Publilius Syrus Quotes
Observation, not old age, brings wisdom.
Syrus, Publilius. The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, a Roman Slave. Translated by Darius Lyman, L.E. Bernard & Co., 1856.
"Winters" is used in both a literal and metaphorical sense. The wise man must be old enough to have garnered the wisdom and he must have lived through some difficult times.
Publilius Syrus (fl. 85–43 BC), was a Latin writer, best known for his sententiae. He was a Syrian from Antioch who was brought as a slave to Roman Italy. Syrus was brought to Rome on the same ship that brought Manilius, the astronomer and Staberius Eros, the grammarian. By his wit and talent, Syrus won the favour of his master, who granted him manumission and educated him. He became a member of the Publilia gens. Publilius' name, due to the palatalization of 'l' between two 'i's in the Early Middle Ages, is often presented by manuscripts (and some printed editions) in corrupt form as 'Publius', Publius being a very common Roman praenomen.