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Single Idea 5893

[filed under theme 1. Philosophy / A. Wisdom / 2. Wise People ]

Full Idea

The wise man does nothing of which he can repent, nothing against his will, does everything nobly, consistently, soberly, rightly, not looking forward to anything as bound to come, is not astonished at any novel occurrence, abides by his own decisions.

Gist of Idea

A wise man has integrity, firmness of will, nobility, consistency, sobriety, patience

Source

M. Tullius Cicero (Tusculan Disputations [c.44 BCE], V.xxviii)

Book Ref

Cicero: 'Tusculan Disputations', ed/tr. King,J.E. [Harvard Loeb 1927], p.509

A Reaction

Notice that the wise man never exhibits weakness of will (an Aristotelian virtue), and is consistent (as Kant proposed), and is patient (as the Stoics proposed). But Cicero doesn't think he should busy himself maximising happiness.

The 32 ideas with the same theme [sort of character traits which accompany wisdom]:

6319 Wise people choose inaction and silence [Laozi (Lao Tzu)]
6325 One who knows does not speak; one who speaks does not know [Laozi (Lao Tzu)]
421 Men who love wisdom must be inquirers into very many things indeed [Heraclitus]
13780 Good people are no different from wise ones [Plato]
2136 Philosophers become as divine and orderly as possible, by studying divinity and order [Plato]
2682 Aristotle thinks human life is not important enough to spend a whole life on it [Nagel on Aristotle]
103 Wise people can contemplate alone, though co-operation helps [Aristotle]
545 It is not much help if a doctor knows about universals but not the immediate particular [Aristotle]
14519 It is a great good to show reverence for a wise man [Epicurus]
20801 A wise man's chief strength is not being tricked; nothing is worse than error, frivolity or rashness [Zeno of Citium, by Cicero]
20853 Wise men should try to participate in politics, since they are a good influence [Chrysippus, by Diog. Laertius]
20854 Wise men are never astonished at things which other people take to be wonders [Stoic school, by Diog. Laertius]
20866 Wise men participate in politics, especially if it shows moral progress [Stoic school, by Stobaeus]
20871 Unfortunately we choose a way of life before we are old enough to think clearly [Cicero]
5893 A wise man has integrity, firmness of will, nobility, consistency, sobriety, patience [Cicero]
13295 Wise people escape necessity by willing it [Seneca]
13560 A wise man is not subservient to anything [Seneca]
23350 A wise philosophers uses reason to cautiously judge each aspect of living [Epictetus]
3067 A philosopher should have principles ready for understanding, like a surgeon with instruments [Aurelius]
22115 Wise people should contemplate and discuss the truth, and fight against falsehood [Aquinas]
6259 Why can't a wise man doubt everything? [Montaigne]
7914 To try to be wise all on one's own is folly [Rochefoucauld]
12903 Wise people have fewer acts of will, because such acts are linked together [Leibniz]
20262 Don't use wisdom in order to become clever! [Nietzsche]
14863 Unlike science, true wisdom involves good taste [Nietzsche]
20383 The wisest man is full of contradictions, and attuned to other people, with occasional harmony [Nietzsche]
16010 While faith is a passion (as Kierkegaard says), wisdom is passionless [Wittgenstein]
7536 If you hope to improve the world, all you can do is improve yourself [Wittgenstein]
22397 Wisdom is open to all, and not just to the clever or well trained [Foot]
19694 Wisdom is the property of a person, not of their cognitive state [Zagzebski, by Whitcomb]
18495 The best philosophers I know are the best people I know [Heil]
15833 Tell cleverness from answers, but wisdom from questions [Mahfouz]