The first office of justice is to keep one man from doing harm to another, unless provoked by wrong; and the next is to lead men to use common possessions for the common interests, private property for their own.
In his discussion of justice, Cicero outlines its primary functions as preventing harm and guiding the use of both common and private resources for appropriate interests.
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Whether we do the kindness or not is optional; but to fail to requite one is not allowable to a good man, provided he can make the requital without violating the rights of others.
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.
In my opinion, at least, we should always strive to secure a peace that shall not admit of guile.
What a sorry state of servitude for a virtue--to be pandering to sensual pleasure!
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