Does every birthday find you a year older? Cicero’s De Senectute wisdom is for you
Let’s face it—even the young aren’t getting any younger. That was true in Cicero’s time as well (107-43 BCE). A Roman orator and statesman, in his older age Cicero wrote about why he welcomed the wisdom we exchange for youth as we gain in years. He also reminds us to keep our eye on the ultimate, meaningful prize as we journey through our lives: “nothing remains to us, but what results from past good and virtuous Actions.”
On a Life Well Spent is a book that has bilingualism to thank, twice over. The first thanks go to Cicero, who translated the lofty thoughts of the Greeks into a language more people then spoke: Latin. The second thanks go to Benjamin Franklin, whose published version of Cicero’s De Senectute (On Aging) is reprised here. Franklin tapped the talents of his friend James Logan to translate Cicero’s Latin into a language more people in the American colonies spoke: English.
America the Bilingual Press is using this opportunity to also provide readers with a sneak preview of a forthcoming book, The Little Guide to Your Bilingual Life. The author, Steve Leveen, is the founder of the America the Bilingual project.
Reading tip: Read the many callouts in the book first—like this one: “Every Part of Life, like the Year, has its peculiar Season.” You’ll feel so much better about that next birthday.
