CICERO

Imagine the situation – a few hundred old, grey and rich men are arguing about some very important matter of state, while you are sitting and enjoying your own thoughts. There’s just no one smart enough for you to talk to! When you get tired of the noise, you just stand up, and suddenly everybody is silenced and waiting to hear what you have to say. Of course, you start with a few sarcastic comments, telling them gently how stupid they all are. Then you offer the solution that was obvious to you from the start. And you get praised for it. You can mock even the most powerful and survive because you always know when the time is right to change sides. You always float and stay on top. No, you’re not vain or sleazy. You’re just – Ciceronian.

Photo: www.wikipedia.org

Who doesn't want to end up in marble?

Marcus Tullius Cicero is remembered as the greatest orator, politician, lawyer and philosopher not only of Ancient Rome, but of all eras. He was raised in the small town of Arpinum in 106 BC, but like all roads in those days, his road led him to Rome. And from there, up to the stars. It didn’t matter to him that he came from simple family of the equestrian order, or that his cognomen meant ‘chickpea.’ He consecrated his life to the best possible education he could find and used his brains to climb to the top. That makes him the perfect role model for young students, right? Here are some of his basic principles…

1^st: Learn the most spoken languages of the day, so you can not only look smart and be popular, but also make other cultures accessible to your kinsmen by inventing new words. Latin and Greek are obviously a bit outdated. Try English and Chinese - you never know what might come of it.

2^nd: Read Homer. He is pretty good for inspiring greatness, especially with sentences like ‘Always to be best, and to be distinguished above the rest!’ It served quite well for Marcus; it might do it for you too.

Photo: www.wikipedia.org

Be a great speaker.

3^rd: Don’t only read great sentences - create your own! Remember, everybody can learn stuff and know stuff – it's the style that counts. Try talking day and night and make people listen to you until they all admit that you are indeed the best orator that ever lived. And when you say things like ‘Historia magistra vitae est’ ("history is life's teacher"), every history teacher will feel obliged to mention it and then spend half a semester proving you wrong. But you will be mentioned… a lot.

4^th: Do things now! Don’t wait, not even for a moment. If you want to be the best, you have to be there on time. Marcus, our friend here, got every possible public position at the youngest age allowed by law (suo anno). So, who was the youngest president of your country? Beat him!

5^th: Always find ‘aurea mediocritas’, the golden mean or happy medium, and stick to it. Keep both your friends and enemies close. You should always be ready to find a higher purpose for changing sides. You can be sarcastic and cynical, so long as you can tell when you should turn to flattering the one more powerful than you. They’ll call you a hypocrite, but they’ll lose their heads while you get to keep yours.

6^th: Use handcare cream and wear gloves. If the aforementioned tactics doesn’t work, a perfectionist like you will want your hands to look nice when they get cut off and exhibited in the forum!