Off. 1.41.1Itaque, ut in fidibus mūsicōrum aurēs vel minima sentiunt, sīc nōs, sī ācrēs ac dīligentēs esse volumus animadversōrēs vitiōrum, magna saepe intellegēmus ex parvīs.And so, as in lyres the ears of musicians perceive even the slightest faults, so we, if we wish to be keen and diligent observers of faults, shall often learn great things from small ones. Off. 1.41.1Ex oculōrum optūtū, superciliōrum aut remissiōne aut contractiōne, ex maestitiā, ex hilaritāte, ex rīsū, ex locūtiōne, ex reticentiā, ex contentiōne vōcis, ex summissiōne, ex cēterīs similibus facile iūdicābimus, quid eōrum aptē fīat, quid ab officiō nātūraque discrepet.From the glance of the eyes, from the relaxing or contracting of the brows, from sadness, from cheerfulness, from laughter, from speech, from silence, from raising the voice, from lowering it, from other similar things we shall easily judge which of them is done fittingly and which is at odds with duty and nature. Off. 1.41.1Quō in genere nōn est incommodum, quāle quidque eōrum sit, ex aliīs iūdicāre, ut, sī quid dēdeceat in illīs, vītēmus ipsī;In this matter it is not unhelpful to judge from others what each of these things is like, so that, if anything is unbecoming in them, we ourselves may avoid it; Off. 1.41.1fit enim nesciō quō modō, ut magis in aliīs cernāmus quam in nōbīsmet ipsīs, sī quid dēlinquitur.for somehow it happens that we perceive faults more in others than in ourselves, if anything goes amiss.
Off. 1.41.1Itaque facillimē corriguntur in discendō, quōrum vitia imitantur ēmendandī causā magistrī.And so those pupils are most easily corrected in learning whose faults their teachers imitate in order to correct them. Off. 1.41.147Nec vērō aliēnum est ad ea ēligenda, quae dubitātiōnem afferunt, adhibēre doctōs hominēs vel etiam ūsū perītōs et, quid iīs dē quōque officiī genere placeat, exquīrere.Nor indeed is it out of place, in deciding matters that raise doubt, to call in learned men or even men experienced in practice, and to ask what they think about each kind of duty. Off. 1.41.147Maior enim pars eō ferē dēferrī solet, quō ā nātūrā ipsā dēdūcitur.For the majority are usually carried more or less where they are led by nature herself. Off. 1.41.147In quibus videndum est, nōn modo quid quisque loquātur, sed etiam quid quisque sentiat atque etiam dē quā causā quisque sentiat.In these cases we must consider not only what each person says but also what each thinks, and also for what reason each thinks it. Off. 1.41.147Ut enim pictōrēs et iī, quī signa fabricantur, et vērō etiam poētae suum quisque opus ā vulgō cōnsīderārī vult, ut, sī quid reprehēnsum sit ā plūribus, id corrigātur, iīque et sēcum et ab aliīs, quid in eō peccātum sit, exquīrunt, sīc aliōrum iūdiciō permulta nōbīs et facienda et nōn facienda et mūtanda et corrigenda sunt.For as painters and those who make statues, and indeed poets too, each wish their work to be examined by the public, so that, if anything has been criticised by many, it may be corrected, and they inquire both of themselves and of others what fault there is in it, so a great many things must be done and not done, changed and corrected by us at the judgement of others.
Off. 1.41.148Quae vērō mōre agentur īnstitūtīsque cīvīlibus, dē iīs nihil est praecipiendum;But concerning things done in accordance with custom and civic usage, no rules need be given; Off. 1.41.148illa enim ipsa praecepta sunt, nec quemquam hōc errōre dūcī oportet, ut, sī quid Sōcratēs aut Aristippus contrā mōrem cōnsuētūdinemque cīvīlem fēcerint locūtīve sint, idem sibi arbitrētur licēre;for these are themselves rules, and no one ought to be led into this error, that, if Socrates or Aristippus did or said something against custom and civic usage, he should think the same is permitted to himself; Off. 1.41.148magnīs illī et dīvīnīs bonīs hanc licentiam assequēbantur.they gained this licence by their great and godlike qualities. Off. 1.41.148Cynicōrum vērō ratiō tōta est ēicienda;The whole system of the Cynics, however, must be cast out; Off. 1.41.148est enim inimīca verēcundiae, sine quā nihil rēctum esse potest, nihil honestum.for it is hostile to modesty, without which nothing can be right, nothing honourable. Off. 1.41.149Eōs autem, quōrum vīta perspecta in rēbus honestīs atque magnīs est, bene dē rē pūblicā sentientēs ac bene meritōs aut merentēs sīc ut aliquō honōre aut imperiō affectōs observāre et colere dēbēmus, tribuere etiam multum senectūtī, cēdere iīs, quī magistrātum habēbunt, habēre dīlēctum cīvis et peregrīnī in ipsōque peregrīnō, prīvātimnē an pūblicē vēnerit.Those, moreover, whose life has been tested in honourable and great affairs, who think well of the state and have served or are serving it well, we ought to respect and honour as if they had been invested with some office or command; we should also defer much to old age, give way to those who hold office, make a distinction between citizen and foreigner, and, in the case of the foreigner himself, whether he has come privately or in an official capacity.
Off. 1.41.149Ad summam, nē agam dē singulīs, commūnem tōtīus generis hominum conciliātiōnem et cōnsociātiōnem colere, tuērī, servāre dēbēmus.In sum, not to treat each case singly, we ought to cherish, protect and preserve the common union and fellowship of the whole human race.