“No one is so old as to think that he may not live a year.”
- Source
- Cato on Old Age
- Date
- 44 BCE
- Attribution
- Source identified
- Voice / speaker
- Dialogue speaker · Marcus Cato (Cato the Elder)
- English wording
- Evelyn S. Shuckburgh — Translator · from Latin
What does this quote mean?
Even late in life people naturally continue to imagine a future, which helps explain why worthwhile work and planning do not simply stop with age.
Where does it come from?
Cato on Old Age, Shuckburgh translation, in a passage about older people planting for those who come after them.
Who voices the line?
Dialogue speaker · Marcus Cato (Cato the Elder). Cato on Old Age. Cicero’s preface says Cato is the chief speaker and that the whole discourse on old age is placed in Cato’s mouth.
The source author and the local speaker can be different, especially in fiction, drama, dialogue and poetry.
How should this attribution be read?
This wording is connected with the named source shown above. Translations and editions can vary, so consult the source note when exact wording matters.