Friendship is the only thing in the world concerning the usefulness of which all mankind are agreed.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
Advice in old age is foolish; for what can be more absurd than to increase our provisions for the road the nearer we approach to our journey's end.
Interpretation
What this quote means
As we near the end of life, seeking more advice can be pointless since our journey is almost complete.
Cicero reflects on the nature of life and wisdom, suggesting that as we age and approach the end of our journey, it becomes less beneficial to gather advice or prepare for the future. Instead, he implies that we should focus on living in the present and utilizing the knowledge we have already accumulated, as the culmination of experiences should guide us in our final days rather than adding new provisions or considerations at a late stage in life.
Themes
WisdomAgingLifeJourneyExperience
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared during a retirement speech to emphasize the importance of living fully in one's later years.
More from Marcus Tullius Cicero
All quotes βThose wars are unjust which are undertaken without provocation. For only a war waged for revenge or defence can actually be just.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
Orators are most vehement when their cause is weak.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
Nothing contributes to the entertainment of the reader more, than the change of times and the vicissitudes of fortune.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
No one has the right to be sorry for himself for a misfortune that strikes everyone.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
Loyalty is what we seek in friendship.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
Similar quotes
Learn the lesson that, if you are to do the work of a prophet, what you need is not a sceptre but a hoe.
Bernard Of ClairvauxRead
I know what my limitations are as an actor, but my strength is putting myself into a well-written part. When I get in trouble is when I have to fix it, or when I have to carry it on personality.
George ClooneyRead
Do not plan for ventures before finishing what's at hand.
EuripidesRead
Be honest about what you see, get out of the way and let the story reveal itself
Anderson CooperRead
She still had her bad days, no question, when the black dog of depression sniffed her out and settled its crushing weight on her chest and breathed its pungent dog breath in her face. On those days she called in sick to the IT shop where, most days, she untangled tangled networks for a song. On those days she pulled down the shades and ran dark for twelve or twenty-four or seventy-two hours, however long it took for the black dog to go on home to its dark master.
Lev GrossmanRead
To understand matters rightly we should understand their details; and as that knowledge is almost infinite, our knowledge is always superficial and imperfect.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead