They are, all of them, born with raging fanaticism in their hearts, just as the Bretons and the Germans are born with blond hair. I would not be in the least bit surprised if these people would not some day become deadly to the human race.”

People Ifs Humans Heart Bits Born Race Hair Jew Rage Human Race Fanaticism

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“We are obliged to respect, defend and maintain the common bonds of union and fellowship that exist among all members of the human race.”

Humans Common Race Members Dignity Unions Human Race Fellowship Obliged

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Friendship is nothing else than an accord in all things, human and divine, conjoined with mutual goodwill and affection.”

Humans Divine All Things Affection Mutual Accord Goodwill

Book:Cicero in twenty-nine volumes

Source: Cicero in twenty-nine volumes