On the record44 BC
There is, to be sure, more of present satisfaction in what is handed out, like cash down; nevertheless public improvements win us greater gratitude with posterity.
Said by
Cicero
Source
gutenberg.orgCicero: “There is, to be sure, more of present satisfaction in what is handed out, like cash down; nevertheless public…”
Editor's note · Context
From his treatise on moral duties, Cicero contrasts immediate gratification from handouts with the lasting gratitude earned by public works.
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44 BC
Still, I do not mean to find fault with the accumulation of property, provided it hurts nobody, but unjust acquisition of it is always to be avoided.
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Moreover, all our thought and mental activity will be devoted either to planning for things that are morally right and that conduce to a good and happy life, or to the pursuits of science and learning.
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Further than this, who fails to see that those promises are not binding which are extorted by intimidation or which we make when misled by false pretences?
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From this attitude come greatness of soul and a sense of superiority to worldly conditions.
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