On the Good Life (Penguin Classics)

A lot can be said about the selection of the essays - why would Michael Grant pick a Book Five (Discussions at Tusculum) and a Book Two (On Duties) instead of a complete collection of each? Where's the rest of these works? Frankly, it didn't matter to me. Once I began reading "On the Good Life" I was hooked. This book converted me into a lifelong Cicero fan and Grant's translations (through Penguin Classics) are my primary sources for his works. I have five Cicero books from Penguin Classics so far.

My favorite essay was "On Friendship." I would recommend it to anyone. It is wise, philosophical, and applicable to everyone even today. The rest of the essays were also fantastic with the exception - my opinion only - of "On the Orator." That I could have done without. It was a little too long and way too dry. I wish Michael Grant had squeezed in some other essay of Cicero's.

There are more comprehensive translations of Cicero but "On the Good Life" is a wise choice as a Cicero starter. If you enjoy classic literature and you haven't read Cicero, start here.


CICERO THE SUPERB   December 4, 1999
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

Cicero's brilliance shines like a beacon though two thousand years. This book gives his thoughts on what qualities make up a good statesman,citizen, and friend. His simple yet profound thoughts are outstanding. Your time is never wasted reading Cicero.


To Italy! To Cicero!   July 25, 2007
D. Roberts (Battle Creek, Michigan United States)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

It's always a joy to return to the works of one Marcus Tullius Cicero. He was Rome's greatest orator, and anyone who has ever read his works can certainly see why. In the present work he discusses the concepts of friendship, moral virtue, one's duty to the state, one's duty to one's friends (and what to do when these come into conflict), oratory and the famous "Dream of Scipio." I have little doubt that Dante used the latter as inspiration for the 3rd canticle of his DIVINE COMEDY (Paradise).

In reading of Cicero's thoughts on morality, it's easy to discern the influence that Cicero had on Immanual Kant. Kant extrapolated and expounded on a lot of Cicero's basic ideas. The dialogue on friendship is a good complement to the writings of what Plato & Aristotle had to say on the subject.

The works are translated and edited by the venerable Michael Grant of Cambridge university. I consider myself pretty well read when it comes to the personages of antiquity. Still, Cicero loves to name-drop and frequently his allusions are beyond my grasp. That's where our good buddy Michael Grant comes in. Grant's footnotes do a terrific job of clarifying who Cicero is referring to, and makes Cicero's writings far more cohesive & easier to understand. I would gather that Grant's elucidations would even be apt to assist people with doctorates in history who wish to engage the Roman writer.

There is one mannerism of Cicero's that is bound to rub a lot of readers the wrong way, and that is his being convinced that the world revolves around Rome. In this way, he reminds me of how modern day New Yorkers believe that the world revolves around NYC. It is helpful, however, to remember that in his day the world basically DID revolve around Rome. The Romans truly saw themselves as a beacon of light in what was largely an uncivilized planet. Whether one likes or dislikes the Romans, of course, is a different matter entirely.

If you've never read Cicero before, this would be an ideal place to start. It is a far easier read than his ON THE ORATOR and other works. It will also be a nice introduction into the milieu in which the orator lived. Anyone who has any passing interest in the world of antiquity would be highly urged to read this book.


"... the best part of a man..."   January 26, 2003
11 out of 13 found this review helpful

This review refers to the work, -Cicero: On the Good
Life-, translated and with introductions by Michael
Grant (Penguin Classics).
What is to like about this collection of sections
of essays by Cicero? I personally favor very much
the excellent introductions by Michael Grant, as well
as the excellent thought and expression by Cicero.
Be aware that this volume contains parts of whole
works. The parts themselves are complete, but if one
is looking for the whole work, then one should look
to the Harvard/Loeb editions of Cicero. Michael
Grant has piloted several Penguin Classics volumes
of Cicero parts, so one will have to purchase several
volumes in order to get the benefit of Mr. Grant's
insights and translations.
But those introductions, the main "Introduction" to
this volume itself, as well as the "introductions"
to each of the selections are excellent. Michael
Grant not only gives you the historical and cultural
context for Cicero himself, but he also in the main
"Introduction" (as he does in other volumes he
superintends) gives you the historical and cultural
influence which follows after Cicero, the influence
of his works on later generations. In this particular
volume, Mr. Grant says that he starts first with
"indicating how important [these works] still are
for us today." "For Cicero, through these treatises,
has been the greatest of all conservers and trans-
mitters of cultural values, the greatest unifying

force of Europe, the shaper of its civilized speech."
That is tall praise indeed. And, when he gets
to the historical influence itself, Mr. Grant is
no less emphatic. "One of the very strongest forces
contributing to the ideals of the Italian Renaissance,
and thus to the whole intellectual, scientific, and
social development of western Europe, was Cicero's
thought as interpreted by Petrarch (d. 1374)."
So, if you have ever scratched your head, and/or
your mind, and/or your soul, and wondered just
what DOES constitute the good, moral, worthy,
excellent life, then Cicero is an invaluable
companion to help you quest in search for an
answer to that most important of quandaries.


Great works, bad publishing   March 20, 2001
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

The works of cicero hold as much weight now as they did when he wrote it. This book is filled with useful tips on life in general. the only problem I have with it is it leaves out large chunks of work. Cicero's "on duties" book II is here but youd have to read "selected works" to get book III (i dont know where book I is, i presume its lost). If only penguin could have combined his works better. Otherwise dont hesitate to get this book.