Q0441
“The best weapons of old age are the arts and practices of…” — Cicero (On Old Age)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: On Old Age. Theme: virtue.
English
The best weapons of old age are the arts and practices of the virtues.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to On Old Age and files it under Stoicism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BCE) was Rome’s greatest orator and a statesman who transmitted Greek philosophy into Latin prose. Caught in the Republic’s death throes, he opposed Caesar’s assassins’ enemies and was killed in the proscriptions.
How to read this passage
Virtue ethics asks not only which acts are right, but what kind of person one becomes. Courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom are classic Western lists; Confucian ren and yi offer related but distinct vocabularies. This passage enters that discussion through virtue, cultivation.
Concepts in this quote
- Virtue
- Virtue names excellences of character—habits of perception and action oriented toward the good.
- Cultivation
- Cultivation appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat cultivation as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Cicero. (n.d.). The best weapons of old age are the arts and practices of the virtues. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0441
MLA: Cicero. “The best weapons of old age are the….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0441.
Chicago: Cicero. “The best weapons of old age are the….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0441.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “The best weapons of old age are the…”?
The passage is attributed to Cicero, On Old Age. The archive attributes this English wording to On Old Age and files it under Stoicism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Cicero mean by virtue?
Virtue ethics asks not only which acts are right, but what kind of person one becomes. Courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom are classic Western lists; Confucian ren and yi offer related but distinct vocabularies. This passage enters that discussion through virtue, cultivation.