Cicero

I am Marcus Tullius Cicero, born in 106 BCE in Arpinum. I rose from a humble equestrian family to become consul of Rome in troubled days.

With my oratory I unmasked conspirators — none more infamous than Catiline. I stood for the Republic against tyrants, writing works on law, friendship, duty, and the nature of the good life.

For my defense of liberty, I faced exile and returned; for my refusal to bow to Mark Antony, I paid with my life. Yet my words endure, teaching that virtue and eloquence must guard a free state.

What I Leave Behind

• I showed that language, wielded rightly, is power.
• I defended the Republic when others bent the knee.
• My letters and treatises remind all citizens that freedom depends on the courage to speak and the wisdom to persuade.

Let my example guide you to reason, not rage — and to justice above ambition.