Friendship is the only thing in the world concerning the usefulness of which all mankind are agreed.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
He only employs his passion who can make no use of his reason.
Interpretation
True passion should be guided by reason; without reason, passion can lead to unwise actions.
This quote by Cicero underscores the importance of balancing passion with rational thought. It suggests that while passion fuels ambition and creativity, it should not dominate our decisions entirely, as acting solely on passion without the temperance of reason can lead to poor judgment and outcomes. Therefore, the most effective use of passion is when it operates in harmony with reason, allowing one to pursue goals intelligently and thoughtfully.
In practice
This quote can be used during a motivational talk about finding the right balance in pursuing goals.
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.
Before any of it could make sense, it had to be heard.
Regret is useless in life. It's in the past. All we have is now.
The willow which bends to the tempest, often escapes better than the oak which resists it; and so in great calamities, it sometimes happens that light and frivolous spirits recover their elasticity and presence of mind sooner than those of a loftier character.
That which we acquire with the most difficulty we retain the longest; as those who have earned a fortune are usually more careful of it than those who have inherited one.
The best thing I did was choose the right heroes.
Our most emotionally active life is lived in our dreams, and our cells renew themselves most industriously in sleep. We reach highest in meditation, and farthest in prayer. In stillness every human being is great; he is free from the experience of hostility; he is a poet, and most like an angel.
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