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[77] There is, then, to bring the discussion back to the1 point from which it digressed, no vice more offensive than avarice, especially in men who stand foremost and hold the helm of state. For to exploit the state for selfish profit is not only immoral; it is criminal, infamous. And so the oracle, which the Pythian Apollo uttered, that “Sparta should not fall from any other cause than avarice,” seems to be a prophecy not to the Lacedaemonians alone, but to all wealthy nations as well. They who direct the affairs of state, then, can win the good-will of the masses by no other means more easily than by self-restraint and self-denial.

1 Integrity vs. avarice.

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load focus Notes (Walter Miller, 1913)
load focus Introduction (Walter Miller, 1913)
load focus Latin (Walter Miller, 1913)
hide References (7 total)
  • Cross-references in indexes to this page (7):
    • M. Tullius Cicero, De Officiis: index, Apollo
    • M. Tullius Cicero, De Officiis: index, Avarice
    • M. Tullius Cicero, De Officiis: index, Integrity
    • M. Tullius Cicero, De Officiis: index, Pythian
    • M. Tullius Cicero, De Officiis: index, Sparta
    • M. Tullius Cicero, De Officiis: index, Temperance
    • M. Tullius Cicero, De Officiis: index, Vice
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