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What if growing old need not mean becoming useless—and friendship asks more of us than affection?
In Treatises on Friendship and Old Age, Marcus Tullius Cicero brings two lasting questions into conversation. On Old Age introduces Cato, an eighty-four-year-old farmer, soldier and senator, answering two younger men. He challenges the complaints that age ends useful work, weakens the body, takes away pleasure and brings death too close.
On Friendship turns to Gaius Laelius as he grieves his closest friend, Scipio. Asked how he bears the loss, Laelius explores what friendship is, why goodness matters and how trust should grow. Both dialogues are set in the Roman past and dedicated to Cicero’s friend Atticus. Their plain arguments and concrete examples invite you to examine your own life.
What you’ll discover
- A different view of age Hear Cato challenge the belief that later years must bring only misery.
- Useful work still matters Consider Roman examples of achievement that depends on more than youthful strength.
- Room to face death Follow Cato’s argument that death belongs to every age, not only old age.
- Friendship rooted in goodness Join Laelius in asking what makes a bond worthy of lasting trust.
- Care before trust Explore practical counsel on choosing friends carefully and keeping those friendships honest.
Who will love it
For anyone facing retirement or loss, and readers who want to think clearly about their closest bonds. For readers who enjoy philosophical conversations, vivid Roman examples and reflections on growing old, honesty and loyalty.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Old age is blamed unfairly
- Old people can still do great work
- Weakness and lost pleasures bring other gains
- Death is no reason to fear age
- True friendship rests on goodness
- Choose friends carefully and keep them honestly
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Treatises on Friendship and Old Age
Cato answers the complaints against old age, while Laelius explores what friendship asks of us after losing Scipio.
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In short
This book gathers two short works by the Roman statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero. On Old Age, called De Senectute in Latin, and On Friendship, called De Amicitia, were both written in 44 BC.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Old age is blamed unfairly
Cicero sets On Old Age in 150 BC. Cato the Elder, a famous Roman statesman, receives two young visitors, Scipio Aemilianus and Laelius. They admire how lightly he carries his years, and they ask his secret. Cicero uses Cato as his voice because Cato was known for hard work, sharp speech and love of the land.
Cato answers that the secret is not luck. A person who has no inner resources finds every age heavy, he says, while a person who has built good character finds each stage of life natural. Complaints about old age, in his view, are often complaints about a person's own temper. He points out that people who grumble in age were usually grumblers in youth.
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What is Cicero's On Old Age about?
It is a dialogue in which the elder Cato answers four complaints against old age: that it ends work, weakens the body, removes pleasure and nears death. He argues that character and purposeful activity make old age good.
What is Cicero's On Friendship about?
It is a dialogue in which Laelius, mourning his friend Scipio, explains that true friendship rests on virtue and goodwill, not on need or advantage. He also gives advice on choosing friends, honesty and the limits of loyalty.
Who are Cato and Laelius in these treatises?
Cato the Elder was a Roman statesman and writer known for his austere habits and long career. Laelius was a Roman statesman and the close friend of Scipio Aemilianus. Cicero uses both as spokesmen for his own ideas.
The author
Marcus Tullius Cicero
106 BC–42 BC · Roman statesman, orator and philosopher
Roman statesman, lawyer, orator, and philosopher.
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