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Marcus Tullius Cicero Quotes
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180 Timeless Quotes Showcasing Wisdom and Societal Observations

Discover the timeless wisdom of Marcus Tullius Cicero through his famous quotes—ranging from introspection to societal observations—in this curated collection.

Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman statesman and philosopher who played a significant role in the establishment of the Roman Empire. Known for his eloquence and persuasive skills, he is considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists. Educated in Rome and Greece, Cicero came from a wealthy family and served as consul in 63 BC. He wrote extensively on rhetoric, philosophy, and politics, contributing to more than three-quarters of extant Latin literature during his lifetime. His influence on the Latin language was immense, with subsequent prose either reacting against or emulating his style.

While Cicero excelled in law and oratory, he believed that his most important achievement was his political career. During his consulship, he successfully suppressed the Catiline conspiracy aimed at overthrowing the government. In an effort to restore traditional republican government amidst civil wars and Julius Caesar's dictatorship, Cicero emerged as a champion for this cause. However, after Caesar's death, he became an enemy of Mark Antony during the power struggle that ensued. As a result, he was declared an enemy of the state by the Second Triumvirate and ultimately executed in 43 BC.

Cicero's writings had a profound impact on subsequent generations. Petrarch's rediscovery of his letters sparked the 14th-century Renaissance in public affairs, humanism, and Roman culture. During the Enlightenment period in the 18th century, Cicero enjoyed peak authority and prestige while influencing prominent thinkers like John Locke, David Hume, Montesquieu, and Edmund Burke. Even today, Cicero's works remain highly influential in global culture and serve as crucial primary sources for understanding the final days of the Roman Republic.

✵ 3. January 106 BC – 7. December 43 BC   •   Other names Marcus T. Cicero, Цицерон
Marcus Tullius Cicero photo
Marcus Tullius Cicero: 180   quotes 31   likes

Marcus Tullius Cicero Quotes

“What! You would convict me from my own words, and bring against me what I had said or written elsewhere. You may act in that manner with those who dispute by established rules. We live from hand to mouth, and say anything that strikes our mind with probability, so that we are the only people who are really at liberty.”

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Book 5 Section 11
Tusculanae Disputationes – Tusculan Disputations (45 BC)

People

“So long as there is life in the sick man, it is said that there is hope.”

Marcus Tullius Cicero Epistulae ad Atticum

Epistulae ad Atticum (Letters to Atticus) Book IX, Letter X, section 3
Often paraphrased as: Dum anima est, spes est ("While there is life there is hope")
Compare: "While there's life there's hope, and only the dead have none." Theocritus, Idyll 4, line 42; as translated A. S. F. Gow
Original: (la) Aegroto dum anima est, spes esse dicitur.

Life , Hope

“A friend is, as it were, a second self.”

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
Friendship , Sincerity

“There is nothing so absurd that it has not been said by some philosopher.”

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Book II, chapter LVIII, section 119
Cf. René Descartes' "On ne sauroit rien imaginer de si étranger et si peu croyable, qu'il n'ait été dit par quelqu'un des philosophes [One cannot conceive anything so strange and so implausible that it has not already been said by one philosopher or another]" (Le Discours de la Méthode, Pt. 2)
De Divinatione – On Divination (44 BC)
Original: (la) Nihil tam absurde dici potest, quod non dicatur ab aliquo philosophorum.

“The Jews belong to a dark and repulsive force. One knows how numerous this clique is, how they stick together and what power they exercise through their unions. They are a nation of rascals and deceivers.”

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Oration in Defense of Flaccus. See Apostle Paul: A Polite Bribe https://books.google.com.br/books?id=wefkDwAAQBAJ&pg=108 by Robert Orlando, p. 108.

Exercises

“Softly! Softly! I want none but the judges to hear me. The Jews have already gotten me into a fine mess, as they have many other gentleman. I have no desire to furnish further grist for their mills.”

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Oration in Defense of Flaccus. See Apostle Paul: A Polite Bribe https://books.google.com.br/books?id=wefkDwAAQBAJ&pg=108 by Robert Orlando, p. 108.

“Let your desires be governed by reason.”
Appetitus rationi pareat.

Marcus Tullius Cicero