Marcus Tullius Cicero, How To Grow Old: Ancient Wisdom for the Second Half of Life

No one I know is old. We are all just growing a bit older, as we like to say. Here is a wise book that can inspire us through this sometimes arduous process. Cicero is one of the great writers of classical antiquity, highly regarded for both rhetoric and insight. And so with wit and wisdom he tackles here this knotty subject. Among the gems: “I follow nature as the best guide and obey her like a god. Since she has carefully planned the other parts of the drama of life, it’s unlikely that she would be a bad playwright and neglect the final act.” He speaks, of course, like a good Stoic and Epicurean. This seems true of God as well. Here’s a Cicero goal: “But there is another kind of old age, the peaceful and serene end of a life spent quietly, blamelessly, and with grace.” Another nugget on stinginess: “What could be more ridiculous than for a traveler to add to his baggage at the end of a journey?” Finally, here is a constant theme of this delightful, helpful book: “Old people maintain a sound mind as long as they remain eager to learn and apply themselves.”