Book 3, Chapter 6
Original Latin
12 Cadere, opinor, in sapientem aegritudinem tibi dixisti videri.
Et vero ita existimo.
Humanum id quidem, quod ita existumas. non enim silice nati sumus, sed est naturale in animis tenerum quiddam atque molle, quod aegritudine quasi tempestate quatiatur, nec absurde Crantor ille, qui in nostra Academia vel in primis fuit nobilis, ‘minime’ inquit ‘adsentior is qui istam nescio quam indolentiam magno opere laudant, quae nec potest ulla esse nec debet. ne aegrotus sim; si’ inquit ‘fuero, sensus adsit, sive secetur quid sive avellatur a corpore. nam istuc nihil dolere non sine magna mercede contingit inmanitatis in animo, stuporis in corpore.’
13 sed videamus ne haec oratio sit hominum adsentantium nostrae inbecillitati et indulgentium mollitudini; nos autem audeamus non solum ramos amputare miseriarum, sed omnis radicum fibras evellere. tamen aliquid relinquetur fortasse; ita sunt altae stirpes stultitiae; sed relinquetur id solum quod erit necessarium. Illud quidem sic habeto, nisi sanatus animus sit, quod sine philosophia fieri non potest, finem miseriarum nullum fore. quam ob rem, quoniam coepimus, tradamus nos ei curandos: sanabimur, si volemus. et progrediar quidem longius: non enim de aegritudine solum, quamquam id quidem primum, sed de omni animi, ut ego posui, perturbatione, morbo, ut Graeci volunt, explicabo. et primo, si placet, Stoicorum more agamus, qui breviter astringere solent argumenta; deinde nostro instituto vagabimur.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted translation from the Latin. Latin transcription by the Perseus Project, Trustees of Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0.
12 “You said, I believe, that you think the wise person liable to distress.”
“Yes, that is indeed my view.”
“It is certainly a humane view. We were not born from flint: there is something naturally tender and soft in our souls, which distress shakes like a storm. Nor was Crantor speaking absurdly—that man who was among the most distinguished in our Academy—when he said, ‘I entirely disagree with those who so enthusiastically praise some supposed immunity to pain, which neither can nor should exist. May I never be ill; but if I am, let me retain sensation, whether something is cut from my body or torn away. For that absence of pain comes at a heavy price: savagery in the soul, numbness in the body.’
13 “But let us ask whether this is the language of people who flatter our weakness and indulge our softness. Let us dare not merely to prune the branches of our miseries, but to pull up every fiber of their roots. Something may perhaps remain, so deep are the roots of folly; but only what is unavoidable will remain. Be certain of this: unless the soul is healed, which cannot happen without philosophy, there will be no end to our miseries. Therefore, since we have begun, let us entrust ourselves to her treatment. We shall be healed if we wish. Indeed, I shall go further: I shall explain not only distress, although that comes first, but every disturbance of the soul, as I have called it, or disease, as the Greeks would have it. First, if you agree, let us proceed in the Stoic manner: they generally compress their arguments into brief conclusions. Afterward we shall range more freely, as is our practice.”
Plain English translation
Complete independent machine-assisted translation directly from the Latin. Latin transcription by the Perseus Project, Trustees of Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0.
12 “I think you said you believed a wise person could experience distress.”
“Yes, I do believe that.”
“That’s a humane belief. After all, we weren’t born out of flint. There’s something naturally tender and soft in our minds, and distress can shake it like a storm. Crantor, one of the most distinguished members of our Academy, wasn’t talking nonsense when he said, ‘I certainly don’t agree with people who heap praise on this supposed freedom from pain. It’s neither possible nor desirable. I hope I don’t get sick. But if I do, let me feel it, whether something is being cut or torn away from my body. You can’t get that total absence of pain without paying a high price: inhumanity in the mind and numbness in the body.’
13 “But let’s consider whether this way of talking just flatters our weakness and indulges our softness. Let’s be bold enough not just to cut off misery’s branches, but to pull out every fiber of its roots. Perhaps something will remain even then: foolishness is very deeply rooted. But only what’s unavoidable will remain. Be sure of this: unless the mind is healed—and that can’t happen without philosophy—there will be no end to misery. So now that we’ve begun, let’s hand ourselves over to philosophy for treatment. We’ll get well if we want to. In fact, I’ll go further. I’ll explain not just distress, though that will come first, but every mental ‘disturbance,’ as I’ve called it, or ‘illness,’ as the Greeks prefer. First, if you agree, let’s follow the Stoics’ practice of tightening arguments into brief proofs. Then we’ll range more freely, in our usual way.”
About this section
Book 3, Chapter 6 is part of Tusculan Disputations by Marcus Tullius Cicero. This page sets the Latin original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is chapter 82 of 189 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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