Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“Friendship springs from nature rather than from need.”
- Source
- De Amicitia
- Date
- 44 BCE
- Local voice
- Dialogue speaker · Gaius Laelius
- English wording
- Andrew P. Peabody — Translator · from Latin
Meaning of “Friendship springs from nature rather than from need.”
Friendship is not reduced to usefulness; Cicero argues that it arises from natural affection before calculations of advantage.
Where does it come from?
De Amicitia, chapter 8 / classical section 27, Andrew P. Peabody translation, Project Gutenberg #7491. Laelius argues that friendship springs from nature rather than need and from an inclination of the mind with consciousness of love rather than calculation of utility. This is Cicero’s philosophical position voiced through Laelius, not modern social-science evidence.
Why the local voice matters
De Amicitia. Laelius argues that true friendship arises from natural affection rather than calculation of utility.
