On Obligations (De officiis) was written in 44 BC, shortly after Caesar’s assassination and shortly before Cicero’s own. Cicero discusses the nature of the honorable, our obligation to pursue the honorable through the exercise of four cardinal virtues (wisdom, justice, beneficence, and magnanimity),

This book was written shortly after Caesar’s assassination in 44 B.C., and was heavily influenced by the Stoic school of philosophy. It could be said that this is a more historical than theoretical book, which makes it more practical in the light of daily experiences in a more direct way than other

Cicero's book is intelligent and charming, though his usual--how can I put this?--hatred of poor people does dull through the brilliance. But you shouldn't really need a goodreads review to convince you to read this book, which is tremendously important for the history of ideas Europe.

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Originally written for his son Marcus, this treatise expounds principles for a honorable life. The three books deal with 1) what is honorable, 2) what is useful and 3) what to do when the honorable "conflicts" with the useful.

In the end, Cicero argues that that which is honorable is also useful and

I have to admit, I'm not so great with reading the philosophers but when I started reading this book from the library, I realized I had to go out and buy my own edition so I could mark it up to my heart's content!! I didn't "learn" anything new as the values and ethics espoused in this treatise are

“Cicero, like thoughtful men of every age, knew that the reason vicious leaders like Caesar could rise to power was because the Roman population itself had been corrupted and no longer pursued the old virtues; a leader is, after all, a mirror of the people who choose him or at least allow him to ret