We cannot control the evil tongues of others; but a good life enables us to disregard them.
Cato The ElderRead
An orator is a good man who is skilled in speaking.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A skilled orator should possess both integrity and eloquence in their speech.
Cato the Elder emphasizes that true oratory goes beyond mere skill in speaking; it implies a moral character. A good orator must be a virtuous individual capable of using their speaking skills to convey meaningful messages and influence their audience positively.
Themes
OratorSpeechCommunicationIntegritySkill
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech on civic responsibility, one might quote Cato the Elder to stress the importance of integrity in public speaking.
More from Cato The Elder
All quotes βAn angry man opens his mouth and shuts his eyes.
Cato The ElderRead
I think the first virtue is to restrain the tongue; he approaches nearest to gods who knows how to be silent, even though he is in the right.
Cato The ElderRead
Tis sometimes the height of wisdom to feign stupidity.
Cato The ElderRead
Lighter is the wound foreseen.
Cato The ElderRead
Patience is the greatest of all virtues.
Cato The ElderRead
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