De officiis vs Moralia: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Ancient Ethics, Ethics, Early works to 1800, Philosophy, Biography & Memoir
De officiis
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The most extraordinary and influential treatise ever written on political ethics. Though composed in late 44 B.C., it is relevant and applicable even today. Cicero has outlined all the aspects which aspiring politicians…
Moralia
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The Moralia of the 1st-century Greek scholar Plutarch of Chaeronea is an eclectic collection of 78 essays and transcribed speeches. They provide insights into Roman and Greek life, but often are also timeless…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Moralia is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 7 for De officiis.
- Moralia has the widest readership — 251 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| De officiis | Moralia | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.5 (2) | 4.0 (251) |
| Hardcover | — | 2.0 (1) |
Reception
| De officiis | Moralia | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 2 | 251 |
| Editions | 129 | 211 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 3 | 1496 |
| Reading it now | — | 156 |
| Written reviews | 1 | 35 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1837 | 3236 |
| Pages | 423 | 15 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: De officiis or Moralia?
Moralia has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Moralia 4.0/5, De officiis 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: De officiis or Moralia?
Moralia is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Moralia (15 pages, ≈ 17 min); De officiis (423 pages, ≈ 7 h 50 m).
Which is harder to read: De officiis or Moralia?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — De officiis: Demanding; Moralia: Demanding.