[68]
Of course, those who pursue such a course do not1
need to be warned (for the point is self-evident) to
be careful when they seek to oblige some, not to
[p. 243]
offend others. For oftentimes they hurt those whom
they ought not or those whom it is inexpedient to
offend. If they do it inadvertently, it is carelessness;
if designedly, inconsiderateness. A man must apologize also, to the best of his ability, if he has involuntarily hurt anyone's feelings, and explain why what
he has done was unavoidable and why he could not
have done otherwise; and he must by future services
and kind offices atone for the apparent offence.
1 A warning to eloquence.
M. Tullius Cicero. De Officiis. With An English Translation. Walter Miller. Cambridge. Harvard University Press; Cambridge, Mass., London, England. 1913.
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