The text is derived from Cicero 's De finibus bonorum et malorum ( On the Ends of Goods and Evils , sometimes the title is translated as ( About ) The Purposes of Good and Evil ) . The text is derived from sections 1.10.32-33 of Cicero 's De finibus bonorum et malorum ( On the Boundaries of Goods and Evils , or alternatively ( About ) The Purposes of Good and Evil ) .