Friendship is the only thing in the world concerning the usefulness of which all mankind are agreed.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
Nothing so cements and holds together all the parts of a society as faith or credit, which can never be kept up unless men are under some force or necessity of honestly paying what they owe to one another.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Trust and responsibility are essential for a cohesive society.
Cicero emphasizes the importance of faith and credit as foundational elements that bind the members of a society together. He argues that such trust is sustained by the moral obligation to fulfill one's debts and obligations to others, suggesting that honesty and integrity are crucial for societal unity and functioning.
Themes
FaithTrustCreditSocietyResponsibilityHonesty
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about community values, I might quote Cicero to highlight the importance of trust among residents.
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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