Quotations and Literature Forum

who said this:?

times are bad. children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book.

was it cicero? does anyone know? i would love an answer. thanks!

"Times are bad [also seen as: The world is going to hell]: children no longer obey their parents, and
everyone is writing a book..."
-- attributed to Cicero

There are signs that the world is speedily coming to an end: Bribery and corruption are common. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book.
-- from Assyrian tablet, 2800 B.C.E.
http://www.jokeindex.com/joke.asp?Joke=1824

This person, and I, need to see a source before I'll believe that Cicero had anything to do with this "quote"
http://omega.cohums.ohio-state.edu:8080 ... /0928.html

i also have doubts that cicero ever uttered, or wrote, these words. however, a broader range of websites that attribute this quote to cicero can be found if you use the google search "times bad children obey parents writing book cicero." some of these sites are more reputable than others. thanks for your reply.

Go to this site and check Socrates on youth nowadays for another answer:

http://home.earthlink.net/~altquot/quot ... tesonyouth

I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words.
When I was a boy, we were taught to be discrete and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise and impatient of restraint.
--- Hesiod, Eighth Century B.C.

thanks for your help! anyone else?

Phaedrus, is that really "discrete" in the original source -- as in separate, distinct as opposed to "discreet" (prudent, modest)? Interesting.

That's a good webpage that Phaedrus provided a link to.

There are other unsourced quotes along this line, such as...

"Our youth have an insatiable desire for wealth; they have bad manners and atrocious customs regarding dressing and their hair and what garments or shoes they wear."
~Plato

"The world is passing through troublesome times. The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint; they talk as if they alone know everything...."
~ Matthew Paris (13th Century A.D.)

"Our young men have grown slothful. There is not a single honourable occupation for which they will toil night and day. They sing and dance and grow effeminate and curl their hair and learn womanish tricks of speech; They are as languid as women and deck themselves out with unbecoming ornaments. With out strength, without energy, they add nothing during life to the gifts with which they were born - then they complain of their lot."
~Seneca

"The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence [respect] for their parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint; They talk as if they alone know everything and what passes for wisdom in us foolishness in them. As for the girls, they are foolish and immodest and unwomanly in speech, behaviour and dress."
~Peter the Hermit, 1083

Luna, that would be discreet. The webpage must have had a typo I overlooked. One of these days I'll learn how to type also!

basically every era has quotes of people bitching about the younger generations and their incapability to act politely, intelligently, tastefully, etc., but what i really am interested is the "everyone is writing a book" part. can anyone help me confirm that cicero said it? thanks for your replies.