On the Good Life (Penguin Classics) 1st Edition

by Marcus Tullius Cicero (Author), Michael Grant (Translator, Introduction)

109 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0140442441

ISBN-10: 0140442448

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For the great Roman orator and statesman Cicero, 'the good life' was at once a life of contentment and one of moral virtue - and the two were inescapably intertwined. This volume brings together a wide range of his reflections upon the importance of moral integrity in the search for happiness. In essays that are articulate, meditative and inspirational, Cicero presents his views upon the significance of friendship and duty to state and family, and outlines a clear system of practical ethics that is at once simple and universal. These works offer a timeless reflection upon the human condition, and a fascinating insight into the mind of one of the greatest thinkers of Ancient Rome.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This volume brings together his tentative and undogmatic reflections on the good life, in which he discusses duty, friendship, the training of a statesman, and the importance of moral integrity in the search for happiness.

About the Author

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC) was born at Arpinium to a wealthy local family. By 70 BC he had established himself as the leading barrister in Rome, and begun his political career. His ambition was such that he was able to receive honours usually only given to members of the Roman aristocracy. Michael Grant has successively been Chancellor's Medallist and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, Professor of Humanity at Edinburgh University, first Vice-chancellor of Khartoum University, President and Vice-chancellor of the Queen's University, Belfast and President of the Classical Association.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics; 1st Edition (September 30, 1971)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140442448
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140442441
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 12 and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.77 x 5.06 x 0.7 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #66,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #12 in Classic Roman Literature
- #44 in Classic Greek Literature
- #46 in Ethics

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Paul Krause

Excellent Selections of Cicero's Highlighted Works

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2019

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"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.

14 people found this helpful

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Christopher R. Travers

Great anthology

Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2008

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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.

14 people found this helpful

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User

Only contain On Duties part 2

Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2020

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As titled.

One person found this helpful

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Dennis K. Taylor

Welcome Cicero

Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2009

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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.

14 people found this helpful

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T. Hooper

Cicero--Statesman and Philosopher

Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2008

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One thing to note about this book is that it is a collection of selected chapters from Cicero's works. The only work that is complete is "On Friendship". More than likely, this was designed for literature classes that needed a sampling of Cicero without getting too deep into his writings. If you're a first time reader who would like a sample of Cicero to see if you would like to read more of his works, then this would be a good collection to get you started. However, if you would like complete works, you should avoid this book.

9 people found this helpful

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Peter Monks

Happiness through service before self?

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2011

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In Cicero's view, happiness was a by-product of a life led virtuously (or the 'good life' of the title). If the essays in On Government (Penguin Classics) emphasises the 'how' of public life, this collection of essays, Cicero articulates the 'why'. In this collection, Cicero indulges in his favourite narrative device (an imagined conversation in which the key protagonist gets most of - and usually the best - lines) a bit too much for my liking. This particularly applies to the long essay "The Orator", which while containing some interesting food for thought and reflection almost appears to belong in "On Government". Overall, of considerable interest, especially the essays "On Duties" and "On Friendship", and I am sure it will bear a few re-reads and continue to be enlightening in the future.

4 people found this helpful

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Richard Munro

This is the single best introduction to Cicero

Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2013

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This is the single best introduction to Cicero. This is an anthology of Cicero's prose writings by the late historian Michael Grant. I have read this book at least a dozen times. Just the introduction (about 40 pages) is worth the price of the book.

12 people found this helpful

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Marcolorenzo

Beautiful BIG Folio Society edition

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 14, 2017

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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.

anonymous

Stand on Ciceros shoulder

Reviewed in India on July 23, 2021

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Happy people are wise. Wise people are happy..

Read it and read it again..and then read some more...

It is full of wisdom..

markymark

Great translation

Reviewed in Canada on November 13, 2020

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

Amazon Customer

very thinkable

Reviewed in India on October 23, 2017

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very thinkable

VENKATARATNAM GAREKAPATI

Four Stars

Reviewed in India on March 12, 2017

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