Our first object, then, should be to prevent a breach; our second, to secure that, if it does occur, our friendship should seem to have died a natural rather than a violent death.
Cicero: “Our first object, then, should be to prevent a breach; our second, to secure that, if it does occur, our friendship…”
Editor's note · Context
Offering strategic advice on maintaining and ending friendships, this passage prioritizes preventing breaches and ensuring any dissolution appears natural rather than violent.
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From this attitude come greatness of soul and a sense of superiority to worldly conditions.
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