“For we are not born for ourselves alone, but for our country and our friends.”Cicero · Despre îndatoriri · -44 · cartea I, paragraful 22
Living only for yourself means using only part of your human capacity.
The line condenses Cicero's Stoic ethics: man is by nature a social being, so duties are not optional. There is a gradation: first one's own life, then family and friends, then the whole community. To live exclusively for yourself means using only part of your human capacity. A doctor who treats only wealthy patients, though he could help anyone, lives below his own potential.
Why it matters The line is an antidote to an individualism that reduces life to personal achievement: it reminds us that our identity includes obligations to others.