--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Old men, what are they? Fast fading the…" description: "\"Old men, what are they? Fast fading the leaf, Three-footed they walk, yet frail as a child, As a dream set afloat in the daylight.\" — Aeschylus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/aeschylus-749_age_old-men-what-are-they-fast-fading-the-le_638452.png" --- # Old men, what are they? Fast fading the leaf, Three-footed… ![“Old men, what are they? Fast fading the leaf, Three-footed they walk, yet frail as a child, As a dream set afloat in the daylight.” quote by Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/aeschylus-749_age_old-men-what-are-they-fast-fading-the-le_638452.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/aeschylus-749_age_old-men-what-are-they-fast-fading-the-le_638452.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/aeschylus-749_age_old-men-what-are-they-fast-fading-the-le_638452.png) > “Old men, what are they? Fast fading the leaf, Three-footed they walk, yet frail as a child, As a dream set afloat in the daylight.” [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poet reflects on the fragility and transience of human life, likening it to fading leaves and fleeting dreams. **In simple terms:** Life is fleeting and fragile. Key Takeaway Recognize life's impermanence. Themes mortality fragility transience Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal loss - grief counseling - philosophical reflection - artistic inspiration Key Concepts Greek tragedy human condition impermanence Questions to Reflect On - How does acknowledging mortality affect daily choices? - Can impermanence inspire appreciation? A Different Perspective Focusing on fragility may cause despair. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Daylight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daylight/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Old age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-age/) [Old man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-man/) [Old men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-men/) ## Related quotes > [Come watch with me the shaft of fire that glows in yonder West; the fair, frail palaces, The fading Alps and archipelagoes and great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/come-watch-with-me-the-shaft-of-fire-that-glows-in-yonder-west-the/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [Why is it we love so fully what has washed up on the beaches of our hearts, those lost messages, lost friends, the daylight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-jackson/why-is-it-we-love-so-fully-what-has-washed-up-on-the-beaches-of-our/) [Richard Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-jackson/) > [A final reminder. Whenever you are in Paris at twilight in the early summer, return to the Seine and watch the evening sky close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-simon/a-final-reminder-whenever-you-are-in-paris-at-twilight-in-the-early/) [Kate Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-simon/) > [“Your lifetime is your daytime. The moment it gets dark, the game is over.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/your-lifetime-is-your-daytime-the-moment-it-gets-dark-the-game-is-over/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [Beyond age, leaf withered, man goes three footed no stronger than a child is, a dream that falters in daylight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/beyond-age-leaf-withered-man-goes-three-footed-no-stronger-than-a/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [God grant that by my persevering labours I may bring a little stone to the frail and ill-assured edifice of our knowledge of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/god-grant-that-by-my-persevering-labours-i-may-bring-a-little-stone/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [Let us face reality. The framers (of the Constitution) have simply been too shrewd for us. They have outwitted us. They designed separate institutions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macgregor-burns/let-us-face-reality-the-framers-of-the-constitution-have-simply-been/) [James MacGregor Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macgregor-burns/) > [The ultimate act of cowardice is the fat-headed wrestling guy sitting behind the frail kid in math class, clipping him on the ear, saying:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/the-ultimate-act-of-cowardice-is-the-fat-headed-wrestling-guy-sitting/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [The air is like a butterfly With frail blue wings. The happy earth looks at the sky And sings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-kilmer/the-air-is-like-a-butterfly-with-frail-blue-wings-the-happy-earth/) [Joyce Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-kilmer/) > [The biggest myth about aging is that we can't do anything about it. That it's a road to being decrepit, frail, and sick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-somers/the-biggest-myth-about-aging-is-that-we-can-t-do-anything-about-it/) [Suzanne Somers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-somers/) > [At five in the afternoon. It was exactly five in the afternoon. A boy brought the white sheet at five in the afternoon. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-five-in-the-afternoon-it-was-exactly-five-in-the-afternoon-a-boy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am frail like everyone else, and I take that into account when I talk about things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-mencia/i-am-frail-like-everyone-else-and-i-take-that-into-account-when-i/) [Carlos Mencia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-mencia/) > [I’m cold,' Snowden said softly, 'I’m cold.' 'You’re going to be all right, kid,' Yossarian reassured him with a grin. 'You’re going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/i-m-cold-snowden-said-softly-i-m-cold-you-re-going-to-be-all-right/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) ## More by Aeschylus > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [May dawn, as the proverb goes, bring happy tidings coming from her mother night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/may-dawn-as-the-proverb-goes-bring-happy-tidings-coming-from-her/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [In visions of the night, like dropping rain, Descend the many memories of pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/in-visions-of-the-night-like-dropping-rain-descend-the-many-memories/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [The cure is in the house, not brought by other hands from distant places, but by its own, in agony and blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/the-cure-is-in-the-house-not-brought-by-other-hands-from-distant/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [The tongue of slander is too prompt with wanton malice to wound the stranger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/the-tongue-of-slander-is-too-prompt-with-wanton-malice-to-wound-the/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [The holy heaven yearns to wound the earth, and yearning layeth hold on the earth to join in wedlock; the rain, fallen from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/the-holy-heaven-yearns-to-wound-the-earth-and-yearning-layeth-hold-on/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [God loves to help him who strives to help himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/god-loves-to-help-him-who-strives-to-help-himself/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [Good fortune is a god among men, and more than a god.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/good-fortune-is-a-god-among-men-and-more-than-a-god/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [Zeus, first cause, prime mover; for what thing without Zeus is done among mortals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/zeus-first-cause-prime-mover-for-what-thing-without-zeus-is-done/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [God planteth in mortal men the cause of sin whensoever he wills utterly to destroy a house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/god-planteth-in-mortal-men-the-cause-of-sin-whensoever-he-wills/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [Human prosperity never rests but always craves more, till blown up with pride it totters and falls. From the opulent mansions pointed at by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/human-prosperity-never-rests-but-always-craves-more-till-blown-up/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [To be free from evil thoughts is God's best gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/to-be-free-from-evil-thoughts-is-god-s-best-gift/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [Hungry wailing standeth not aloof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hungry-wailing-standeth-not-aloof/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [“If libations were proper to pour above the slain, this man deserved, more than deserved, such sacrament. He filled our cup with evil things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/if-libations-were-proper-to-pour-above-the-slain-this-man-deserved/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [For there is no defense for a man who, in the excess of his wealth, has kicked the great altar of Justice out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/for-there-is-no-defense-for-a-man-who-in-the-excess-of-his-wealth-has/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) [Explore all 382 Aeschylus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? 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That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Old men, what are they? 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