You might just as well take the sun out of the sky as friendship from life.
Genuine
Yes. In On Friendship (44 BC), Chapter XIII, section 47 (Laelius de Amicitia 13.47), said by Gaius Laelius. These are the character’s words, not a statement in Cicero’s own voice.
Found word for word by program in the Latin original and in E. S. Shuckburgh’s English translation.
- Work
- On Friendship (Laelius de Amicitia), 44 BC
- Where
- Chapter XIII, section 47 (Laelius de Amicitia 13.47)
- Found at
- Paragraph 59 of the Latin text, 43 of the English
- Translation
- E. S. Shuckburgh
Researched by AI; checked by program against the full text on 31 October 2026. Editorial review: pending. How we check
On the page
[…] In friendship, let the influence of friends who give good advice be paramount; and let this influence be used to enforce advice not only in plain-spoken terms, but sometimes, if the case demands it, with sharpness; and when so used, let it be obeyed.
[46] Alios autem dicere aiunt multo etiam inhumanius (quem locum breviter paulo ante perstrinxi) praesidii adiumentique causa, non benevolentiae neque caritatis, amicitias esse expetendas; itaque, ut quisque minimum firmitatis haberet minimumque virium, ita amicitias appetere maxime; ex eo fieri ut mulierculae magis amicitiarum praesidia quaerant quam viri et inopes quam opulenti et calamitosi quam ii qui putentur beati.
[…] What noble philosophy! You might just as well take the sun out of the sky as friendship from life; for the immortal gods have given us nothing better or more delightful.1
[47] O praeclaram sapientiam! Solem enim e mundo tollere videntur, qui amicitiam e vita tollunt, qua nihil a dis immortalibus melius habemus, nihil iucundius. Quae est enim ista securitas? Specie quidem blanda sed reapse multis locis repudianda. Neque enim est consentaneum ullam honestam rem actionemve, ne sollicitus sis, aut non suscipere aut susceptam deponere. […]
But let us examine the two doctrines. What is the value of this “freedom from care”? It is very tempting at first sight, but in practice it has in many cases to be put on one side. […]
[48] Quam ob rem si cadit in sapientem animi dolor, qui profecto cadit, nisi ex eius animo exstirpatam humanitatem arbitramur, quae causa est cur amicitiam funditus tollamus e vita, ne aliquas propter eam suscipiamus molestias? […]
Neither should we give any weight to the doctrine that virtue is something rigid and unyielding as iron. […]
Cum autem contrahat amicitiam, ut supra dixi, si qua significatio virtutis eluceat, ad quam se similis animus applicet et adiungat, id cum contigit, amor exoriatur necesse est.
The scene
In the conversation Cicero sets after Scipio’s death, Laelius attacks two theories of friendship: avoid close attachments so as not to share other people’s worries, or seek friends only for material help. The sun comparison answers those doctrines. He goes on to argue that the pain of caring about a friend is no reason to abolish friendship, any more than the anxieties of virtue are a reason to abandon virtue.
What it means
Friendship is as indispensable to a fully human life as sunlight is to the world. Its emotional risks are not an argument against it.
Often misread
Can be used as a cheerful image with its argumentative point removed. Laelius is specifically defending caring attachments against the wish to avoid anxiety; this is a character’s speech in a philosophical dialogue, not an independently recorded saying by Cicero.
Topics
Related quotes
Sources
- thelatinlibrary.com/cicero/amic.shtml#47
- gutenberg.org/ebooks/2808 (E. S. Shuckburgh, On Friendship, chapter 13)
- en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cicero (Laelius de Amicitia)
Cite it
Marcus Tullius Cicero, On Friendship (44 BC), Chapter XIII, section 47 (Laelius de Amicitia 13.47), translated by E. S. Shuckburgh. Spoken by Gaius Laelius. Checked at Quotogeny, https://quotogeny.com/q/take-the-sun-out-of-the-sky/ (31 October 2026).
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Checked by people
People who checked this entry against its source, under their own names. Their checks do not change the verdict: an editor reviews every entry.
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