No man was ever great without a touch of divine afflatus.

The saying asserts that exceptional human achievement is rarely explained by effort and talent alone; true “greatness” seems to require an added element of inspiration that feels superhuman—what later writers call “genius.” “Afflatus” (Latin for a “breathing upon”) evokes the idea of being breathed into or inspired by a divine force, suggesting that the highest creativity, eloquence, or statesmanship carries a kind of sacred spark. In Cicero’s intellectual world, this notion bridges philosophy and rhetoric: the orator or poet may be trained, but the most commanding excellence appears animated by something beyond technique—an inner fire that audiences experience as inspired.