Friendship is the only thing in the world concerning the usefulness of which all mankind are agreed.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
The good of the people is the greatest law.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The welfare of the community should take precedence over individual desires.
This quote emphasizes the importance of prioritizing the collective well-being of society above personal interests. Cicero suggests that a just society is one where the laws and actions are guided chiefly by what is beneficial for the people as a whole, advocating for a moral duty to uplift the community.
Themes
CommunityWellbeingLawSocietyGoodness
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about community service to illustrate the importance of helping others.
More from Marcus Tullius Cicero
All quotes βThose wars are unjust which are undertaken without provocation. For only a war waged for revenge or defence can actually be just.
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Nothing contributes to the entertainment of the reader more, than the change of times and the vicissitudes of fortune.
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No one has the right to be sorry for himself for a misfortune that strikes everyone.
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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.
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Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
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(On entering Carmel) I came to save souls and especially to pray for priests.
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