On Cato

Recently I read an intriguing story of the orator and statesman, Cato the Elder, who lived around 2200 years ago. At the age of eighty, he decided to start studying Greek. His friends queried the wisdom of embarking on such an extensive course of study at his advanced age. Cato is said to have responded by saying it was the youngest age he had left.

This anecdote has a lot of resonance for us today – I was amused by how many maxims were contained in it:

  • it’s never too late to start something new;

  • don’t delay, start today;

  • he who hesitates is lost;

  • don’t let the grass grow under your feet.

So, no excuses, make that call; start work on that file – or even start learning a new language!