One of the things I like about Cicero is that he shows that event when one is not perfect, you can consistently improve yourself and others. Cicero was kind of a disgusting person, to me - he was very vain, easily influenced by popular opinion and wanting to fit in, wanted to be close to men of power, changed his position on topics based on what was politically convenient, and so on.<p>But he also was a great thinker. And as he aged, he was forced to confront his own declining capabilities. And I think some regrets around the above "failed" personality traits lead to him realizing that the only way to be "successful" in old age is to have been moral, as your own brain sees it, when you were young.<p>So it's interesting that so much of how we judge ourselves is based on what we ourselves believe is right and wrong... and you can't escape that, it seems.