Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BCE – 43 BCE) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, philosopher, and orator, widely regarded as one of the greatest minds of the late Roman Republic. His writings cover rhetoric, politics, law, and ethics, blending Roman practical concerns with Greek philosophical traditions, especially Stoicism and Academic Skepticism. Cicero sought to cultivate virtue, civic responsibility, and eloquence, and his works on governance, moral philosophy, and letters have profoundly influenced Western thought for over two millennia.