--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pliny the Elder perished in 79 A.D. when…" description: "\"Pliny the Elder perished in 79 A.D. when he refused to flee from the great eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, insisting that everything would be all right. It w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/will-cuppy-7569_elders_pliny-the-elder-perished-in-79-a-d-when_1008282.jpg" --- # Pliny the Elder perished in 79 A.D. when he refused to… ![“Pliny the Elder perished in 79 A.D. when he refused to flee from the great eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, insisting that everything would be all right. It wasn't.” quote by Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/will-cuppy-7569_elders_pliny-the-elder-perished-in-79-a-d-when_1008282.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/will-cuppy-7569_elders_pliny-the-elder-perished-in-79-a-d-when_1008282.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/will-cuppy-7569_elders_pliny-the-elder-perished-in-79-a-d-when_1008282.jpg) > “Pliny the Elder perished in 79 A.D. when he refused to flee from the great eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, insisting that everything would be all right. It wasn't.” [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pliny's refusal to flee the eruption leads to his death, illustrating fatalism and the danger of denial. **In simple terms:** Denial of danger leads to death. Key Takeaway Acknowledge risks, act wisely. Themes risk denial fatalism Mood somber ironic Type historical satirical When to use this quote - natural disasters - personal safety Key Concepts history philosophy humor Questions to Reflect On - What risks are you ignoring? - How do you balance optimism with caution? A Different Perspective The anecdote may be historically inaccurate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Elder Perished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elder-perished-2174031/) [Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elders/) [Eruption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eruption/) [Footnotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/footnotes/) [Insisting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insisting/) [Pliny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pliny-145575/) [Pliny Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pliny-elder-2174030/) [Pliny The Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pliny-the-elder/) [Vesuvius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vesuvius-609389/) [Vesuvius Insisting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vesuvius-insisting-2174032/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [ He \[Pliny the Elder\] used to say that 'no book \[etc\] was so bad but some good might be got out of it'. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-younger/he-pliny-the-elder-used-to-say-that-no-book-etc-was-so-bad-but-some/) [Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) > [Pliny the Elder, who when Rome was burning requested Nero to play You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me, Lucille. Never got a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-buttons/pliny-the-elder-who-when-rome-was-burning-requested-nero-to-play-you/) [Red Buttons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-buttons/) > [ “\[Pliny the Elder\] used to say that “no book was so bad but some good might be got out of it.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-younger/pliny-the-elder-used-to-say-that-no-book-was-so-bad-but-some-good/) [Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) > [ \[Footnote:\] Pliny the Elder described a Whale called "Balaena or Whirlpool, which is so long and broad as to take up more in length… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/footnote-pliny-the-elder-described-a-whale-called-balaena-or/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [“... Mother Nature is punishing us, ..., for our greed and selfishness. We torture her at all hours by iron and wood, fire and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/mother-nature-is-punishing-us-for-our-greed-and-selfishness-we/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“Apparebat eidolon senex. —Pliny”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/apparebat-eidolon-senex-pliny/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“I texted Nightingale to let him know our change in disposition and then I picked up my Pliny, because nothing says stuck all alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/i-texted-nightingale-to-let-him-know-our-change-in-disposition-and/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [A bronze plaque read: GAIUS PLINIUS CAECILIUS SECUNDUS Dan made a face. "Get a load of the guy with the funny name." "I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-korman/a-bronze-plaque-read-gaius-plinius-caecilius-secundus-dan-made-a-face/) [Gordon Korman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-korman/) > [Pliny... makes the statement, and for untrustworthiness of statement he cannot easily be surpassed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/pliny-makes-the-statement-and-for-untrustworthiness-of-statement-he/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [“\* The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. ALBERT EINSTEIN \*I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pinkney/the-most-beautiful-thing-we-can-experience-is-the-mysterious-it-is/) [John Pinkney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pinkney/) > [“All across Italy, as Parasecoli tells me, food is used to identify who is Italian and who is not. But dig a little deeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bittman/all-across-italy-as-parasecoli-tells-me-food-is-used-to-identify-who/) [Mark Bittman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bittman/) > [“Optimumque est, ut volgo dixere, aliena insania frui. And the best plan is, as the popular saying was, to profit by the folly of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/optimumque-est-ut-volgo-dixere-aliena-insania-frui-and-the-best-plan/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [“There is a white vein with a very small amount of liquid in it: … Men try to catch the murex alive because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/there-is-a-white-vein-with-a-very-small-amount-of-liquid-in-it-men/) [Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/) > [“Closely related are the entries in his bestiary, a compendium of short tales of animals and moral lessons based on their traits. Bestiaries were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/closely-related-are-the-entries-in-his-bestiary-a-compendium-of-short/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [The true smoker abstains from imitating Vesuvius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-marseille-barthelemy/the-true-smoker-abstains-from-imitating-vesuvius/) [Auguste-Marseille Barthelemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-marseille-barthelemy/) ## More by Will Cuppy > [“Hatshepsut has been called the first great woman of history. She simply appointed herself King of Egypt and that was all there was to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/hatshepsut-has-been-called-the-first-great-woman-of-history-she/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [“Intelligence is the capacity to know what we are doing and instinct is just instinct. The results are about the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/intelligence-is-the-capacity-to-know-what-we-are-doing-and-instinct/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [Henry VIII had so many wives because his dynastic sense was very strong whenever he saw a maid of honour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/henry-viii-had-so-many-wives-because-his-dynastic-sense-was-very/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [ \[Footnote:\] Pliny the Elder described a Whale called "Balaena or Whirlpool, which is so long and broad as to take up more in length… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/footnote-pliny-the-elder-described-a-whale-called-balaena-or/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [Frogs will eat red-flannel worms fed to them by biologists; this proves a great deal about both parties concerned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/frogs-will-eat-red-flannel-worms-fed-to-them-by-biologists-this/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [Even as a child back in Indiana, whenever I took a Butterbelly off the hook I used to ask myself, "Does this fish think?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/even-as-a-child-back-in-indiana-whenever-i-took-a-butterbelly-off-the/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [“Would it not be downright cruel to keep him in semi-captivity in a town or city, where the opportunities for wreaking havoc and destruction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/would-it-not-be-downright-cruel-to-keep-him-in-semi-captivity-in-a/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [Alexander III of Macedon is known as Alexander the Great because he killed more people of more different kinds than any other man of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/alexander-iii-of-macedon-is-known-as-alexander-the-great-because-he/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [“The average sparrow is something of a bore and the trouble is that all sparrows are average.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/the-average-sparrow-is-something-of-a-bore-and-the-trouble-is-that/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [I don't like to boast, but I have probably skipped more poetry than any other person of my age and weight in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/i-don-t-like-to-boast-but-i-have-probably-skipped-more-poetry-than/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [“All modern men are descended from wormlike creatures, but it shows more on some people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/all-modern-men-are-descended-from-wormlike-creatures-but-it-shows/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [ \[Footnote:\] The female of any species is generally regarded as a relatively anabolic organism, more passive than the male, who is relatively katabolic and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/footnote-the-female-of-any-species-is-generally-regarded-as-a/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [ It is because of his brain that \[modern man\] has risen above the animals. Guess which animals he has risen above. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/it-is-because-of-his-brain-that-modern-man-has-risen-above-the/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [It's easy to see the faults in people I know; it's hardest to see the good. Especially when the good isn't there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/it-s-easy-to-see-the-faults-in-people-i-know-it-s-hardest-to-see-the/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [I am billed as a humorist, but of course I am a tragedian at heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/i-am-billed-as-a-humorist-but-of-course-i-am-a-tragedian-at-heart/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) [Explore all 90 Will Cuppy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) ## More Elders quotes > [The millennials were raised in a cocoon, their anxious parents afraid to let them go out in the park to play. So should we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/the-millennials-were-raised-in-a-cocoon-their-anxious-parents-afraid/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [The playthings of our elders are called business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/the-playthings-of-our-elders-are-called-business/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [Despite my mentors advice that I would never go to heaven fishing with a weighted nymph and a float, I took it up. (As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-bishop/despite-my-mentors-advice-that-i-would-never-go-to-heaven-fishing/) [Tony Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-bishop/) > [I see film as a real opportunity to examine the human condition. No matter where the technology goes in the future, the basics don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schultz/i-see-film-as-a-real-opportunity-to-examine-the-human-condition-no/) [Michael Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schultz/) > [Most people think that aging is irreversible and we know that there are mechanisms even in the human machinery that allow for the reversal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/most-people-think-that-aging-is-irreversible-and-we-know-that-there/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [In Afghanistan, I was talking to Afghan elders who were world-weary of a lack of sustained attention from their own government and from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-cox/in-afghanistan-i-was-talking-to-afghan-elders-who-were-world-weary-of/) [Jo Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-cox/) > [Remember that the progress of the world depends on your knowing better than your elders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/remember-that-the-progress-of-the-world-depends-on-your-knowing/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [I was brought up to respect my elders, so now I don't have to respect anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/i-was-brought-up-to-respect-my-elders-so-now-i-don-t-have-to-respect/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [“the New Testament offers more instruction regarding elders than on other important church subjects such as the Lord’s Supper, the Lord’s Day, baptism, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-strauch/the-new-testament-offers-more-instruction-regarding-elders-than-on/) [Alexander Strauch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-strauch/) > [Phaedra shook her head. “If your people mean no offense, they should not speak their thoughts out loud in front of their children, Tesadora.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/phaedra-shook-her-head-if-your-people-mean-no-offense-they-should-not/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [Long before I wrote stories, I listened for stories. Listening for them is something more acute than listening to them. I suppose it’s an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/long-before-i-wrote-stories-i-listened-for-stories-listening-for-them/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [“The young man pities his elders, fearing the day he, too, will join their ranks. The elderly man pities the younger generation, well-knowing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-i-fisher/the-young-man-pities-his-elders-fearing-the-day-he-too-will-join/) [Lynda I Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-i-fisher/) > [The fruit of humanity is devotion to one's parents. The fruit of righteousness is to respect one's elders. The fruit of wisdom is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/the-fruit-of-humanity-is-devotion-to-one-s-parents-the-fruit-of/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [As a woman of color, I always pay homage to my ancestors and elders - in the industry in particular - who have paved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/da-vine-joy-randolph/as-a-woman-of-color-i-always-pay-homage-to-my-ancestors-and-elders-in/) [Da'Vine Joy Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/da-vine-joy-randolph/) > [ \[Footnote:\] Pliny the Elder described a Whale called "Balaena or Whirlpool, which is so long and broad as to take up more in length… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/footnote-pliny-the-elder-described-a-whale-called-balaena-or/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) [Browse all 536 Elders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elders/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Pliny the Elder perished in 79 A.D. when he refused to flee from the great eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, insisting that everything would be all right. It wasn't.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Will Cuppy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/pliny-the-elder-perished-in-79-a-d-when-he-refused-to-flee-from-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Elders" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/pliny-the-elder-perished-in-79-a-d-when-he-refused-to-flee-from-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/will-cuppy-7569_elders_pliny-the-elder-perished-in-79-a-d-when_1008282.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/will-cuppy-7569_elders_pliny-the-elder-perished-in-79-a-d-when_1008282.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/will-cuppy-7569_elders_pliny-the-elder-perished-in-79-a-d-when_1008282.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Pliny the Elder perished in 79 A.D. when he refused to flee from the great eruption of Mt. Vesuvius…” — Will Cuppy", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Will Cuppy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Pliny the Elder perished in 79...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/pliny-the-elder-perished-in-79-a-d-when-he-refused-to-flee-from-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/pliny-the-elder-perished-in-79-a-d-when-he-refused-to-flee-from-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```