How to Run a Country: An Ancient Guide for Modern Leaders

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers

by Marcus Tullius Cicero, Philip Freeman (Translation)

Marcus Cicero, Rome's greatest statesman and orator, was elected to the Roman Republic's highest office at a time when his beloved country was threatened by power-hungry politicians, dire economic troubles, foreign turmoil, and political parties that refused to work together. Sound familiar? Cicero's letters, speeches, and other writings are filled with timeless wisdom and practical insight about how to solve these and other problems of leadership and politics. How to Run a Country collects the best of these writings to provide an entertaining, common sense guide for modern leaders and citizens. This brief book, a sequel to "How to Win an Election," gathers Cicero's most perceptive thoughts on topics such as leadership, corruption, the balance of power, taxes, war, immigration, and the importance of compromise. These writings have influenced great leaders--including America's Founding Fathers--for two thousand years, and they are just as instructive today as when they were first written.

Organized by topic and featuring lively new translations, the book also includes an introduction, headnotes, a glossary, suggestions for further reading, and an appendix containing the original Latin texts. The result is an enlightening introduction to some of the most enduring political wisdom of all time.

Genres: Politics, Philosophy, History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Leadership, Roman

152 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 44

About the author

Born 3 January 106 BC, Arpinum, Italy
Died 7 December 43 BC (aged 63), Formia, Italy

Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. Cicero is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.

Alternate profiles:
Cicéron
Marco Tullio Cicerone
Cicerone

Note: All editions should have Marcus Tullius Cicero as primary author. Editions with another name on the cover should have that name added as secondary author.

Reviews

[Seyed Hashemi · Rating 4 out of 5]

جایی در حوالیِ یونان!

0- به عنوان یک پرسه‌‌زن در حوالیِ فلسفه، اغلب اوقات در حوالی دیوارهای دولت-شهر آتن (کلی‌تر یونان) چادر می‌زدم و رخت اقامت می‌افکندم. طبیعی است؛ از اهمیت یونان در تاریخ فلسفه، به عمر تاریخ فلسفه گفته شده است و هیچ‌گاه پرونده‌اش بسته نخواهد شد. اما این زوم کردن بر یونان شاید آسیب‌هایی داشته باشد و آن چشم‌پوشی از جایی در همان حوالی است؛ جایی در حوالیِ یونان: روم!
در علم هرمنوتیک (خیلی ساده و دم‌دستی «علم تاویل متن» بدانید. مثل همیشه این تعریف بسیار ناقص است) هم می‌تواند از یونان و هرمس شروع کرد، هم به روم توجه کرد.
در علم رتوریک، هم سوفیست‌ها دستی بر آتش داشتند، هم سنت خطابی‌ای قوی در روم داشتیم.
ریشه حقوق و قانون‌گذاری پایه‌ای محکم در روم باستان دارد.
خلاصه از منظرگاه‌های مختلفی می‌توان از اهمیت روم گفت. سیسرو هم یک فیلسوف/خطیب/سیاست‌مدار بسیار نامی در حوالی یک سده مانده به میلاد مسیح بوده است.

1- چرا باید سیاست‌نامه خواجه نظام الملک را بخوانیم؟ چرا قابوس‌نامه برای ما مهم است؟ چرا باید کلاسیک‌ها را بخوانیم؟
چندین جواب می‌توان به این پرسش داد اما برای من این چند عنوان علل اصلی است:
نخست اینکه حال ریشه در گذشته دارد و نمی‌توان تیشه به ریشه گذشته زد به بهانۀ نوگرایی.
دوم اینکه چرا خودمان را از منابعی غنی تنها بدان علت که قدمت دارند محروم کنیم؟ مشخصا این کتاب از سیسرو بسیاری برای من آورده داشت (هشدارِ زمان‌پریشی/Anachronisme. توضیح خواهم داد).
سوم اینکه می‌توان از اشتباهات گذشتگان درس گرفت که قوافیِ تاریخ که بعضا تکرار می‌شوند را بهتر بشناسیم.
چهارم جذابه!

2- سیسرو در سدۀ پیش از میلاد مسیح زندگی می‌کرده است و از سیاست‌مداران مهم در روم بوده است. هنگام مطالعۀ این کتاب این وجه «سیاست‌مدار» بودنِ سیسرو بسیار برایم جالب بود مخصوصا در قیاس با ارسطو/افلاطون و دیگر متفکران عصر باستان. خیلی ساده بخواهم ایده‌ام را بگویم این است که: آلوده‌شدن سیسرو به زمینِ سختِ سیاست، متن‌ها/نامه‌ها و خطابه‌های او را بسیار واقع‌گرایانه می‌کند و اندکی از ایده‌آلیسمِ افلاطونی (خیلی واضح مدینه فاضله‌گرایی) و متافیزیکی اندیشیدنِ ارسطویی فاصله می‌گیرد و سعی می‌کند به حل مسائل روز بپردازد. البته این بدان معنا نیست که سیسرو بر اساس اصولی خاص نمی‌اندیشد، بلکه مشخص است که مصلحت در سیاست را به نیکی دریافته است. این ایده‌ام بسیار بسیار بسیار از چیزی که فکر می‌کنید خام‌تر است، چون هم ارسطو/افلاطون و... را خوب نمی‌شناسم، هم سیسرو را. بیشتر نوشتم که از این قضاوتم جایی ردی گذاشته باشم.

3- این کتاب در سری مجموعه‌ای که انتشارات دانشگاه پریستون جمع‌آوری کرده است، گزیده‌ای از متون اساسی فلسفی-حکمی باستان را در بر دارد که یک جلد آن به متون سیاسیِ سیسرو اختصاص دارد. ترجمه این سری کتاب‌ها را هم نشر چشمه منتشر می‌کند هم نشر کتاب پارسه. مقدمۀ دبیر مجموعه ترجمه فارسیِ چاپِ چشمه، علی سیاح، بسیار عالی بود. تا حدِ بسیار زیادی خلاصه‌ای بود از حدود 6جلسهٔ پایانیِ کلاس اندیشه سیاسی در غرب در عهد باستان که دکتر معینی علمداری در دانشگاه تهران، ارائه می‌دادند. همین خلاصه را در کتاب‌فروشی خواندم و نسخه چشمه را انتخاب کردم و ترجمه جز در مواردی چند به نظرم خوب بود. البته در نسخه اصلی کتاب که پرینستون چاپ می‌کند، چون کتاب مشخصا آکادمیک است و قاعدتا برای دپارتمان‌های فلسفه/مطالعات کلاسیک/ادبیات و... تدوین شده است، متون اصلی لاتینی و یونانی هم آمده است که در نسخه ترجمه فارسی چشمه نیامده است. برای همین نقد ترجمۀ این اثر خودِ تخصصی است که واضح من و امثال من فاقد آنیم...

4- بذارید اندکی از مهم و زیبا مفهومِ زمان‌پریشی/Anachronisme در تاریخ‌نگاری بگویم. استرس‌گذاری زیاد بر این مفهوم را از دکتر گمینی یاد گرفته ام. معنای راحت‌یابِ زمان‌پریشی این است که با آینه حال به تاریخ نگاه کنیم. یعنی با توجه به انگاره‌های امروزی به تفسیر تاریخ بپردازیم. البته بعید است یک ناظر تمام بی‌طرف موجود باشد که فارغ از انگاره‌های ذهنی خود بتواند تاریخ را با در پرانتز () گذاشتن حال به عنوان یک اپژه بیرونیِ صرف تحلیل کند. یعنی خلاصه چه بخواهیم چه نخواهیم، حجابِ حال، همواره همراه ماست. البته این دلیل نمی‌شود که پا به ورطۀ زمان‌پریشی عمدی و قبیح بگذاریم. برای اینکه بخواهید اندکی با توفیر دوره‌های تاریخی آشنا بشوید کتاب «جامعه‌های پیشاصنعتی» از پاتریشیا کرون یا کتابِ معظم «عصر سکولار»چارلز تیلور را یه نگاهی بندازید. البته این فقره آخر، کتاب تیلور، خودش جهانی است، اگر خواستید با کلیاتِ اثر آشنا بشوید حامد قدیری در پادکست لوگوس، قسمتی را به شرح مختصر توفیر جهان‌بینی پیشامدرن با مدرن اختصاص داده است. کتاب «چگونه سکولار (ن)باشیم» هم خلاصه‌ای از کتاب عصر سکولار است.
خب حالا این چه ربطی به این کتاب داشت؟
یک مزیت این کتاب این بود که پاره‌پاره متن‌های سیسرو را با بندهای توضیحیِ دقیق شفاف می‌کرد. در عین حال کتاب که گزینشی است، مشخصا یک هدف را دنبال می‌کرد: پیدا کردن جواب به سوالات امروز با خواندن متون کلاسیک. خیلی کارِ خوبی‌ست اون بالا هم نشان دادم که خودِ من دنبال این هستم، اما، اما احتمال دارد یهو فردیتی که در عصر هلنیستی، عصر رواقیون و دوران سیسرو رواج داشته را، قاطی کنیم با فردگرایی لیبرال مدرن؛ یعنی زمان‌پریشی! البته مشخصا چون این اثر از دانشگاهی استخوان‌دار آمده است دور است از این ایراد، تاحدی، ولی خواننده را بسیار آبستن این برداشت غلط می‌بینم.
ولی خیلی ایده‌های دفاعیِ سیسرو از مالکیت، فردیت، حاکمیت قانون و ساختار سیاسی برایم جالب بود. رندوم فکت: گویی یکی از آثار اثر گذار بر روی پدران بنیان‌گذار آمریکا، نوشته‌های سیسرو بوده است.
دانشگاه پرینستون محافظه‌کار است؟ چون واقعا این اتمسفر در تک تک اجزای این کتاب هویدا بود. (خیلی خیلی سطح پایین است این تحلیل)

5- کلی حرف هست ولی فقط بگم: دیگه سیسرو زیادی داشت رتوریک رو تمجید می‌کرد. از رتوریک، پروپاگاندا هم می‌تواند بیاید.

حتما حتما، اگر نقدی، ایرادی چیزی هست بهم منتقل کنید. قاعدتا خیلی گاف‌وباگ داره این نوشته ام.

[Mohammad Hrabal · Rating 4 out of 5]

حتی آنان که با سیسرون مخالف بودند چاره‌ای جز تحسین این مرد نداشتند. سال‌ها بعد، اوکتاویوس - که حالا امپراتور آگوستوس بود - اتفاقی، نوه‌اش را در حال مطالعه‌ی یکی از آثار سیسرون دید. پسر به وحشت افتاد که با کتاب مردی دیده شده که پدربزرگش او را به مرگ محکوم کرده بود، پس سعی کرد آن را زیر شنل خود پنهان کند. اما آگوستوس کتاب را گرفت و در حالی که نوه‌ی ترسانس را نگاه می‌کرد، بخشی بلند از آن را خواند. وقتی پیرمرد کتاب را به جوان برمی‌گرداند چنین گفت: «مردی خردمند، مردی خردمند و عاشق کشورش.» مقدمه. صفحات ۳۱-۳۲ کتاب
یک حاکم خودکامه هر چقدر هم که بکوشد قانون را زیر و رو کند و روح آزادی را در هم بکوبد، آزادی، دیر یا زود، از طریق خشم عمومی یا صندوق رأی دوباره سر بر می‌آورد. آزادی‌ای که سرکوب شده و دوباره سر برآورده، با دندان‌هایی تیزتر گاز خواهد گرفت، چنان گزنده که هیچ وقت فراموش نخواهد شد. صفحه ۱۲۲ کتاب
فقط آرزوی دو چیز دارم: اول اینکه مرگم باعث شود آزادی به مردم روم بازگردد - خدایان نمی‌توانند هدیه‌ای بزرگ‌تر از این به من عطا کنند. و دوم اینکه هر کس بسته به اینکه چگونه به کشورش خدمت می‌کند، پاداش شایسته‌ی خود را دریافت کند. صفحه ۱۳۲ کتاب
۱۴۰۴/۰۷/۰۴

[Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Using fear to maintain power simply doesn't work. But the leader who keeps the goodwill of his people is secure."

"Kindness is stronger than fear. That is the best rule for governing a country and for leading one's own life."

A good collection of passages from Cicero on running a country. He focuses on various issues such as money in politics, immigration, corruption, tyranny, and other topics.

[Massimo Pigliucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marcus Tullius Cicero certainly new how to run a country: he actually did it, during his year as Consul near the end of the Roman Republic. This collection, part of Princeton Press's Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers series, stands out for being historically fascinating, philosophically meaningful, and very much practical even for today's aspiring statesmen. Cicero is often accused of having been wishy-washy and of lacking physical courage. But in fact he understood that politics is not about bravado and ideological rigidity, but about principled compromise. His goals never changed, yet he adapted his strategy to the actual situation on the ground. As for bravery, when he made his final political comeback he went after none other than Mark Anthony, calling him out as a wannabe tyrant. He knew that he was risking his life, given Anthony's spiteful and vicious character. When a centurion was sent by Anthony to murder him he advised his assassin to at least cut his head cleanly. I call that courage.

[Yu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book with Latin text.

I read a lot of Ciceros' wisdom in the book, no wonder intellectuals like Susan Sontag etc. like him, admire him.

I found his wisdom is a bit advanced than Chinese philosophy. It contains certain same elements in the Art of War, but it is better in terms of republic. It is Res Publica. Ancient Chinese philosophy is more or less about obey and worship the tyrant.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m enjoying the Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers series. The translations are top notch, the time commitment minimal, and I finish feeling wildly intelligent.

How to Run a Country is a depressing read in 2019, mostly because it seems like most politicians read this book and do the opposite. My one quibble is that the excerpts are too concise. At times, I wondered if these particular segments were cherry picked because of their relevance to the modern era, but it’s still a good read. Recommended.

[Anonymous · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marcus Tullius Cicero lived around first century BCE during the rule of Julius Caesar and a after him. The statesman was displeased with the Roman government and the people in power. This document draws upon his views on how the leaders, citizens and administrators ought to perform in order to make the empire great again.
He criticises factional oligarchy, tyranny, corruption and shares his views upon leadership, balance between honour and peace, individual rights, skills of oratory, war and significance of diverse populace in the empire.

Cicero met his end as he chose to speak his mind against the then emperor Augustus. This intolerance contradicts the ‘republic’ status of the empire for it is res publica ie. the property of the people.

[Armin Hashemi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic book for understanding Roman virtue. I read Persian translation of this book and there are few sources about Cicero in Persian.

[Sherry]

Reviews of this book indicated that Cicero's ideas on statesmanship and politics were adopted by America's founding fathers which piqued my interest in it. A short book (made even shorter by the fact that the last half contains the same writings in Latin) it is arranged by topics: natural law; balance of power; leadership; friends and enemies; persuasion, compromise, money and power, immigration; war, corruption and tyranny. Most poignant given our current political climate were the following excerpts on Immigration: "...we make ourselves stronger by welcoming even our enemies as citizens." On Money and Power: "It is the job of those running a country to make sure citizens have an abundance of the necessities of life." On Tyranny: "Whoever tries to govern a country through fear is quite mad. For no matter how much a tyrant might try to overturn the law and crush the spirit of freedom, sooner or later it will rise up again either through public outrage or the ballot box."

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really excellent little collection of excerpts from Cicero’s works—emphasis on the little. This was one of the very first volumes in Princeton UP’s Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers series and it’s clear they hadn’t hit their stride yet. It could have been twice as long, and had a few of the good, simple explanatory notes of later volumes. But it is a very good taste of Cicero’s thought in ten major issues of political philosophy and practical politics and I highly recommend it as such.

[M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative!

[cindabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cicero believed that the way to run a country was to 'condemn' any land distribution as well as 'any proposals advocating an equal distribution of goods'. His reasoning was that this protected 'individual property' and what 'rightfully belonged to them'. Cicero also said that 'when you take away money from some to give to others' you destroy the 'social harmony'.

Cicero talks about the invasion and destruction of other nations and the subsequent plundering of their wealth and resources and how the citizens should have access to an 'abundance of the neccessities of life', though he doesn't detail what he is referring to.

On offering the reward of citizenship, Cicero reasons that this should be offered to 'the best and bravest of our allies and friends who risk their lives for our safety and security then we are going to find ourselves sorely lacking in help in difficult and dangerous times'. So he was using the offer of citizenship as a way to expand the military who would 'risk their lives for our safety and security' in difficult and dangerous times. Elaborating further, Cicero says

'Without a doubt what has done the most to increase the power and reputation of the Roman people is the precedent laid down by Romulus, the founder of our city, when he made a treaty with the Sabines and showed us that we make ourselves stronger by welcoming even our enemies as citizens'.

The history of Rome by Livy (59 or 64 BC-12-17 AD) was that Rome was built by 'men seeking asylum in exchange for their work as laborers in construction' and men who were soldiers. Since there were no women, Rome was 'threatened to last for only one generation'. Romulus, Rome's founder, sent envoys asking the local communities to give them women for 'intermarriage' to breed with the Roman men but the local communities refused. So Romulus created a reason for the men and women of the local Sabine community to come to Rome, which was that they were 'invited' to come to a festival. The Roman men abducted the Sabine women, raped them and drove the Sabine men, away. The Sabine men had become the enemy of the Romans because they did not want their women raped and breeded by the Roman men, so they planned revenge but the Romans had apparently 'successfully persuaded the women to join their cause' by offering them 'legal marriage and privilidges' and this led to 'reconciliation and love' as the Sabine men were invited to become citizens also.

So the offer of citizenship in this example was to ensure a supply of women from other communities outside of Rome for the men of Rome to breed with thus guaranteeing a future generation of Romans who could also become soldiers and men who would exchange their work as laborers in construction for their 'safety and security' as Roman citizens. In addition to a constant supply of female descendants to continue birthing each new subsequent generation.

Cicero also tells the story of a former governor of part of the Roman empire, Gaius Verres, whose military had captured some pirates and says that those 'who were old or ugly he had put to death as enemies of the state. Those who were attractive or possessing some skill, he took for himself'. It seems that their attractiveness saved them from the fate of being killed.

Cicero talks about those leaders 'who wish to keep their subjects under control by force and brutal methods, just as a master when dealing with rebellious slaves', as if the relationship between a master and slave was natural and any rebellious slave should naturally be kept under control by force and brutal methods.

One of the statements made by Cicero is that 'kindness is stronger than fear' and the 'best rule for governing a country and for leading ones own life', doesn't really resonate when reading his guide on how to run a country. From my understanding, hate is stronger than love. Slavery and poverty are both forms of hate and this is one of the principles that Rome was built. The invasion and destruction of other peoples to plunder their resources and wealth is yet another form of hate. Expecting people to risk their lives and die for you in war, difficult or dangerous times to protect your own safety and security is another form of hate. Abducting and raping women from other communities to breed a new generation of Romans is hate. Killing people becaue you find them ugly or old is hate.

I can understand why Jesus came when he did during the reign of the Roman empire to spread the gospel of love as there was so much hate embedded in the Roman empire.

[Akshay · Rating 2 out of 5]

How to Run a Country: An Ancient Guide for Modern Leaders by Marcus Tullius Cicero

A curated collection that reduces Cicero's complex political philosophy to digestible maxims while obscuring its historical contradictions.

Editorial Construction and Purpose: This volume, part of Princeton University Press's "Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers" series, represents a deliberate exercise in anachronistic application—extracting Cicero's political writings from their specific historical context to serve contemporary American political discourse. Editor Philip Freeman organizes excerpts around ten modern political "lessons," creating an artificial coherence that Cicero himself never intended.

Selection Methodology:
Freeman cherry-picks passages from speeches, letters, and philosophical works to support predetermined themes like "compromise is key" and "intelligence is not a dirty word," imposing contemporary political frameworks onto Roman republican thought without adequate historical contextualization.


Translation Approach:
The "lively new translations" prioritize accessibility over accuracy, smoothing over Cicero's complex rhetorical constructions and potentially distorting his meaning. The loss of Cicero's "carefully constructed parallelisms" represents a significant interpretative decision that affects reader understanding.


Target Audience:
The book explicitly targets "modern leaders and citizens" rather than students of classical philosophy or Roman history, fundamentally altering how Cicero's ideas are presented and understood.

Problems:

Historical Decontextualization: The volume strips Cicero's writings from their crisis context—the collapse of the Roman Republic—presenting his desperate political maneuvering as timeless wisdom rather than the historical record of a failed statesman whose republic fell despite (or because of) his efforts.


Ideological Filtering: Freeman's selection emphasizes themes that align with contemporary American political values while downplaying or omitting Cicero's more troubling positions on slavery, imperial expansion, and class hierarchy. The result presents a sanitized Cicero compatible with modern democratic sensibilities.


Philosophical Reduction: Cicero's sophisticated integration of Stoic ethics, Academic skepticism, and political pragmatism gets reduced to simple policy prescriptions, eliminating the philosophical complexity that made his work intellectually significant.

The Anachronism Problem: Multiple reviewers recognize this collection's tendency toward "confirmation bias," where contemporary readers find their existing political beliefs validated by ancient authority. This represents precisely the kind of historical anachronism that serious scholarship seeks to avoid—projecting modern categories onto ancient thought without acknowledging the fundamental differences in political, social, and philosophical contexts.

Production Context: As part of a series designed for mass market appeal, this volume prioritizes commercial accessibility over scholarly rigor. The format encourages readers to treat ancient wisdom as immediately applicable to modern circumstances without engaging with the difficult work of historical translation and cultural interpretation.

The book's fundamental dishonesty lies in presenting Cicero as a successful political guide when his actual career represents one of history's most spectacular political failures. His inability to save the Roman Republic through eloquence and principle should serve as a cautionary tale rather than an instruction manual, yet this collection obscures that crucial historical reality.

Rating: ⭐⭐✩✩✩ out of 5 stars

[Wahyu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buku: How to run a Country by Cicero

Resensi:
Buku singkat yang menceritakan pandangan bagaimana sikap dan kemampuan yang harus dimiliki oleh seorang pemimpin dari seorang bernama Marcus Tullius Cicero. Cicero adalah seorang filsuf sekaligus negarawan yang menjalani masa hidupnya di di dunia politik sebagai seorang konsul Roma yang memimpin kerajaan saat itu. Cicero merupakan tokoh yang sangat menjunjung tinggi idealisme bentuk suatu negara dalam republik dan demokrasi untuk menghadirkan keadilan dalam struktur masyarakat.

Buku ini dituliskan tidak dalam bab-bab melainkan dengan poin-poin yang harus menjadi perhatian ketika seorang pemimpin sedang memimpin sebuah negara kemudian diikuti dengan cerita dan pandangan singkat cicero dalam poin tersebut dan mengapa hal tersebut penting untuk seorang pemimpin negara bersikap demikian. Beberapa hal tersebut yang menjadi perhatian cicero pada buku ini adalah bentuk korupsi di sebuah negara yang menjadi akar dari banyak permasalahan yang dapat ditimbulkan, sikap kompromi dari seorang pemimpin yang memimpin dan bertemu banyak jenis kelompok masyarakat yang juga memiliki berbagai kepentingan, dan kemampuan persuasi yang diperlukan untuk memengaruhi pemerintahan negara dengan pemahaman yang dimiliki seorang pemimpin.

Buku ini memang menuliskan dan menjelaskan sikap dan kemampuan yang harus dimiliki seorang pemimpin, namun sangat disayangkan karena penjelasan yang diberikan masih dibilang kurang untuk dapat dipahami secara keseluruhan. Buku ini bagus untuk mengetahui secara singkat hal yang diperlukan untuk pemimpin suatu negara secara garis besar terutama pada sebuah negara yang memiliki bentuk negara republik dan sistem demokrasi di dalamnya.

[Amin369 · Rating 4 out of 5]

"آن آزادی ای که سرکوب شود و دوباره سر برآورد دندانش برنده تر از زمانی خواهد بود که ��رگز از دست نرفته."
قبلا شنیده بودم نوع اداره آمریکا از روم الگو گرفته شده الان خوندم دیدم کی این ایده هارو داده. جالبه واقعا امروز باهزاران سال پیش فقط تو تکنولوژی امکانات این جور چیزاست که فرق کرده وگرنه تفکرات همونه. مثل نامه چهار هزار ساله ای که ترجمه شد اونجا بچه دانش آموز به مامانش میگفت چرا لباس هام هر سال بد میشه. با خوندن این کتاب هنوزم این مشکلات و این تفکرات رو میشه دید. سیسرو دید جالبی داشته که بعضیاشون رو کامل قبول دارم و بهوشن از قبل رسیده بودم مثلا مالکیت خصوصی رو قبول داشته و مخالف توزیع مساوی چیز ها بین مردم که همون کمونیست هست بوده و هرکی رو لایق اندازه ای که حقش هست میدونسته یا مثلا بین اشرافی گری، دموکراسی و سلطنت پادشاهی سومی رو ترجیح میداده البته فرم مورد علاقه اش ترکیبی از این سه تا بوده. همین طور دستورات الهی رو تضمین آزادی میدونسته مثل یکتاپرستی ما ایرانیان الان که میبینم کشور های بی دین به کشور هایی کمونیستی سوسیالیتی تبدیل شدن یا در شرف تبدیل به اونان. البته چیز هایی رو هم قبول داشته که من همیشه باهاشون مخالف بودم سیسرو ورود غریبه و مهاجر رو به نفع کشور میدونسته. البته این تفاوت پیشینه، بنیه و پتانسیل ملت هاست شاید منم رومی بودم دست به دامان مهاجران میشدم مثل وضع همین الان آمریکا که عملا همه کاره اش مهاجراش هستن اما بعضی ملل ها مهاجر میتونه براشون خیلی هم خطرناک باشه. مشکلش با فساد و در دست گرفتن مطلق همه چی همین طور علاقه ای که به کشورش داشت رو دوست داشتم برام همچین کسایی خیلی محترمن. کتاب خوب کم حجمی بود انگیزه شد به زودی میرم سراغ کتاب های دیگش.
مراقب هم باشیم کنار هم بمونیم همدیگه رو تنها نزاریم.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrible title for a pretty good selection of writings on political philosophy by Cicero, with an emphasis on how central his views were to the Founding Fathers' project of setting up a new American government. Cicero wrote that there were universal laws that should govern human affairs--what the FFs called "self-evident truths." He advocated balancing powers between various classes and interested parties and selecting leaders of good character, stressed the value of compromise, (and the stupidity of refusing to do so) and considered immigration a great strength for Rome. He was also against property taxes (viewing them as theft by government) but strongly emphasized that it was the responsibility of government to make sure that all citizens were supplied with the necessaries of life. He explained at length that it's better to be loved than feared. According to David McCullough's biography of John Adams, when Adams found out that his son John Quincy was not required to read Cicero at his university in Europe, he was outraged. He strongly encouraged his son to study him diligently on his own, and if he didn't, he would recall him to America and teach him himself.

[aurora · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favourite quote from the whole book though is probably: 'It is our vision that must remain constant, not our words’ as it highlights the need for pragmatism, which is increasingly relevant with today’s black and white notions on everything. However, this could also just be Cicero’s get out of jail free card for being contradictory, and maybe political pragmatism is just glorified populism?!

But concerning the actual book itself I thought that regardless of the writings containing little to no profound ideas or practical significance (at least in the context of modern politics as I'm sure they were nuanced by Roman standards) it was actually a fairly enjoyable read because the prose is very lyrical and accessible (though I'm unsure how much of this has to do with Cicero himself as this is more likely to the credit of the translator, Philip Freeman).

[Jamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange to read something in 2020 that was written BCE.


“If a person has not acquired a deep knowledge of all the necessary disciplines involved in oratory, his speech will be an endless prattle of empty and silly words.... An orator also needs a certain charm and wit, the cultured ways of a gentleman,”


“The best way for a man to gain authority over others and maintain it is through genuine affection. The worst way, however, is through fear.”

Still stands up today


Wrote that this am, just watched the news and listened Trumps words
"If you don't dominate, you're wasting your time," said. "They're going to run over you. You're going to look like a bunch of jerks. You have to dominate."

[Tullius · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took a listen to this one while I was going about my day today period Cicero continues his fabulous work while he was in exile during the middle 40's BCE. Throughout this collection of letters from Cicero, he goes over his life's achievements and how he feels the Roman state should be run.

He begins this by explaining his early political career and talking about Sulla and Marius, even Sinna. Recounting his dealings in the law and talking his time as Quaester. His clear aim was to combat the rusubg power of Caesar, but that boat had sailed as we know now. However, his points on corruption, the respect of law, the advice of not getting embroiled in petty wars still are relevant today.

Highly reccomend this to anyone getting into history or political theory.

[Pedro Assunção · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of letters, texts and references of Marcus Tullius Cicero about the way to govern a country.
It is a book whose structure is a little bit random following random topics of current political discussions but whose content resonates with almost every political debate we hear today: how to fight corruption? how to fight empty rhetoric? how to win votes? how to deal with disagreements?
Though it was an interesting book that helped me understand a little bit better my political views, it is a typical confirmation bias book where you feel that things that you believe in are being confirmed by Marcus the philosopher, Marcus the consul or Marcus the politician.

[Nina Ramadhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I read the Indonesian translation of this book.

Getting to know important figures during the times ancient Rome might help you understand this book even better, because then you'll be able to comprehend the dynamics illustrated in Cicero's letters inside the book.

However, there are definitely parts of this book that (unfortunately) repeat itself, to name a few: corrupt politicians, power struggles, bad governance, and so on. As the proverbs say, history repeats itself.

Apparently, maybe if we know the history from this book, we can prevent it from repeating. Fingers crossed.

[Jasbir Roberto Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

On Immigration :
"Without a doubt what has done the most to increase the power and reputation of the Roman people is the precedent laid down by Romulus, the founder of our city, when he made a treaty with the Sabines and showed us that we make ourselves stronger by welcoming even our enemies as citizens."
I could quote Cicero all day long (he could not be more relevant today), but just one more.
... and On Tyranny:
"Freedom suppressed and risen again bites with sharper teeth than if it had never been lost."
Let's sharpen those teeth, people.

[Hadley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nicely presented sample of Cicero's political thought, though it could have been longer. It draws from a wide range of writing, and the editor contextualizes the excerpts well. The original Latin text is at the back of the book, which is much easier to read than side-by-side

The translation, however, was decidedly not to my taste, valuing readability over adherence to the original sentence structure. I fume over the loss of Cicero's carefully constructed parallelisms, but translation is a complicated business and I can see how some people would find it quite suitable.

[Alif Dzikri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything on this book is relevant for me. Not just for people who do their job in politics or goverment, but everyone who want to be a leader in their communities.

It tells us the guide to become a leader/politician loved by the people. Everything written in this book is from Cicero's letter and his speech. The guide isn't written clearly, but it's implied from cicero's letter and speech in the past.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um pequeno livro perfeitamente actual e que, provavelmente, deveria de ser de leitura obrigatória para todo e qualquer português que seja eleito para o Parlamento ou qualquer outro cargo político.
Há muitas lições de Cícero que, se fossem lembradas ou conhecidas dos políticos portugueses, poupariam Portugal a tanta estupidez governativa.

[Hakim Elakhrass · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is not important for words to be consistent, but vision and actions.

This book peered into the writings of Cicero, a great Roman statesmen. It is fascinating how so many concepts from 2000 years ago apply to our modern condition. We are facing many of the same problems that the late Roman republic was facing. Hopefully we don’t follow the same fate.

[Isabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is too short. Cicero’s texts are excellent, but were clearly selected and organized to show the similarity between Ancient Rome and the US. One feels manipulated. On the other hand it makes the similarity very clear and shows the presently high risk of the US falling into a dictatorship. It is certainly worth reading.

[Arno Mosikyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Preamble says much, was a kind of revelation for me to learn that many favorite sayings which I were assuming to be a product of model era are coming from Cicero: like "Keep your friends close, but enemies more closer",and etc. Was a good read indeed.

[Riana Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book that holds up over time...so much so that a lot of the current popular books on the bestseller lists are just parroting a lot of the themes written here. This would be a phenomenal book, concept-wise, to start early in schools.

[Wan Wan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disagreed a little with Cicero and got bored at times, but overall was very intriguing and neat to read from a man who lived over 1000 years ago and is a great addition to my collection of the Ancient Guide for Modern Leaders collection.