Marcus Tullius Cicero Quotes
Born: January 3, 106 BC
Marcus Tullius Cicero, a master of reason amid chaos, forged his legacy as Rome’s greatest orator and a philosopher of unyielding resilience. Rising from modest means to the pinnacle of political power, he championed focus through turbulent times, arguing that inner strength—not fortune—defines a life well-lived. His writings on duty, fortitude, and the mind’s mastery over adversity pulse with timeless wisdom. Today, his quotes resonate because they speak to the human spirit’s capacity to stand firm when the world crumbles. Cicero teaches that clarity of purpose and unwavering resolve transform trials into triumphs, making him an eternal guide for those seeking resilience and focus.
Marcus Tullius Cicero Quotes (71)
"To live is to think."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"Any man can make mistakes, but only an idiot persists in his error."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"The higher we are placed, the more humbly we should walk."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"Live as brave men; and if fortune is adverse, front its blows with brave hearts."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"Silence is one of the great arts of conversation."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"Glory follows virtue as if it were its shadow."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"The enemy is within the gates; it is with our own luxury, our own folly, our own criminality that we have to contend."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"More law, less justice."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"Love is the attempt to form a friendship inspired by beauty."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"A home without books is a body without soul."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"The sinews of war are infinite money."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"While there's life, there's hope."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"The safety of the people shall be the highest law."
— 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"A friend is, as it were, a second self."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child."
— 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"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"There is nothing so absurd that some philosopher has not already said it."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"The greatest pleasures are only narrowly separated from disgust."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"A man of courage is also full of faith."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"What then is freedom? The power to live as one wishes."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"I am not ashamed to confess that I am ignorant of what I do not know."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"Honor is the reward of virtue."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero"An unjust peace is better than a just war."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero