Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“For we have confidence in those who we think have more understanding than ourselves”
- Source
- De Officiis
- Date
- 44 BCE
- English wording
- Walter Miller — Translator · from Latin
Meaning of “For we have confidence in those who we…”
Cicero treats confidence in another person as partly a judgment about competence: people are more willing to rely on someone they believe can understand difficult circumstances and reach sound decisions.
Where does it come from?
De Officiis, Book II, section 33, Project Gutenberg #47001. Cicero’s larger argument says public confidence depends on practical wisdom joined with justice; intelligence alone is not presented as sufficient for trust.
