Welcome to our collection of profound wisdom and timeless insights from one of the greatest minds of ancient Rome: Marcus Tullius Cicero. As a renowned philosopher, statesman, and orator, Cicero’s words have resonated through the ages, offering guidance, inspiration, and contemplation to generations of thinkers, leaders, and seekers of truth.
Born in 106 BC in Arpinum, Cicero’s contributions to philosophy, politics, and rhetoric have left an indelible mark on Western civilization. His works delve into diverse topics ranging from justice, morality, and the nature of government to the pursuit of knowledge and the art of communication. With eloquence and clarity, Cicero tackled the complexities of human existence, advocating for virtue, reason, and the common good.
In this curated collection, we present a selection of Cicero’s most profound quotes, encapsulating his keen observations on life, virtue, and the human condition. Whether you seek inspiration for personal reflection, academic study, or simply appreciation for the beauty of language, Cicero’s words offer timeless wisdom and enduring relevance. Explore these quotes below, and let the wisdom of Cicero inspire and enlighten your journey.
To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. Marcus Tullius Cicero
The safety of the people shall be the highest law. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Natural ability without education has more often attained to glory and virtue than education without natural ability. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Memory is the treasury and guardian of all things. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Justice is the set and constant purpose which gives every man his due. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Old age: the crown of life, our play’s last act. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Never go to excess, but let moderation be your guide. Marcus Tullius Cicero
I am not ashamed to confess that I am ignorant of what I do not know. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Take from a man his reputation for probity, and the more shrewd and clever he is, the more hated and mistrusted he becomes. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Though silence is not necessarily an admission, it is not a denial, either. 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. Marcus Tullius Cicero
The function of wisdom is to discriminate between good and evil. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Laws are silent in time of war. Marcus Tullius Cicero
The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Fear is not a lasting teacher of duty. Marcus Tullius Cicero
No obligation to do the impossible is binding. Marcus Tullius Cicero
The authority of those who teach is often an obstacle to those who want to learn. Marcus Tullius Cicero
There are more men ennobled by study than by nature. Marcus Tullius Cicero
For a tear is quickly dried, especially when shed for the misfortunes of others. Marcus Tullius Cicero
The magistrates are the ministers for the laws, the judges their interpreters, the rest of us are servants of the law, that we all may be free. Marcus Tullius Cicero
The spirit is the true self. The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Just as the soul fills the body, so God fills the world. Just as the soul bears the body, so God endures the world. Just as the soul sees but is not seen, so God sees but is not seen. Just as the soul feeds the body, so God gives food to the world. Marcus Tullius Cicero
The harvest of old age is the recollection and abundance of blessing previously secured. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Whatever you do, do with all your might. Marcus Tullius Cicero
What nobler employment, or more valuable to the state, than that of the man who instructs the rising generation? Marcus Tullius Cicero
Glory follows virtue as if it were its shadow. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Honor is the reward of virtue. Marcus Tullius Cicero
It is foolish to tear one’s hair in grief, as though sorrow would be made less by baldness. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Great is the power of habit. It teaches us to bear fatigue and to despise wounds and pain. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Nothing is more unreliable than the populace, nothing more obscure than human intentions, nothing more deceptive than the whole electoral system. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Brevity is the best recommendation of speech, whether in a senator or an orator. Marcus Tullius Cicero
No one was ever great without some portion of divine inspiration. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Nothing is so strongly fortified that it cannot be taken by money. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Live as brave men; and if fortune is adverse, front its blows with brave hearts. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Brevity is a great charm of eloquence. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Peace is liberty in tranquillity. Marcus Tullius Cicero
In a disordered mind, as in a disordered body, soundness of health is impossible. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Thou shouldst eat to live; not live to eat. Marcus Tullius Cicero
If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it. Marcus Tullius Cicero
A friend is, as it were, a second self. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. Marcus Tullius Cicero
In everything truth surpasses the imitation and copy. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Rather leave the crime of the guilty unpunished than condemn the innocent. Marcus Tullius Cicero
The only excuse for war is that we may live in peace unharmed. Marcus Tullius Cicero
When you have no basis for an argument, abuse the plaintiff. Marcus Tullius Cicero
It is the peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others and to forget his own. Marcus Tullius Cicero
What is thine is mine, and all mine is thine. Marcus Tullius Cicero
This is the truth: as from a fire aflame thousands of sparks come forth, even so from the Creator an infinity of beings have life and to him return again. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Let us not listen to those who think we ought to be angry with our enemies, and who believe this to be great and manly. Nothing is so praiseworthy, nothing so clearly shows a great and noble soul, as clemency and readiness to forgive. Marcus Tullius Cicero
He only employs his passion who can make no use of his reason. Marcus Tullius Cicero
The wise are instructed by reason, average minds by experience, the stupid by necessity and the brute by instinct. Marcus Tullius Cicero
What an ugly beast the ape, and how like us. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Love is the attempt to form a friendship inspired by beauty. Marcus Tullius Cicero
The pursuit, even of the best things, ought to be calm and tranquil. Marcus Tullius Cicero
All pain is either severe or slight, if slight, it is easily endured; if severe, it will without doubt be brief. Marcus Tullius Cicero
You must become an old man in good time if you wish to be an old man long. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Virtue is a habit of the mind, consistent with nature and moderation and reason. Marcus Tullius Cicero
True glory takes root, and even spreads; all false pretences, like flowers, fall to the ground; nor can any counterfeit last long. Marcus Tullius Cicero
The higher we are placed, the more humbly we should walk. Marcus Tullius Cicero
The good of the people is the greatest law. Marcus Tullius Cicero
I criticize by creation – not by finding fault. Marcus Tullius Cicero
In so far as the mind is stronger than the body, so are the ills contracted by the mind more severe than those contracted by the body. Marcus Tullius Cicero
The rule of friendship means there should be mutual sympathy between them, each supplying what the other lacks and trying to benefit the other, always using friendly and sincere words. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Any man is liable to err, only a fool persists in error. Marcus Tullius Cicero
I prefer tongue-tied knowledge to ignorant loquacity. Marcus Tullius Cicero
What sweetness is left in life, if you take away friendship? Robbing life of friendship is like robbing the world of the sun. A true friend is more to be esteemed than kinsfolk. Marcus Tullius Cicero
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Those wars are unjust which are undertaken without provocation. For only a war waged for revenge or defense can be just. Marcus Tullius Cicero
To live is to think. Marcus Tullius Cicero
True nobility is exempt from fear. Marcus Tullius Cicero
There is nothing so absurd that some philosopher has not already said it. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Thrift is of great revenue. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Before beginning, plan carefully. Marcus Tullius Cicero
A man of courage is also full of faith. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Not cohabitation but consensus constitutes marriage. Marcus Tullius Cicero
O wretched man, wretched not just because of what you are, but also because you do not know how wretched you are! Marcus Tullius Cicero
A home without books is a body without soul. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Nature has planted in our minds an insatiable longing to see the truth. Marcus Tullius Cicero
It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment. Marcus Tullius Cicero
It is the nature of every person to error, but only the fool perseveres in error. Marcus Tullius Cicero
What then is freedom? The power to live as one wishes. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Nothing is so unbelievable that oratory cannot make it acceptable. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Advice in old age is foolish; for what can be more absurd than to increase our provisions for the road the nearer we approach to our journey’s end. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Knowledge which is divorced from justice, may be called cunning rather than wisdom. Marcus Tullius Cicero
In a republic this rule ought to be observed: that the majority should not have the predominant power. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Of all nature’s gifts to the human race, what is sweeter to a man than his children? Marcus Tullius Cicero
Sweet is the memory of past troubles. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Rashness belongs to youth; prudence to old age. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief. Marcus Tullius Cicero
He does not seem to me to be a free man who does not sometimes do nothing. Marcus Tullius Cicero
No sane man will dance. Marcus Tullius Cicero
The precepts of the law are these: to live honestly, to injure no one, and to give everyone else his due. Marcus Tullius Cicero
If you pursue good with labor, the labor passes away but the good remains; if you pursue evil with pleasure, the pleasure passes away and the evil remains. Marcus Tullius Cicero
The nobler a man, the harder it is for him to suspect inferiority in others. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Hatred is inveterate anger. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Time destroys the speculation of men, but it confirms nature. Marcus Tullius Cicero
A room without books is like a body without a soul. Marcus Tullius Cicero
No one can give you better advice than yourself. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Cultivation to the mind is as necessary as food to the body. Marcus Tullius Cicero
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends. Marcus Tullius Cicero