Cicero quotes

106 BC–43 BC · Roman statesman, lawyer and orator

Cicero's speeches and hundreds of letters survive, making him the best-documented person of the ancient world. Several of his "quotes" online are polished up beyond recognition.

2 real · 1 not theirs

Really theirs

2 quotes traced to Cicero's own work or a reliable witness.

Sourced

The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law.

Source: De Legibus III.8 ("Salus populi suprema lex esto")

Sourced

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.

Source: Pro Plancio 80

Not theirs

1 famous lines credited to Cicero that are misquoted, unsourced or belong to someone else.

Misquoted

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.

The real words: In a letter to Varro (Ad Familiares IX.4) he wrote: "If you have a garden in your library, nothing will be lacking." One garden, inside the library.