--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How do our philosophers act? Do they not…" description: "\"How do our philosophers act? Do they not inscribe their signatures to the very essays they write on the propriety of despising glory.\" — Marcus Tullius..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_essays_how-do-our-philosophers-act-do-they-not_113881.jpg" --- # How do our philosophers act? Do they not inscribe their… ![“How do our philosophers act? Do they not inscribe their signatures to the very essays they write on the propriety of despising glory.” quote by Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_essays_how-do-our-philosophers-act-do-they-not_113881.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_essays_how-do-our-philosophers-act-do-they-not_113881.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_essays_how-do-our-philosophers-act-do-they-not_113881.jpg) > “How do our philosophers act? Do they not inscribe their signatures to the very essays they write on the propriety of despising glory.” [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Philosophers embed their personal biases into their work, subtly signing their worldview onto arguments about honor and glory. **In simple terms:** Thinkers can't escape their own perspectives when discussing virtue. Key Takeaway Intellectual bias in philosophical discourse. Themes philosophy bias glory authorship Mood critical reflective Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - academic essays - public debates - policy papers - media op‑eds Key Concepts subjectivity self‑reference Practical Applications - critically assess authorial bias - encourage transparent methodology Questions to Reflect On - How can we detect hidden authorial bias? - Is true objectivity possible in moral philosophy? A Different Perspective Not all philosophers are overtly self‑referential; some strive for objective analysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glory/) [Philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosopher/) [Philosophers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophers/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Propriety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/propriety/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [When it comes to the personal essays I write, I just convince myself that no one will ever read them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/when-it-comes-to-the-personal-essays-i-write-i-just-convince-myself/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [It is easy for men to write and talk like philosophers, but to act with wisdom, there is the rub!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-rivarol/it-is-easy-for-men-to-write-and-talk-like-philosophers-but-to-act/) [Antoine Rivarol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-rivarol/) > [It is not impossible to think that the minds of philosophers sometimes act like those of other mortals, and that, having once been determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-raphael-cohen/it-is-not-impossible-to-think-that-the-minds-of-philosophers/) [Morris Raphael Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-raphael-cohen/) > [It is graceful in a man to think and to speak with propriety, to act with deliberation, and in every occurrence of life to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/it-is-graceful-in-a-man-to-think-and-to-speak-with-propriety-to-act/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Oh, propriety," says Mrs Benjamin. "We're always so concerned with propriety. Even in total madness, we still stick to our hierarchies and chains of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jackson-bennett/oh-propriety-says-mrs-benjamin-we-re-always-so-concerned-with/) [Robert Jackson Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jackson-bennett/) > [For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/for-it-is-not-light-that-is-needed-but-fire-it-is-not-the-gentle/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [No man can well doubt the propriety of placing a president of the United States under the most solemn obligations to preserve, protect, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-story/no-man-can-well-doubt-the-propriety-of-placing-a-president-of-the/) [Joseph Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-story/) > [Propriety and single interest divides the people of a land and the whole world into parties and is the cause of all wars and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerrard-winstanley/propriety-and-single-interest-divides-the-people-of-a-land-and-the/) [Gerrard Winstanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerrard-winstanley/) > [“Repression is a seamless garment; a society which is authoritarian in its social and sexual codes, which crushes its women beneath the intolerable burdens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/repression-is-a-seamless-garment-a-society-which-is-authoritarian-in/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Without an acquaintance with the rules of propriety, it is impossible for the character to be established](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/without-an-acquaintance-with-the-rules-of-propriety-it-is-impossible/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Money is, with propriety, considered as the vital principle of the body politic; as that which sustains its life and motion, and enables it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/money-is-with-propriety-considered-as-the-vital-principle-of-the-body/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [A novice always behaves with propriety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martial/a-novice-always-behaves-with-propriety/) [Martial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martial/) > [Our large trading cities bear to me very nearly the aspect of monastic establishments in which the roar of the mill-wheel and the crane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/our-large-trading-cities-bear-to-me-very-nearly-the-aspect-of/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [The fruit of humanity is devotion to one's parents. The fruit of righteousness is to respect one's elders. The fruit of wisdom is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/the-fruit-of-humanity-is-devotion-to-one-s-parents-the-fruit-of/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [“...the pleasantness of an employment does not always evince its propriety.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/the-pleasantness-of-an-employment-does-not-always-evince-its-propriety/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) ## More by Marcus Tullius Cicero > [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [This is a proof of a well-trained mind, to rejoice in what is good and to grieve at the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/this-is-a-proof-of-a-well-trained-mind-to-rejoice-in-what-is-good-and/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Let art, then, imitate nature, find what she desires, and follow as she directs. For in invention nature is never last, education never first;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/let-art-then-imitate-nature-find-what-she-desires-and-follow-as-she/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/gratitude-is-not-only-the-greatest-of-virtues-but-the-parent-of-all/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Things sacred should not only be touched with the hands, but unviolated in thought. \[Lat., Res sacros non modo manibus attingi, sed ne cogitatione…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/things-sacred-should-not-only-be-touched-with-the-hands-but/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Grief is not in the nature of things, but in opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/grief-is-not-in-the-nature-of-things-but-in-opinion/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Physicians, when the cause of disease is discovered, consider that the cure is discovered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/physicians-when-the-cause-of-disease-is-discovered-consider-that-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum. (Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/nihil-est-incertius-vulgo-nihil-obscurius-voluntate-hominum-nihil/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [The foundations of justice are that on one shall suffer wrong; then, that the public good be promoted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/the-foundations-of-justice-are-that-on-one-shall-suffer-wrong-then/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [“The life of the dead is set in the memory of the living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/the-life-of-the-dead-is-set-in-the-memory-of-the-living/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Pardon is granted to necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/pardon-is-granted-to-necessity/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Friendship embraces innumerable ends; turn where you will it is ever at your side; no barrier shuts it out; it is never untimely and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/friendship-embraces-innumerable-ends-turn-where-you-will-it-is-ever/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [History is the witness of the times, the light of truth, the life of memory, the teacher of life, the messenger of antiquity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/history-is-the-witness-of-the-times-the-light-of-truth-the-life-of/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [The Jews belong to a dark and repulsive force. One knows how numerous this clique is, how they stick together and what power they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/the-jews-belong-to-a-dark-and-repulsive-force-one-knows-how-numerous/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Nature has planted in our minds an insatiable longing to see the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/nature-has-planted-in-our-minds-an-insatiable-longing-to-see-the-truth/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) [Explore all 1,068 Marcus Tullius Cicero quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) ## More Essays quotes > [I began writing early - very, very early... I was already writing short stories for the radio and selling poems to poetry and art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/i-began-writing-early-very-very-early-i-was-already-writing-short/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [I don't know if I have a book in me, but I'm sure I have more essays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eden-robinson/i-don-t-know-if-i-have-a-book-in-me-but-i-m-sure-i-have-more-essays/) [Eden Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eden-robinson/) > [I am far from any intention to limit curiosity, or confine the labours of learning to arts of immediate and necessary use. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/i-am-far-from-any-intention-to-limit-curiosity-or-confine-the-labours/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Maybe I will write a memoir, perhaps I'll do some essays, or maybe I will write a mystery story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/maybe-i-will-write-a-memoir-perhaps-i-ll-do-some-essays-or-maybe-i/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [For me, movies and television are interesting because they are the dominant storytelling form of our time. My first love will always be fiction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/for-me-movies-and-television-are-interesting-because-they-are-the/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) > [To create anything — whether a short story or a magazine profile or a film or a sitcom — is to believe, if only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bissell/to-create-anything-whether-a-short-story-or-a-magazine-profile-or-a/) [Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) > [I don't really think of my essays as being about myself. I know it sounds insane, but I just don't think of them as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-don-t-really-think-of-my-essays-as-being-about-myself-i-know-it/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [Michael Jackson is an extremely productive ethnographer, a serious reader of phenomenological and existential philosophy, and a remarkable writer at a level that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-kleinman/michael-jackson-is-an-extremely-productive-ethnographer-a-serious/) [Arthur Kleinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-kleinman/) > [There are some fine books and essays about that. Lewis Hyde has written about alcoholism and poets and the role that society gives its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/there-are-some-fine-books-and-essays-about-that-lewis-hyde-has/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [I try to be aware of what I'm concerned about, aware of how I feel about myself in the world, aware of how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-try-to-be-aware-of-what-i-m-concerned-about-aware-of-how-i-feel/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Yet there are some critics in the nonfiction world who still look at some of today's stranger interpretations of the essay and say "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/yet-there-are-some-critics-in-the-nonfiction-world-who-still-look-at/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [“I have not seen anywhere in the world a more obvious malformed person and miracle than myself. Through use and time we become conditioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/i-have-not-seen-anywhere-in-the-world-a-more-obvious-malformed-person/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [“Still less, despite appearances, will it have been a collection of three “essays” whose itinerary it would be time, after the fact, to recognize;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/still-less-despite-appearances-will-it-have-been-a-collection-of/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [The point of the essay is to change things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/the-point-of-the-essay-is-to-change-things/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [“Daimonology has no hierarchy, but only the spell of universal anarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-william-brown/daimonology-has-no-hierarchy-but-only-the-spell-of-universal-anarchy/) Carl William Brown Browse all 523 Essays quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "How do our philosophers act? Do they not inscribe their signatures to the very essays they write on the propriety of despising glory.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marcus Tullius Cicero" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/how-do-our-philosophers-act-do-they-not-inscribe-their-signatures-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Essays" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/how-do-our-philosophers-act-do-they-not-inscribe-their-signatures-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_essays_how-do-our-philosophers-act-do-they-not_113881.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_essays_how-do-our-philosophers-act-do-they-not_113881.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_essays_how-do-our-philosophers-act-do-they-not_113881.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How do our philosophers act? Do they not inscribe their signatures to the very essays they write on the…” — Marcus Tullius Cicero", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Marcus Tullius Cicero", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "How do our philosophers act? Do...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/how-do-our-philosophers-act-do-they-not-inscribe-their-signatures-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/how-do-our-philosophers-act-do-they-not-inscribe-their-signatures-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```