
“Though he has watched a decent age pass by,
A man will sometimes still desire the world.
I swear I see no wisdom in that man.
The endless hours pile up a drift of pain
More unrelieved each day: and as for pleasure,
When he is sunken in excessive age,
You will not see his pleasure anywhere.
The last attendant is the same for all,
Old men and young alike, as in its season
Man's heritage of underworld appears:
There being no epithalamion,
No music and no dance. Death is the finish.
Not to be born beats all philosophy.
The second best is to have seen the light
And then to go back quickly whence we came.
The feathery follies of his youth once over,
What trouble is beyond the range of man?
What heavy burden will he not endure?
Jealousy, faction, quarreling, and battle--
The bloodiness of war, the grief of war.
And in the end he comes to strengthless age,
Abhorred by all men, without company,
Unfriended in that uttermost twilight
Where he must live with every bitter thing.”
―
Oedipus at Colonus
Share this quote:
Friends Who Liked This Quote
To see what your friends thought of this quote, please sign up!
9 likes
All Members Who Liked This Quote
This Quote Is From
Browse By Tag
- love (99100)
- life (77951)
- inspirational (74353)
- humor (43669)
- philosophy (30292)
- inspirational-quotes (27956)
- god (26552)
- truth (24159)
- wisdom (24027)
- romance (23709)
- poetry (22693)
- life-lessons (21468)
- death (20223)
- quotes (19479)
- happiness (18794)
- hope (18128)
- faith (18063)
- inspiration (16933)
- spirituality (15404)
- motivational (15091)
- religion (15081)
- relationships (14836)
- life-quotes (14748)
- writing (14734)
- love-quotes (14484)
- success (13621)
- motivation (12853)
- time (12645)
- science (11833)
- motivational-quotes (11654)