ɪn ðɪs dɪskˈʌʃən, sˈaɪsɹoʊ sˈɛd ðæt ɐlˈuːʒənz tuː "ðə sˈɪəɾiz ʌv hɪz pˈætɹɪməni" ænd "ðə kɚɹˈɪbdiz ʌv hɪz pəzˈɛʃənz" ɪnvˈɑːlvd sˈɪmɪlˌɪz ðˈæt wɜː "tˈuː fˈɑːɹfˈɛtʃt"; ænd hiː ɐdvˈaɪzd ðɪ ˈɔːɹəɾɚ tuː, ɪnstˈɛd, dʒˈʌst spˈiːk ʌv "ðə ɹˈɑːk" ænd "ðə ɡˈʌlf" ɹᵻspˈɛktɪvli — ɔnðə ɡɹˈaʊndz ðˈæt, "ðɪ ˈaɪz ʌvðə mˈaɪnd ɑːɹ mˈoːɹ ˈiːzili dᵻɹˈɛktᵻd tə ðoʊz ˈɑːbdʒɛkts wˌɪtʃ wiː hæv sˈiːn, ðɐn tə ðoʊz wˌɪtʃ wiː hæv ˈoʊnli hˈɜːd.
In this discussion, Cicero said that allusions to "the Syrtis of his patrimony" and "the Charybdis of his possessions" involved similes that were "too far-fetched"; and he advised the orator to, instead, just speak of "the rock" and "the gulf" (respectively) — on the grounds that, "The eyes of the mind are more easily directed to those objects which we have seen, than to those which we have only heard.