How to Grow Old

This is a new translation of a classic book that was red with profit by the likes of Montaigne, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. It was written around 45 BC by Cicero in his early 60s on his country estate at a time when he had just lost his daughter. It takes the form of a dialogue about life and old age, and is full of wise observations. The Latin text is on the left-hand page, so scholars can refer to it. Cicero makes the important point that the sowing for a harvest of a good old age begins in youth with good choices as one builds up one's character and inner resources. He argues against common suppositions about old age, maintaining that we can maintain an active life within certain limitations, and can continue to cultivate the mind as well as our garden - and in his case, especially vines. We can only expect to be respected if we have earned this through our actions. He observes that many negative perceptions of (grumpy) old people are in fact faults of character rather than of age. He is very philosophical about the prospect of death, commenting that we will either know nothing or the afterlife will be a pleasant state. In old age, we can be grateful for our blessings and hopefully wise enough to leave the stage at the right time. His view of the soul is quite Platonic, which accounts for his vision of the afterlife. Besides, he observes, the soul remains invisible both while the body is alive and when it has passed away.