Friendship is the only thing in the world concerning the usefulness of which all mankind are agreed.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
In nothing do humans approach so nearly to the gods as doing good to others.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Helping others elevates humanity and brings us closer to the divine.
This quote by Cicero emphasizes the noble act of doing good for others as a way to approach the divine. It suggests that in our efforts to aid and support fellow beings, we embody a quality that transcends our human limitations and aligns us with the ideals often associated with godliness.
Themes
GoodnessHumanityServiceDivineKindness
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about community service, one might reference this quote to inspire volunteerism.
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.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
Orators are most vehement when their cause is weak.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
Nothing contributes to the entertainment of the reader more, than the change of times and the vicissitudes of fortune.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
No one has the right to be sorry for himself for a misfortune that strikes everyone.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
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.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
Similar quotes
I don't generally follow sports. At an early age, I discovered that nature had apportioned me only a small reserve of enthusiasm. Best to ration.
Colson WhiteheadRead
A myth is a way of making sense in a senseless world. Myths are narrative patterns that give significance to our existence.
Rollo MayRead
We can never know what to want, because, living only one life, we can neither compare it with our previous lives nor perfect it in our lives to come.
Milan KunderaRead
Man is not a machine that can be remodelled for quite other purposes as occasion demands, in the hope that it will go on functioning as regularly as before but in a quite different way. He carries his whole history with him; in his very structure is written the history of mankind.
Carl JungRead
Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.
John The ApostleRead
Don't ever forget that you're a citizen of this world, and there are things you can do to lift the human spirit, things that are easy, things that are free, things that you can do every day: civility, respect, kindness, character.
Aaron SorkinRead