Friendship is the only thing in the world concerning the usefulness of which all mankind are agreed.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
It is as hard for the good to suspect evil, as it is for the bad to suspect good.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the difficulty of recognizing the opposite moral qualities in oneself and others.
Cicero's quote reflects on the nature of human perception and morality, suggesting that inherently good individuals struggle to conceive of evil in others, while those with bad intentions find it hard to believe in goodness. This speaks to the tendency of people to project their own moral compass onto others, emphasizing the complexities of trust and suspicion in human relationships.
Themes
MoralityPerceptionGoodnessEvilTrust
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about ethics in a classroom setting.
More from Marcus Tullius Cicero
All quotes →Those 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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