Wherefore, though it is with those who catch at and invite it that this flattering falsehood is especially powerful, yet men even of soldier and steadier character must be warned to be on the watch against being taken in by cunningly disguised flattery.
Offering a cautionary note on the insidious nature of insincere praise, Cicero advises that even individuals of strong and steady character must remain vigilant against cleverly concealed flattery.
Share
More from Cicero
But for the most part, people are led to wrong-doing in order to secure some personal end; in this vice, avarice is generally the controlling motive.
There are, on the other hand, two kinds of injustice--the one, on the part of those who inflict wrong, the other on the part of those who, when they can, do not shield from wrong those upon whom it is being inflicted.
For nothing is more commendable, nothing more becoming in a pre-eminently great man than courtesy and forbearance.
In the matter of a promise one must always consider the meaning and not the mere words.
Other voices in this conversation
