“The course of life is fixed, and nature admits of its being run but in one way, and only once.”
- 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?
Each stage of life occurs only once, so wisdom includes accepting its appropriate strengths instead of endlessly trying to restore an earlier stage.
Where does it come from?
Cato on Old Age, Shuckburgh translation, in Cicero’s discussion of the distinctive advantages of each season of life.
Who voices the line?
Dialogue speaker · Marcus Cato (Cato the Elder). Cato on Old Age. The sentence belongs to Cato’s framed discourse on the stages and limits of life.
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.