The political career of Cicero, a great Roman statesman and the most well-known speech-maker of his time, was a remarkable 01. At the time, high political offices in Rome, though technically achieved by 02 elections, were almost exclusively controlled by a group of wealthy noble families that had held them for many generations. Cicero's family, 03 noble, was not one of them, nor did it have great wealth. But Cicero had a great 04 of political ambition; at a very young age he chose as his basic belief the same one Achilles was said to have had: to always be the best and overtop the rest. Lacking the 05 of a proper family origin, there were essentially only two career options open to him. One was a military career, 06 military success was thought to 07 from exceptional personal qualities and could lead to popularity and therefore political opportunity as was the case much 08 for American presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Cicero, however, was 09 soldier. He hated war, and 10 in the military only very briefly as a young man.Instead, Cicero chose a career 11 the law. To prepare for this career, he studied law, rhetoric, and philosophy. When he felt he was 12, he began taking part in legal cases. A career in the law could lead to political success for several reasons, all of 13 are still relevant today. First, a lawyer would gain a great deal of 14 in making speeches. Second, he could also gain exposure and 15 from cases. Finally, a successful lawyer would build up a network of political connections, 16 is important now but was even more important in Cicero's time, 17 political competition was not conducted along party lines or on the basis of doctrine, but instead was based 18 loose, shifting networks of personal friendships and 19. Cicero proved to be an excellent speech-maker and lawyer, and an outstanding politician. He was elected to each of the principal Roman offices on his first try and at the earliest age at which he was legally allowed to 20 for them.