"The man who avoids public life is not merely idle, but useless."

"For to a man of spirit, the greatest disgrace is to be seen to be afraid."

"For it is a common fault in men to despise what they possess, and to desire what they have not."

"We alone regard a man who takes no interest in public affairs, not as a harmless, but as a useless character."

"Those who can think, but cannot express what they think, place themselves at the level of those who cannot think."