Off. 1.26.1Atque etiam in rēbus prosperīs et ad voluntātem nostram fluentibus superbiam magnopere, fastīdium arrogantiamque fugiāmus.And in prosperity too, when things flow according to our wishes, let us strenuously avoid pride, disdain and arrogance. Off. 1.26.1Nam ut adversās rēs, sīc secundās immoderātē ferre levitātis est, praeclāraque est aequābilitās in omnī vītā et īdem semper vultus eademque frōns, ut dē Sōcrate itemque dē C. Laeliō accēpimus.For to bear prosperity immoderately, as well as adversity, is the mark of a shallow man, and admirable is an even temper throughout life, always the same expression and the same brow, as we have heard of Socrates and likewise of Gaius Laelius. Off. 1.26.1Philippum quidem, Macedonum rēgem, rēbus gestīs et glōriā superātum ā fīliō, facilitāte et hūmānitāte videō superiōrem fuisse;Philip, king of the Macedonians, I observe, though surpassed by his son in achievements and glory, was his superior in affability and humanity; Off. 1.26.1itaque alter semper magnus, alter saepe turpissimus;and so the one was always great, the other often most disgraceful; Off. 1.26.1ut rēctē praecipere videantur, quī monent, ut, quantō superiōrēs sīmus, tantō nōs gerāmus summissius.so that those who advise that the higher we stand, the more humbly we should conduct ourselves, seem to give right counsel.
Off. 1.26.1Panaetius quidem Āfricānum, audītōrem et familiārem suum, solitum ait dīcere, "ut equōs propter crēbrās contentiōnēs proeliōrum ferōcitāte exsultantēs domitōribus trādere soleant, ut iīs faciliōribus possint ūtī, sīc hominēs secundīs rēbus effrēnātōs sibique praefīdentēs tamquam in gȳrum ratiōnis et doctrīnae dūcī oportēre, ut perspicerent rērum hūmānārum imbēcillitātem varietātemque fortūnae."Panaetius says that Africanus, his pupil and friend, used to say: 'just as men hand over to trainers horses that have grown wild and spirited from frequent clashes of battle, so that they may find them more manageable to use, so men who are unbridled by prosperity and overconfident in themselves ought to be led, as it were, into the training ring of reason and learning, so that they may see clearly the frailty of human affairs and the fickleness of fortune.' Off. 1.26.91Atque etiam in secundissimīs rēbus maximē est ūtendum cōnsiliō amīcōrum iīsque maior etiam quam ante tribuenda auctōritās.And also in the greatest prosperity we should make the fullest use of the advice of friends, and grant them even more authority than before. Off. 1.26.91Īsdemque temporibus cavendum est, nē assentātōribus patefaciāmus aurīs nēve adūlārī nōs sināmus, in quō fallī facile est;And at such times we must take care not to open our ears to flatterers or allow ourselves to be fawned upon, for in this it is easy to be deceived; Off. 1.26.91tālēs enim nōs esse putāmus, ut iūre laudēmur;for we think we are such as to deserve praise by right; Off. 1.26.91ex quō nāscuntur innumerābilia peccāta, cum hominēs īnflātī opīniōnibus turpiter irrīdentur et in maximīs versantur errōribus.from this arise countless errors, when men puffed up with conceit are shamefully mocked and are caught up in the greatest mistakes.
Off. 1.26.91Sed haec quidem hāctenus.But enough of this. Off. 1.26.92Illud autem sīc est iūdicandum, maximās gerī rēs et maximī animī ab iīs, quī rēs pūblicās regant, quod eārum administrātiō lātissimē pateat ad plūrimōsque pertineat;This, however, is how one should judge: that the greatest affairs, and those calling for the greatest spirit, are conducted by those who govern states, because their administration extends most widely and concerns the greatest number; Off. 1.26.92esse autem magnī animī et fuisse multōs etiam in vītā ōtiōsā, quī aut investīgārent aut cōnārentur magna quaedam sēsēque suārum rērum fīnibus continērent aut interiectī inter philosophōs et eōs, quī rem pūblicam administrārent, dēlectārentur rē suā familiārī nōn eam quidem omnī ratiōne exaggerantēs neque exclūdentēs ab eius ūsū suōs potiusque et amīcīs impertientēs et reī pūblicae, sī quandō ūsus esset.but that there are, and have been, many men of great spirit in a life of leisure too, who either investigated or attempted some great things and kept themselves within the bounds of their own affairs, or, placed midway between philosophers and those who govern the state, took pleasure in managing their own property, not indeed heaping it up by every means, nor shutting their own people out from its use, but rather sharing it with their friends and with the state, whenever there was need.
Off. 1.26.92Quae prīmum bene parta sit nūllō neque turpī quaestū neque odiōsō, deinde augeātur ratiōne, dīligentiā, parsimōniā, tum quam plūrimīs, modo dignīs, sē ūtilem praebeat nec libīdinī potius luxuriaeque quam līberālitātī et beneficentiae pāreat.This property should first be well acquired, by no gain either shameful or hateful; then it should be increased by good sense, diligence and thrift; then it should make itself useful to as many as possible, provided they are worthy, and should obey liberality and beneficence rather than lust and luxury. Off. 1.26.92Haec praescrīpta servantem licet magnificē, graviter animōsēque vīvere atque etiam simpliciter, fidēliter, ° vērē hominum amīcē.One who keeps these rules may live magnificently, with dignity and with spirit, and also simply, faithfully, as a true friend of mankind.