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.
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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Orators are most vehement when their cause is weak.
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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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