Horace
65–8 BC
Roman Lyric·Roma
A freedman's son who fought on the losing side at Philippi, was pardoned, and spent the rest of his life writing odes about the Sabine farm Maecenas gave him. Carpe diem is his — but not as a slogan for hedonism. It is the discipline of someone who watched the empire change hands twice and learned that the only honest answer to time is to drink the wine in front of you, before the cup is taken.
Key Ideas
01
Carpe diem — seize the day, because tomorrow is not promised
02
Aurea mediocritas — the golden mean, the virtue of measure
03
Poetry as a monument more lasting than bronze
04
The Sabine farm as a symbol of the examined retired life