"Death is not an evil, because it frees us from all evils, and while it takes away good things, it takes away also the desire for them. Old age is the supreme evil, because it deprives us of all pleasures, leaving us only the appetite for them, and it brings with it all sufferings. Nevertheless, we fear death, and we desire old age."

Source : Giacomo Leopardi (2002). “Thoughts: And, The Broom [or The Flower of the Desert]”, Hesperus Press

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