Book 1, Chapter 23
Original Latin
“Quod semper movetur, aeternum est; quod autem motum adfert alicui quodque ipsum agitatur aliunde, quando finem habet motus, vivendi finem habeat necesse est. solum igitur, quod se ipsum movet, quia numquam deseritur a se, numquam ne moveri quidem desinit; quin etiam ceteris quae moventur hic fons, hoc principium est movendi.
54 principii autem nulla est origo; nam e principio oriuntur omnia, ipsum autem nulla ex re alia nasci potest; nec enim esset id principium, quod gigneretur aliunde. quod si numquam oritur, ne occidit quidem umquam; nam principium extinctum nec ipsum ab alio renascetur nec ex se aliud creabit, siquidem necesse est a principio oriri omnia. ita fit, ut motus principium ex eo sit, quod ipsum a se movetur; id autem nec nasci potest nec mori, vel concidat omne caelum omnisque natura <et> consistat necesse est nec vim ullam nanciscatur, qua a primo inpulsa moveatur. cum pateat igitur aeternum id esse, quod se ipsum moveat, quis est qui hanc naturam animis esse tributam neget? inanimum est enim omne, quod pulsu agitatur externo; quod autem est animal, id motu cietur interiore et suo; nam haec est propria natura animi atque vis. quae si est una ex omnibus quae se ipsa [semper]
55 moveat, neque nata certe est et aeterna est.” licet concurrant omnes plebei philosophi—sic enim i, qui a Platone et Socrate et ab ea familia dissident, appellandi videntur—, non modo nihil umquam tam eleganter explicabunt, sed ne hoc quidem ipsum quam subtiliter conclusum sit intellegent. sentit igitur animus se moveri; quod cum sentit, illud una sentit, se vi sua, non aliena moveri, nec accidere posse ut ipse umquam a se deseratur. ex quo efficitur aeternitas, nisi quid habes ad haec.
Ego vero facile sim passus ne in mentem quidem mihi aliquid contra venire; ita isti faveo sententiae.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted translation from the Latin. Latin transcription by the Perseus Project, Trustees of Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0.
“‘What is always in motion is eternal. But that which imparts motion to something else, and is itself moved by something external, must come to the end of life when its motion ends. Only what moves itself, therefore, since it never abandons itself, never ceases even to move. Indeed, for all other things that move, this is the source, this the first principle of motion.
54 “‘But a first principle has no origin. Everything arises from a first principle, but that principle itself cannot be born from anything else; for it would not be a first principle if it were generated from elsewhere. And if it never arises, it never perishes either. For once a first principle was extinguished, it would neither be reborn itself from another source nor create anything else from itself, since everything must arise from a first principle. It follows that the first principle of motion lies in what moves of itself. This can neither be born nor die; otherwise the whole heavens and all nature must collapse <and> come to a standstill, and find no force to set them moving by an initial impulse. Since, then, it is plain that what moves itself is eternal, who can deny that this nature has been bestowed on souls? Everything moved by an external impulse is without soul; what is alive is stirred by an inner motion of its own, for this is the soul’s distinctive nature and power. If, of all things, this alone [always]
55 “‘moves itself, then certainly it was not born and is eternal.’ Let all the common herd of philosophers band together—for that seems the proper name for those who differ from Plato and Socrates and their school—not only will they never explain anything so elegantly, they will not even understand how subtly this very argument has been brought to its conclusion. The soul, then, is aware of its own movement; and in being aware of that, it is also aware that it moves by its own power, not another’s, and that it can never abandon itself. From this its eternity follows—unless you have something to say against it.”
“I would readily agree not even to let any objection enter my mind: so strongly do I favor that view.”
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.
“‘Something that always moves lasts forever. Something that gives movement to another thing but is itself set in motion from elsewhere must stop living when its movement ends. Only what moves itself never stops moving, because it never leaves itself. In fact, this is the source, the starting point of movement for all other things that move.
54 “‘A starting point has no origin. Everything comes from a starting point, but the starting point itself can’t be born from anything else. If it were produced by something else, it wouldn’t be a starting point. And if it never comes into being, it never dies either. If a starting point were destroyed, it wouldn’t be reborn from anything else or create anything else from itself, since everything must come from a starting point. So the starting point of movement is what moves by itself. That can neither be born nor die. Otherwise the whole sky and all of nature must collapse and come to a standstill, with no power to get an initial push that would set them moving. Since it’s clear that what moves itself lasts forever, who can deny that souls have this nature? Anything moved by an outside push is without a soul. But something alive is stirred by an inner movement of its own. That’s the soul’s special nature and power. If it’s the one thing of all that
55 “‘moves itself, then it certainly wasn’t born, and it lasts forever.’ Let all the common sort of philosophers come together against this—that seems the right name for those who disagree with Plato, Socrates, and their school. They’ll never explain anything so beautifully; they won’t even understand how finely reasoned this very argument is. The soul, then, feels itself moving. As it feels this, it also feels that it moves by its own power, not someone else’s, and that it can never leave itself. Its everlasting life follows from this—unless you’ve got something to say against it.”
“I’d gladly make sure that not even a single objection came into my mind. That’s how strongly I favor that view.”
About this section
Book 1, Chapter 23 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 part 23 of 189 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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