While young boys were encouraged to earn "virtus" there were also limits put on showing "virtus" in public. "Virtus" was often associated with being aggressive and this could be very dangerous in the public sphere and the political world. Displays of violent "virtus" were controlled through several methods. Men seeking to hold political office typically had to follow the "cursus honorum". Many political offices had an age minimum which ensured that the men filling the positions had the proper amount of experience in the military and in government. This meant that even if a man proved himself capable of filling a position or was able to persuade people that he was capable, he would not necessarily be able to hold the position until he had reached a certain age. This also served to ensure that in elections of public offices no one had a certain advantage over another person because by the time most men went into public office they would have retired from military service. Furthermore, before any Roman soldier could partake in single combat he had to gain permission from his general. This procedure was meant to keep soldiers from putting themselves in extremely dangerous situations that they may or may not have been able to handle in order gain "virtus".