Of this last kind of comparisons is that quoted from the elder Cato, who, when asked what was the most profitable thing to be done on an estate, repl… - Cicero

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Engraved portrait of Cicero, facing right

Of this last kind of comparisons is that quoted from the elder Cato, who, when asked what was the most profitable thing to be done on an estate, replied, “To feed cattle well.” “What second best?” “To feed cattle moderately well.” “What third best?” “To feed cattle, though but poorly.” “What fourth best?” “To plough the land.” And when he who had made these inquiries asked, “What is to be said of making profit by usury?” Cato replied, “What is to be said of making profit by murder?

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About Cicero

Marcus Tullius Cicero (3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC), infrequently known by the anglicized name Tully in the Middle Ages and after, was a Roman philosopher, politician, lawyer, orator, political theorist, consul and constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the Roman equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.

Biography information from Wikiquote · Portrait adapted from Wikimedia Commons, José Luiz (CC BY-SA)

Also Known As

Native Name: M.Tullius M.f.M.n. Cor. Cicero
Alternative Names: Marcus Tullius Cicero M. Tullii Ciceronis M. Tullius Cicero Tully

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