'On Old Age', sometimes also known as 'Cato Maior de Senectute', is an essay written by Cicero on the subject of aging and death. To lend his reflections greater import, Cicero wrote his essay such that the esteemed Cato the Elder was lecturing to Scipio Africanus and Gaius Laelius Sapiens.

Timeless wisdom on growing old gracefully from one of ancient Rome's greatest philosophers Worried that old age will inevitably mean losing your libido, your health, and possibly your marbles too? Well, Cicero has some good news for you. In How to Grow Old, the great Roman orator and statesman eloquently describes how you can make the second half of life the best part of all—and why you might discover that reading and gardening are actually far more pleasurable than sex ever was. Filled with timeless wisdom and practical guidance, Cicero's brief, charming classic—written in 44 BC and originally titled On Old Age—has delighted and inspired readers, from Saint Augustine to Thomas Jefferson, for more than two thousand years. Presented here in a lively new translation with an informative new introduction and the original Latin on facing pages, the book directly addresses the greatest fears of growing older and persuasively argues why these worries are greatly exaggerated—or altogether mistaken. Montaigne said Cicero's book "gives one an appetite for growing old." The American founding father John Adams read it repeatedly in his later years. And today its lessons are more relevant than ever in a world obsessed with the futile pursuit of youth.

This is a complete critical edition of Cicero's Cato Maior de Senectute (On Old Age )with an introduction and commentary. The text is based on a fresh examination of the manuscript tradition while the introduction aims to place the work in the context of Cicero's writings on old age in the ancient world. The Roman and Ciceronian qualities of the work are emphasized, rather than the search for lost sources that occupied scholars in the past. Matters of text, language, and content are all considered equally in the commentary.

Reproduction of the original: Cato Maior de Senectute by Cicero