“ Men who have degraded all their powers of thought to an object so mean and contemptible can of course raise their eyes to nothing lofty, to nothing grand and divine. ”
Marcus Tullius Cicero, On Friendship (44 BC). copy citation
| Author | Marcus Tullius Cicero |
|---|---|
| Source | On Friendship |
| Topic | power degrading |
| Date | 44 BC |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by E. S. Shuckburgh |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2808/2808-h/2808-h.htm |
Context
“so we look on friendship as worth trying for, not because we are attracted to it by the expectation of ulterior gain, but in the conviction that what it has to give us is from first to last included in the feeling itself.
Far different is the view of those who, like brute beasts, refer everything to sensual pleasure. And no wonder. Men who have degraded all their powers of thought to an object so mean and contemptible can of course raise their eyes to nothing lofty, to nothing grand and divine. Such persons indeed let us leave out of the present question. And let us accept the doctrine that the sensation of love and the warmth of inclination have their origin in a spontaneous feeling which arises directly the presence of probity is indicated.”
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