On the Good Life (Penguin Classics)

"On the Good Life" by Cicero is not a single treatise but a collection of treatises anthologized together on the theme of the good life. This selection brings together selections from the Tusculan Disputations, Di Officiis (On Duties/Obligations), Laelius de Amicitia (On Friendship), De Oratore (On the Ideal Orator), and the "Dream of Scipio" from the end of De re Publica. As such, this is a nifty selection of some of Cicero's most important works on themes that are endure forever.Cicero's importance on early Christianity cannot be understated, especially if anyone has read St. Augustine who frequently cites Cicero. Cicero's eloquence and writing style was emulated after his death and was a core aspect of the classical curriculum. Cicero experienced a tremendous revival in study and literary imitation beginning in the 1700s and remains a quintessential cornerstone to Western thought, ideals, culture, and criticism. This selection is an affordable and easy to read anthology that exposes the reader to the brilliance of Cicero, his thoughts, and enduring relevance. While one should inevitably read the fuller dialogues and treatises of Cicero (or what remains of them), this selection makes for a good overview of Cicero's many works and the themes he covers: from politics and friendship to happiness and ethics.

What strikes me as kind of funny is that I would like to frame this review as "take a step back from the current political chaos, and listen to a voice of wisdom from long ago." I still think this is a great idea, but have to admit that Cicero managed to produce the bulk of his writing just at the time when he was in the midst of enormous political chaos --- and family tragedy.Somehow, he managed to turn out a whole bunch of fascinating writing, particularly dealing with the question, "Is moral goodness enough to give us a happy life?" This, I think, is a deceptively simple question, and it brings to mind all sorts of scenarios: going into the slave trade to make your millions, and then retiring to have nightmares for the rest of your life, or perhaps: what should you do when you find your parents have died and all of your siblings have turned into Greed Machines and are ready to fight on for years in the courts over every last stamp in Dad's stamp collection? I know at least one couple who simply withdrew from the Greedfest, and I suspect that they were much happier than their relatives.Finally, I think a good acquaintance with Cicero is a magnificent thing for an American citizen. I must say, I find it absolutely impossible to even imagine Pelosi and Reid reading this book; they are quoted as being completely busy "wining and dining" their big donors in Pacific Heights. But perhaps this is one place where Joe Citizen can steal a march on them! :-)Good stuff here!

I found this book to be a great introduction to Cicero's works. This work does not contain any of his famous speeches but rather a few of the essays he composed while in exile in Tusculum. Thus though it is a good introduction to his works, it is certainly not representative of them.Cicero is often called Rome's greatest orator and sometimes even the greatest thinker in the Roman Republic. Certainly, whatever the merits of these appellations, Cicero certainly was one of the greatest thinkers anywhere in the Classical world. The clarity and thoughtfulness of his writings and speeches are superceded only by their timelessness.This anthology explores Cicero's ideas relating to how one should live one's life in order to be happy. The general conclusion is that one should live a moral and balanced life, and that in so doing, one will find happiness. These ideas are then fleshed out regarding friendships, duties to others, and the like. The material is usually thought-provoking and well put together, and the translation is solid.In the end, I was struck by the degree to which Cicero managed to synthesize realism and idealism into a whole which was not only practical and empirically sound but also based on the noblest of ideals. His works are thus both challenging and rewarding for people of any viewpoint on life.

This is an exceptional work by an outstanding Roman civic leader of talent and dedication. I was first acquainted with Cicero through his Cataline Orations which I read in Latin in High School. Yes, we have been debased since the 60's. Our society is no longer acquainted with this original thinker and orator. Cicero was not a media darling; he was not a mere rhetorician. He faced serious issues in the arena of give and take and his logic and reasoning is superb. He did not rely on "talking heads" and polls. He had strength of will and a sense of public virtue and he was dedicated to the good of his country and was willing to sacrifice himself in defending that good.But, beyond that, he adhered to the Stoic philosophy, originating in Classical Greece. This book, very readible, from "ancient" Rome, provides Cicero's personal philosophical belief to the way of personal virtue for a citizen. This book has significant value for one seeking answers to personal approaches to our modern American world of adulation of media, Hollywood,"Super Models", political, and seclarist royalty to the neglect of country.The time to revisit Cicero' philosphical works, and the works of other stoics, is at hand.

A good selection, and a more than decent translation, with an extremely good and useful introduction that contextualises the text. A good way of getting to know this part of Cicero’s work, while also opening up ways into the rest. Highly recommended

Beautiful BIG Folio edition of some of the greatest works of Cicero, including The Tuscan Dialogues, On Friendship, Duties II & III,and the Dream of Scipio. Cover illustration repeated on frontpage, otherwise no other illustrations, with heavy slipcover. Beautiful edition.

Happy people are wise. Wise people are happy..Read it and read it again..and then read some more...It is full of wisdom..

This is an eminently readable translation of some of Cicero's finest writings.

very thinkable