Jean de La Bruyère on Ageing

“L'on craint la vieillesse, que l'on n'est pas sûr de pouvoir atteindre. We dread old age, which we are not sure of being able to attain.”

“L'on espère de vieillir, et l'on craint la vieillesse; c'est-à-dire, l'on aime la vie et l'on fuit la mort. We hope to grow old and we dread old age; that is to say, we love life and we flee from death.”