“We think a happy life consists in tranquility of mind.”

— Cicero, On the Nature of the Gods (De Natura Deorum), Book I, 6

About Cicero

106 BC – 43 BC

Roman statesman, orator and philosopher, whose speeches and letters are among the most important sources on the late Roman Republic.

“Persistence in a single view has never been regarded as a merit in political leaders.”

“Fear is not a lasting teacher of duty.”

“There is said to be hope for a sick man, as long as there is life.”

“Let us be content to live in the mind.”

“For God made all mankind to be happy, to be serene.”

“The universe is flux, life is opinion.”

“The happiness of men consists in life. And life is in labor.”

“There is only one enduring happiness in life—to live for others.”

“Art is long, life short, judgment difficult, opportunity transient.”