[62]
19. But if the exaltation of spirit seen in times1
of danger and toil is devoid of justice and fights for
selfish ends instead of for the common good, it is a
vice; for not only has it no element of virtue, but
its nature is barbarous and revolting to all our finer
feelings. The Stoics, therefore, correctly define
courage as “that virtue which champions the cause
of right.” Accordingly, no one has attained to true
glory who has gained a reputation for courage by
treachery and cunning; for nothing that lacks justice
can be morally right.
1 Fortitude in the light of justice.
M. Tullius Cicero. De Officiis. With An English Translation. Walter Miller. Cambridge. Harvard University Press; Cambridge, Mass., London, England. 1913.
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