On the Good Life

This is not really one book, but a collection of five pieces by Cicero, the first century BCE Roman politician and orator. Cicero was such a prolific writer that I can imagine any attempt to organize his works thematically is daunting. This volume contains sections from the larger works Discussion at Tusculum, On Duties, On the Orator, and On the State. The treatise Laelius: On Friendship is also included. On one hand, On the Good Life feels rather disjointed, since the reader is constantly ‘satelliting’ into larger works that are already ‘in progress’. On the other hand, this volume efficiently accomplishes its purpose of creating a very accessible introduction to Cicero, which is great for literary newbies like me. Like many show more other titles in the Penguin Classics series, this book was intended as an ‘entry point’ for Cicero, not an exhaustive encyclopedia of all things Cicero (this would require its own dedicated bookshelf). show less

To give Cicero’s writings a rating is somehow otiose and presumptuous.
But I do so as a gesture of recognition and of gratitude, for some of the clearest and best-expressed thought of the last two and a half millennia.
For Cicero’s writings I am profoundly grateful, and I feel a longing to express that publicly together with my admiration.

The introduction and other introductory material by Michael Grant in this edition exceptionally clear and useful.

The famous Roman statesman's writings on a variety of subjects which have been loosely bracketed together as "On the Good Life". I was particularly drawn to his essays on Duties and Friendship, both of which contain thoughts we could well apply to ourselves and find life much happier as a result.