Themes · 1712
‘Tis not in mortals to command success; but we’ll do more, Sempronius, we’ll deserve it.
— Joseph Addison · Cato
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
Nobody can force success to arrive, the speaker says. What people can do is earn it. That shift from outcome to worthiness is the heart of it, and it's offered to Sempronius as a shared aim.
Context reviewed