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How to Grow Old by Marcus Tullius Cicero
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How to Grow Old

Ancient Wisdom for the Second Half of Life

$9.44

Narrator Roger Clark

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Translator Philip Freeman
Length 1 hour 39 minutes
Language English
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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.

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC), commonly known as Cicero, was a Roman statesman, philosopher, orator, and lawyer. Born into an aristocratic family, he studied law and served a term as consul in 63 BC. As a member of the Senate, he witnessed the rise to prominence of Julius Caesar, whose followers forced him into exile and out of politics. Following the assassination of Caesar in 44 BC, to which he was a witness, he argued in front of the Senate for the restoration of the republic, but was unsuccessful. In 43 BC, he was murdered on the orders of Mark Antony. Cicero's works include philosophic writings, speeches made as a lawyer and a senator, and letters. His best-known writings include On the Orator, On the Republic, Hortensius, On the Nature of the Gods, On Duties, and Treatises on Friendship and Old Age.

Roger Clark is a professional actor and voice-over artist who lives in New York City with his beautiful family. American born, Roger moved to Ireland as a youth and graduated from the University of Glamorgan in Wales. He has performed in over forty-five countries. His first venture in audio narration was as a child, helping his father record local newspapers for the blind and visually impaired.

Philip Freeman is the author of more than twenty books on the ancient world, including the Cicero translations How to Be a Friend, How to Grow Old, and How to Run a Country. He holds the Fletcher Jones Chair as a Professor of Humanities at Pepperdine University and lives in Malibu, California.

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