[116]
They, whose fathers or forefathers have achieved1
distinction in some particular field, often strive to
attain eminence in the same department of service:
for example, Quintus, the son of Publius Mucius, in
the law; Africanus, the son of Paulus, in the army.
And to that distinction which they have severally
inherited from their fathers some have added lustre
of their own; for example, that same Africanus, who
crowned his inherited military glory with his own
eloquence. Timotheus, Conon's son, did the same:
he proved himself not inferior to his father in military
renown and added to that distinction the glory of
culture and intellectual power. It happens sometimes, 2 too, that a man declines to follow in the
footsteps of his fathers and pursues a vocation of
his own. And in such callings those very frequently
achieve signal success who, though sprung from
humble parentage, have set their aims high.
M. Tullius Cicero. De Officiis. With An English Translation. Walter Miller. Cambridge. Harvard University Press; Cambridge, Mass., London, England. 1913.
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