Simple Stoic Advice
Cicero on Aging, Wisdom, Character, and Judgment
Cicero on Aging, Wisdom, Character, and Judgment
The beautiful thing about Stoic philosophy is the advice contained within it is just as applicable today as it was when it was first written all those many years ago. We can learn a great deal from interpreting the advice provided and using it to our advantage as we go throughout our own lives.
Today’s quote comes to us courtesy of Cicero and his essay on old age, recently published with an updated translation by Princeton University Press (You can find more from the series here) entitled How to Grow Old:
Quote
“It’s not by strength or speed or swiftness of body that great deeds are done, but by wisdom, character, and sober judgment. These qualities are not lacking in old age but in fact grow richer as time passes.”
Advice
While Cicero himself was not a Stoic, he at times leaned heavily into the philosophy and is one of the main sources we have that discusses the philosophy for which we have less than 1% of the original writings remaining.
Here, Cicero argues against what most of us believe. Most of us believe that in order to be a hero or do good, we have to be strong, powerful, and superior to others. But Cicero argues this to be false. It is through the small decisions we make each and every day, it is through our search for wisdom, through the foundation of who we are, or our character if you will, that accomplish great deeds. But most importantly, it is through the aging process that we gain wisdom through experience, that our characters develops and becomes who we are, that regardless of the situation, we can with a level head make proper decisions and have clear judgment.
Take incremental steps every day to gain wisdom and strengthen your character. From this, you will be able to make more informed decisions and have clearer judgments of events that you face.
We send a Stoic meditation every Monday morning directly to your inbox. To sign up to receive our Monday Meditations, click here.
The Stoic Within participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn commissions by linking to Amazon. In more simplistic terms, if you buy a book on Amazon from a link in this article, I receive a very small percentage of its price.