HomeQuotesCicero
Stoic philosophy
In the face of a true friend a man sees as it were a second self.
Cicero
Laelius de Amicitia (On Friendship), section 23, c. 44 BC
Translated by E. S. Shuckburgh · Stoic philosophy
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What this means, and why it matters to a father

Section 23 of On Friendship captures why deep friendship is so rare and so valuable: the friend is not just company but a mirror — someone in whom you see your better self reflected.

There is more to this one. The full context — the events behind the words, what the author was living through, and how it applies to the specific situations of fatherhood — is in the app under Deeper Understanding.

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