Off. 1.19.1Sed ea animī ēlātiō, quae cernitur in perīculīs et labōribus, sī iūstitiā vacat pugnatque nōn prō salūte commūnī, sed prō suīs commodīs, in vitiō est;But that elevation of spirit which is seen in dangers and toils, if it is empty of justice and fights not for the common safety but for its own advantage, is a vice; Off. 1.19.1nōn modo enim id virtūtis nōn est, sed est potius immānitātis omnem hūmānitātem repellentis.for not only is this no mark of virtue, but rather of a savagery that rejects all humanity. Off. 1.19.1Itaque probē dēfīnītur ā Stōicīs fortitūdō, cum eam virtūtem esse dīcunt prōpugnantem prō aequitāte.Thus courage is rightly defined by the Stoics when they say that it is the virtue that fights in defence of fairness. Off. 1.19.1Quōcircā nēmō, quī fortitūdinis glōriam cōnsecūtus est īnsidiīs et malitiā, laudem est adeptus;Therefore no one who has gained a reputation for courage by treachery and malice has won praise; Off. 1.19.1nihil enim honestum esse potest, quod iūstitiā vacat.for nothing can be honourable which is empty of justice. Off. 1.19.63Praeclārum igitur illud Platōnis: "Nōn," inquit, "sōlum scientia, quae est remōta ab iūstitiā, calliditās potius quam sapientia est appellanda, vērum etiam animus parātus ad perīculum, sī suā cupiditāte, nōn ūtilitāte commūnī impellitur, audāciae potius nōmen habeat quam fortitūdinis."Splendid, then, is that saying of Plato: 'Not only should knowledge which is divorced from justice be called cunning rather than wisdom,' he says, 'but also a spirit ready to face danger, if it is driven by its own desire and not by the common good, should have the name of recklessness rather than of courage.' Off. 1.19.63Itaque virōs fortēs et magnanimōs eōsdem bonōs et simplicēs, vēritātis amīcōs minimēque fallācēs esse volumus;And so we wish brave and great-souled men to be at the same time good and straightforward, friends of truth and not at all deceitful; Off. 1.19.63quae sunt ex mediā laude iūstitiae.and these qualities are from the very heart of the praise of justice.
Off. 1.19.64Sed illud odiōsum est, quod in hāc ēlātiōne et magnitūdine animī facillimē pertinācia et nimia cupiditās prīncipātūs innāscitur.But this is hateful, that in this elevation and greatness of spirit obstinacy and an excessive desire for pre-eminence very easily spring up. Off. 1.19.64Ut enim apud Platōnem est, omnem mōrem Lacedaemoniōrum īnflammātum esse cupiditāte vincendī, sīc, ut quisque animī magnitūdine maximē excellet, ita maximē vult prīnceps omnium vel potius sōlus esse.For just as we read in Plato that the whole character of the Spartans was inflamed with the desire to win, so the more a man excels in greatness of spirit, the more he wishes to be the first of all, or rather the only one. Off. 1.19.64Difficile autem est, cum praestāre omnibus concupierīs, servāre aequitātem, quae est iūstitiae maximē propria.But it is difficult, when you have set your heart on surpassing everyone, to keep that fairness which is most characteristic of justice. Off. 1.19.64Ex quō fit, ut neque disceptātiōne vincī sē nec ūllō pūblicō ac lēgitimō iūre patiantur, exsistuntque in rē pūblicā plērumque largītōrēs et factiōsī, ut opēs quam maximās cōnsequantur et sint vī potius superiōrēs quam iūstitiā parēs.Hence it comes about that they do not allow themselves to be overcome either by argument or by any public and lawful right, and in the state there generally appear bribers and partisans, so that they may gain the greatest possible power and be superior by force rather than equal by justice.
Off. 1.19.64Sed quō difficilius, hōc praeclārius;But the more difficult it is, the more splendid; Off. 1.19.64nūllum enim est tempus, quod iūstitiā vacāre dēbeat.for there is no occasion which ought to be empty of justice. Off. 1.19.65Fortēs igitur et magnanimī sunt habendī, nōn quī faciunt, sed quī prōpulsant iniūriam.Brave and great-souled, therefore, are to be considered not those who do injury but those who repel it. Off. 1.19.65Vēra autem et sapiēns animī magnitūdō honestum illud, quod maximē nātūra sequitur, in factīs positum, nōn in glōriā iūdicat prīncipemque sē esse māvult quam vidērī;True and wise greatness of spirit judges that the honourable, which nature most pursues, lies in deeds, not in glory, and prefers to be foremost rather than to seem so; Off. 1.19.65etenim quī ex errōre imperītae multitūdinis pendet, hic in magnīs virīs nōn est habendus.for he who hangs on the error of the ignorant crowd is not to be counted among great men. Off. 1.19.65Facillimē autem ad rēs iniūstās impellitur, ut quisque altissimō animō est, glōriae cupiditāte;But the loftier a man's spirit is, the more easily is he driven to unjust acts by the desire for glory; Off. 1.19.65quī locus est sānē lūbricus, quod vix invenītur, quī labōribus susceptīs perīculīsque aditīs nōn quasi mercēdem rērum gestārum dēsīderet glōriam.and this is a very slippery place indeed, because hardly anyone is found who, having undertaken toils and faced dangers, does not long for glory as a kind of reward for his deeds.