When understanding the concept of nobility, it is necessary to make a clear distinction. That is, the distinction between being noble and belonging to the nobility (of Roman society). Before recognizing this discrepancy we must also keep in mind that neither of the two definitions is exclusive, i.e. that a person can be of noble character while also belonging to the nobility and vice versa. Likewise, a person may belong to the nobility and not be of noble character, and a person of noble character may not belong to the nobility. Aristotle, in relation to nobility, once said that: The truly magnanimous man must therefore be a good man; and it seems that all that is great in any virtue belongs to the magnanimous character; for it could never be fitting for the magnanimous man to wring his hands and run away, nor to commit an act of injustice... (Aristotle n.d.). So, for Aristotle (and consequently much of philosophy), to be noble means to always act noblely, constantly performing good deeds and never committing an act of injustice. The Romans were not unaware of this conception of nobility and Cicero, in one of his speeches, touches on the concept of nobility in his description of the “best people”. Cicero, speaking of the "best people", states that "Belonging to the best people are all men who respect the laws, are not by nature unscrupulous, are not fanatics, are not in debt up to their ears" (Cicero n.d.). Matthias Gelzer, in his book The Roman Nobility, states that “there is no ancient definition of nobility”. Gelzer also outlines the transition of the concept of nobilitas from 'notability to notability based on office' and concludes that “…nobility required consular ancestors” (Gelzer 1969, 28-32). Consequently, when discussing...... middle of paper......ains” – others are deprived of life” (Jaczynowska 1962, 497).Works CitedAristotle. A new translation of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. J. E C. Vincent, 1826.Cicero. "In defense of Sestius." In Classics In Translation Volume II: Latin Literature, by Paul MacKendrick and Herbert M. Howe, 113-115. Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, n.d. Gelzer, Matthias. The Roman nobility. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1969. Jaczynowska, Maria. "The economic differentiation of the Roman nobility at the end of the Republic". Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte, 1962: 486-499.Marius, Gaius. "Selections from Sallust." In Classics In Translation Volume II: Latin Literature, by Paul MacKendrink and Herbert M. Howe, 89-91. Wiscon/sin: University of Wisconsin Press, ndBrill New Pauly's Encyclopedia of the Ancient World, v.3., sv “Nobilitas.”