Cicero wrote the short treatise on old age in 62 BC, shortly before Caesar's assassination. In it, the 84-year-old Cato engages in a conversation with Scipio Africanus and Laelius about whether old age should be lamented. The discussion blends personal and fundamental themes, biographical and historical elements, Roman and Greek perspectives, as well as political and philosophical ideas in a harmonious manner. The dialogue, which is considered one of Cicero's finest works, still provides valuable guidance today in the search for a meaningful life.