Friendship is the only thing in the world concerning the usefulness of which all mankind are agreed.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
I do not understand what the man who is happy wants in order to be happier.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the complexity of happiness and the elusive pursuit of wanting more despite already being happy.
Cicero's quote suggests a philosophical examination of happiness, implying that once a person has reached a state of happiness, it becomes uncertain what additional desires or improvements would lead to greater happiness. This can provoke introspection about the nature of contentment and how many people often chase unattainable ideals rather than appreciating their current state of joy.
In practice
This quote can be used in a motivational speech on appreciating what you have.
Friendship is the only thing in the world concerning the usefulness of which all mankind are agreed.
Those wars are unjust which are undertaken without provocation. For only a war waged for revenge or defence can actually be just.
Orators are most vehement when their cause is weak.
Nothing contributes to the entertainment of the reader more, than the change of times and the vicissitudes of fortune.
No one has the right to be sorry for himself for a misfortune that strikes everyone.
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.
It sometimes strikes me how immensely fortunate I am that each day should take its place in my life, either reddened with the rising and setting sun, or refreshingly cool with deep, dark clouds, or blooming like a white flower in the moonlight. What untold wealth!
Happiness consists of living each day as if it were the first day of your honeymoon and the last day of your vacation.
I really love being alive. I love my family and my work. I love the opportunity I have to do things. That's what happiness is.
Power, after love, is the first source of happiness.
It's a question of attitude. If you really work at something you can do it up to a point. If you really work at being happy you can do it up to a point. But anything more than that you can't. Anything more than that is luck.
I've survived quite a few generations. That's because I never lost my enthusiasm. I wake up every morning like on Christmas Day, waiting for the gifts.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.