To understand the concept of nobility, a clear distinction must be made. That is to say the distinction between being noble and belonging to the nobility (of Roman society). Before recognizing this discrepancy, one must also keep in mind that neither definition is exclusive, that is, a person can be of noble character while 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, regarding nobility, once said: “The truly magnanimous man must therefore be a good man; and it seems that all that is great in a virtue belongs to the magnanimous character; for it would never become the magnanimous man to wring his hands and run away, nor to commit an act of injustice... (Aristotle nd). So, for Aristotle (and therefore for much of philosophy), to be noble means to always act in a noble manner, to consistently do good deeds and never to commit an act of injustice. The Romans were not oblivious to this understanding of nobility and Cicero, in one of his speeches, brings up the concept of nobility in his description of the "best people". Cicero, speaking of the "best people", states that "all men belong to the best people who are law-abiding, are not naturally unscrupulous, are not fanatics, are not up to their ears in debt" (Cicero nd ). Matthias Gelzer, in his book The Roman Nobility, states that “there is no ancient definition of nobility”. Gelzer also describes the transition of the concept of nobilitas from “notability to office-based notability” and concludes that “…the nobility required consular ancestors” (Gelzer 1969: 28-32). As a result, when we discuss...... middle of paper ...... others” – others are deprived of life” (Jaczynowska 1962, 497). Works Cited Aristotle. A new translation of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. J. And 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, nd Gelzer, Matthias. 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's Encyclopedia of the Ancient World New Pauly, v.3., sv “Nobilitas.”