proverb · Legacy record
Old age is not as honorable as death, but most people want it.
Old age is not as honorable as death, but most people want it.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying ranks death as more honourable than old age while noting that people prefer to grow old. It contrasts an idealised judgment with a desire to continue living.
What the words are saying
Most is not a measured proportion, and the honour ranking is the saying’s viewpoint rather than an endorsed hierarchy. A responsible interpretation does not encourage death or disparage older people. The tension can be discussed without treating age, survival or mortality as a measure of human worth.
Everyday example
A reader examines the contrast between the stated ideal and desire for life without accepting its ranking of people.
When to use it
Use it critically to explain the tension between valuation and preference.
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What it does not mean
No duty to seek death, diminished dignity in old age or measured preference is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 11; PDF page 9; collection label: Crow
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Crow