Cicero: Selected Works, in the Penguin Classics edition translated by Michael Grant, brings together some of the most powerful writings of Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BC), the Roman statesman, lawyer, philosopher, and orator widely regarded as the greatest speaker of the ancient world. This collection includes several of his most famous speeches, philosophical treatises, and personal letters, offering a vivid portrait of a man who stood at the centre of the Roman Republic’s most turbulent era.
Among the works included are Cicero’s devastating prosecution speeches against Verres, the corrupt governor of Sicily, and his fiery Catiline Orations, in which he exposed a conspiracy to overthrow the Roman government. These speeches demonstrate Cicero’s mastery of rhetorical technique — his ability to build arguments, appeal to emotions, and demolish opponents with logic and wit. The collection also features selections from his philosophical works, including On the Good Life, where Cicero draws on Stoic and Epicurean thought to explore questions about happiness, duty, and moral virtue.
What makes Cicero enduringly relevant is that he was not merely a thinker but a practitioner. He served as consul of Rome, navigated deadly political rivalries with Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Mark Antony, and ultimately paid for his convictions with his life — he was assassinated on Antony’s orders in 43 BC. His writings are not abstract philosophy but urgent reflections from a man fighting to preserve a republic he believed in.
For advanced English learners, Cicero’s Selected Works offers exceptional practice in formal argumentation and persuasive writing. The translated prose is elegant and complex, with long sentences that reward careful reading. Studying Cicero teaches you how to construct logical arguments, use rhetorical questions, and build speeches that move an audience — skills that remain essential in law, politics, and academic writing today.
本から学ぶ英語のレッスン
1. ““The safety of the people shall be the highest law.””
それが何を意味するか: Cicero argues that protecting citizens is the most important duty of any government — more important than any written law or tradition.
📝 英語のレッスン: "Shall be" expresses a strong obligation or declaration about what must happen. "The highest law" uses the superlative to rank this principle above all others. This sentence pattern — "X shall be Y" — is commonly used in legal and constitutional language.
2. ““A room without books is like a body without a soul.””
それが何を意味するか: A home that contains no books is empty and lifeless, just as a human body without a soul has no meaning or spirit.
📝 英語のレッスン: "A X without Y is like a Z without W" is a simile structure that compares two things by highlighting what each one lacks. This parallel construction is elegant and easy to remember. Try it yourself: "A garden without flowers is like a sky without stars."
3. ““The authority of those who teach is often an obstacle to those who want to learn.””
それが何を意味するか: When teachers are too rigid or authoritative, they can actually prevent students from thinking independently and learning freely.
📝 英語のレッスン: "The authority of those who" uses a relative clause to describe a group of people. "An obstacle to" means "something that blocks." "Those who want to learn" mirrors the first clause’s structure, creating balance. This sentence teaches how to critique a system using formal, diplomatic language.
4. ““If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it.””
それが何を意味するか: Cicero argues that if a thought is acceptable in our minds, we should have the courage to express it openly.
📝 英語のレッスン: "If we are not ashamed to X, we should not be ashamed to Y" is a conditional argument for consistency. "Ashamed to" is followed by an infinitive verb. The parallel structure makes the logic feel airtight. This is a classic rhetorical technique: if you accept premise A, you must accept conclusion B.
5. ““Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.””
それが何を意味するか: Being thankful is the most important moral quality, and it gives birth to all other good qualities in a person.
📝 英語のレッスン: "Not only X, but Y" is a powerful conjunction pattern that adds emphasis by presenting two connected ideas. "The parent of" is a metaphor meaning "the source of" or "the origin of." The word "virtues" means positive moral qualities. This structure is very common in essays and speeches.
6. ““To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child.””
それが何を意味するか: If you do not know history, you can never truly grow up intellectually — you will always think like someone with no experience.
📝 英語のレッスン: "To be ignorant of" means "to not know about." "What occurred before" means "events that happened earlier." "To remain always a child" is the consequence. The structure "To be X is to be Y" defines one thing by equating it with another. This is a formal, philosophical sentence pattern.
7. ““I criticize by creation, not by finding fault.””
それが何を意味するか: Rather than simply pointing out what is wrong, Cicero prefers to improve things by building something better.
📝 英語のレッスン: "By creation" and "by finding fault" show two contrasting methods using the preposition "by" followed by a noun or gerund. "Not by" negates the second method. This sentence teaches how to express a personal philosophy concisely. Pattern: "I improve by doing, not by complaining."
8. ““The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.””
それが何を意味するか: Those who have died live on through the memories that living people keep of them. Remembering someone is a way of keeping them alive.
📝 英語のレッスン: "The life of the dead" is paradoxical — how can the dead have life? The answer is in the second half: "in the memory of the living." "Is placed in" uses passive voice to show where something resides. The contrast between "dead" and "living" creates a powerful balance. This sentence demonstrates how English can express profound ideas through carefully balanced opposites.
Cicero’s prose, even in translation, retains its rhetorical power and formal elegance. These quotes demonstrate key persuasive techniques: parallel structure, simile, conditional arguments, and balanced opposites. For advanced learners, studying Cicero is excellent preparation for academic writing, debate, and public speaking in English.
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