Middle Kingdom
Teaching of Ptahhotep: Maxim 1
c. 1800 BCE
The Teaching of Ptahhotep is the oldest philosophical text in the world, attributed to a vizier of the 5th Dynasty but copied in the Middle Kingdom on Papyrus Prisse. The first maxim meditates on the hardships of old age and the wisdom it brings, urging the young to listen to those with experience.
1
How hard and painful are all afflictions of old age!
2
A man grows weak — his nose stopped, his eyes dim, his ears deaf
3
His heart fails, he cannot recall yesterday;
4
Be attentive, listener, to the words of every excellence.