Nature is the source of law: and it is contrary to nature for one man to prey upon another's ignorance. So trickery disguised as intelligence is life's greatest scourge, being the cause of innumerable illusions of conflict between advantage and right.
For even an outward blemish such as physical deformity is not very agreeable, a degeneracy of the soul itself faces us with something that is truly hideous and repellent. -Taken from On Duties
Then, while extolling the benefits of age, Cicero takes a dig at the ambitious youth of the day. Naturally, I couldn't help but think of Obama here:
The Spartans, too, call the holders of their offices the 'elders', which is just what they are. And if you choose to read, or have read to you, the histories of foreign countries, you will find that the greatest states were overturned by young people and restored by the old. 'Tell me, how did you lose your great nation so speedily?' they asked in Naevius's play The Game. And the most significant answer is this: 'Because new public speakers came forward--silly young men.' Early adulthood is naturally rash; sound sense only comes with advancing years. -Taken from On Old Age
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