#on duties

[harrypotterhousequotes]

HUFFLEPUFF: "Non nobis solum nati sumus. Not for ourselves alone are we born." –Marcus Tullius Cicero (On Duties)

[senumseveriorum]

Again there are two types of beauty, of which one is charm, and the other is dignity, we should think charm to be feminine, dignity masculine. Therefore all ornamentation that is not befitting a man should be removed from his appearance, and he should be made wary of similar faults in gesture and movement. For the movements of the palaestra are often unpleasant and some of the gestures of actors are not free from absurdities, and in either case those things that are upright and artless are praised. Additionally, the dignity of one’s appearance must be preserved by a wholesome complexion, a colour from the exercise of the body. To this must be added a simple elegance, neither obnoxious nor overly excessive, but just enough to avoid a countrified and uncivilized neglect. The same rationale is to be enacted with clothing, in which instance, as with most things, moderation is best.

-Cicero, On Duties

[hermitthrush]

It's a rare person indeed whose extraordinary intelligence or outstanding upbringing - or both - create the opportunity for deliberating about the mode of life they'll prefer. Any such choice must be aligned with the nature of the individual. As stated above, we use native disposition to decide the appropriateness of given action. When we decide on a general course for our life as a whole, we need to be even more careful that we adhere to it indefinitely and not falter in any respect. Nature carries the greatest weight in this determination, fortune the next greatest. We should take account of both in choosing a course of life, but of nature the more so. It's more reliable and consistent than fortune; so much so, that the latter often seems like a mere mortal doing battle with immortal nature. Anyone who aligns his plan for life with his own nature, provided it's not vice-ridden, will maintain steadiness and self-consistency - a most fitting achievement - unless by chance he realizes that he made a mistake when selecting his course of life.

Cicero, On Duties or Life in Accordance with Human Nature (44 B.C.) Thomas Habinek translation, found in Penguin Books’ On Living and Dying Well. How a universal destination of virtuous self-actualization and fulfillment lies down an individuated path.

[intangiblecat]

If you ever feel like your parents are too much remember that Cicero a Roman philosopher wrote so many letters about moral duties to his son (who was going to college in Athens at the time) that it was enough to fill three books

Chill out Marcus

No wonder your son decided to study in Athens

[hermitthrush]

... If that happens, as it can, then a transformation of habits and plans becomes necessary. If circumstances favour the change, we will make it quickly and easily. If not, then cautiously and by degree, like the gradual withdrawal from an unsatisfying friendship, which is what wise men recommend in place of an abrupt termination of relations. Once we've altered our course in life, we must make every effort to show that we've done so only after careful deliberation.

Cicero, On Duties or Life in Accordance with Human Nature (44 B.C.) Thomas Habinek translation, found in Penguin Books On Living and Dying Well. Continued from here.

This references his thoughts in Friendship and makes a fitting analogy for self-relation: circumstances of life straining our image and opinion of ourselves necessitating a change just like taking distance from individuals whose company is a negative for us.

[kwizers-blog]

Marcus Tullius Cicero quote about brotherhood from On Duties (44 BC)

Images and meaning about “Others again who say that regard should be had for the rights of fellow-citizens, but not of foreigners, would destroy the universal brotherhood of mankind;” - kwize.com

[kwizers-blog]

Marcus Tullius Cicero quote about man from On Duties (44 BC)

Images and meaning about “But it is essential to every inquiry about duty that we keep before our eyes how far superior man is by nature to cattle and other beasts: they have no thought except for sensual pleasure and this they are impelled by every instinct to seek;” - kwize.com