7 phrases from Cicero, a humanist philosopher of universal scope

Cicero’s phrases have stood the test of time thanks to the fact that they have not lost relevance. The surprising thing about them is that they were stated a century before our era, and they have persisted, surviving social transformations.

This Roman philosopher and historian can be considered one of the first humanists. In his time, he was not only famous for his philosophy, but also for his oratory and his accurate and committed political analyses.

Cicero’s phrases hit a wide range of topics. From friendship and love to the good leadership of the State. His way of seeing the world was anti-dogmatic and very focused on ethics. The phrases that we collect below collect some of his most important reflections.

1. One of Cicero’s phrases about changing

Precisely the rejection of dogmatism is one of the recurring themes in Cicero’s phrases. He deplored rigidity of thought and considered it a deficiency that led to great errors. This is clear in this statement: “No learned man has said that a change of opinion is inconstancy”.

What he expresses here is that changing one’s mind has nothing to do with inconstancy. On the contrary, it is an intelligent attitude, the result of an open mind. Nobody who is permeable to reality has opinions immutable.

2. Greed for happiness

An interesting question appears in one of Cicero’s phrases. He says like this: “I don’t understand why he who is happy seeks greater happiness”. It is what could be called a “greed for happiness.” That tendency to accumulate greater happiness.

This is a very sharp observation. So, the human being seems to be condemned to not be satisfied with nothing. Even when you achieve happiness, your thirst is not quenched. Paradoxically, this condemns us to having to live with a point of eternal misery.

3. True friendship

The theme of friendship is one of the most recurring in Cicero’s phrases.. It is clear that friends were one of the greatest treasures in life for him. For this reason, he reflected in depth on the topic.

One of his statements states: “Nature wants friendship to be a helper of virtues, but not a companion of vices.”. It means that there is a big difference between true friends and those who simply seek our favor or reinforce our most negative behaviors.

4. The power of oratory

It is said that Cicero’s oratorical ability was extraordinary. Even in a trial in which he acted as a lawyer, it is said that the accused voluntarily exiled himself after listening to the impressive arguments of the philosopher’s speech.

Despite this, Cicero himself is critical of oratory. In this regard he says: “There is nothing so incredible that oratory cannot make it acceptable.”. In other words, there is nothing that words cannot make credible, even if it is not true.

5. Peace and war

Although Marcus Tullius Cicero served in the army and was a soldier for more than three years, He was always convinced of peace as a value and of the law as highest authority. He saw armed confrontations as the expression of the worst of barbarism.

One of his phrases states: “I would prefer the most unjust peace to the most just of wars”. This statement has been cited hundreds of times by all types of leaders in the world. He defends that peace, no matter how imperfect, is always better than war.

6. The human being and the years

This is another of those Cicero phrases that continues to be repeated today. Pray: “Men are like wines: age sours the bad and improves the good.”. A beautiful and accurate analogy.

With this he wants to tell us that The years bring out the essence of people’s real character. It’s a beautiful way to see the passage of age.. Instead of representing a step towards decline, it is rather a process of purification.

7. Truth and silence

This is one of those wonderful phrases from Cicero that is universal and timeless. Talk about the value of truth. He says: “The truth is corrupted by both lies and silence”.

It is a wonderful phrase because it confronts us with an indisputable reality. Responsibility towards the truth is not limited to not saying or repeating falsehoods. It also has to do with not remaining silent when an injustice is committed.

Like many in his time, Cicero was persecuted on different occasions by the web of political intrigues that took place in the Roman Empire. In the end, he was executed, after declaring him an enemy of the State. Still, his work continued to beat forever.

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