Friendship is the only thing in the world concerning the usefulness of which all mankind are agreed.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
Here is a man whose life and actions the world has already condemned - yet whose enormous fortune...has already brought him acquittal!
Interpretation
What this quote means
Wealth can sometimes overshadow one's faults, leading to a perception of innocence despite wrongdoing.
This quote reflects the idea that societal judgment often favors those who possess wealth and power. Cicero suggests that a person's fortune can lead others to overlook their immoral or condemnable actions, highlighting a disparity in how justice is perceived based on one's status in life.
Themes
WealthJusticePerceptionMoralitySociety
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about wealth inequality, one might quote Cicero to illustrate how social status affects justice.
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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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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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