Quotes by Cicero – Part I

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 — 43 BC).

Roman philosopher, orator, writer, lawyer and politician

Friendship, Love, Passion

One good friendship is more worthy than a hundred relatives.

Of all human loves, the least egotistical, most pure and lacking of self-interest is the love of friendship.

To live without friendship is not living.

The first precept of friendship is to only ask of friends that which is honest, and do for them only that which is honest.

You recognize the right friend in the wrong situations.

Friendship begins where personal interests end.

No duty is more important than gratefulness.

He who distances himself from life’s friendships seems to have torn out the sun from the world, for the immortal gods have not bestowed upon us anything better nor sweeter.

The better a person is, the more difficult it becomes of him to suspect wickedness in others.

Friendship only reaches its fullest glow in the maturity of age and spirit.

Friendship is simply the lovable concordance in all the matters of life.

Personal satisfaction corrupts love and friendship. Respect conserves it.

Is there anything more pleasing than to have someone with whom to speak to about anything and everything as if we were talking to ourselves?

A friend is like a second me.

Love is the desire to gain the friendship of a person whose beauty we are attracted to.

There is nothing that cannot be attained by willpower, kindness and mainly, with love.

There is nothing more gratifying than corresponded affection. Nothing more perfect than reciprocal tastes and the sharing of attention.

Love conquers all.

Love is the consequence of a spiritual attraction found above mere human passion.

What most helps conserve and maintain our strength is the fact that we are loved; and what most opposes us is the fact that we have fear. Fear is a poor guard of our longevity; benevolence, on the contrary, is faithful and enduring for all of eternity.

I believe that nothing is difficult for those who love.

No one will say that it was out of love. Everyone will call it defeat.

Passion is like a fire: useful in innumerous ways and dangerous in only one way: in excess.