"At twenty a man is a peacock, at thirty a lion, at forty a camel, at fifty a serpent, at sixty a dog, at seventy an ape, at eighty a nothing at all"
About this Quote
Then the turn: forty as camel is a demotion from king to pack animal, the age of carrying obligations and swallowing disappointments because the caravan has to move. Fifty’s serpent is the most morally charged animal in the chain. It suggests not just cunning but adaptation and self-preservation in a world that now rewards strategy over strength; wisdom curdles into suspicion. By sixty, “dog” lands as domestication: loyalty, routine, dependence, perhaps a humiliating closeness to the hearth after decades of roaming.
Seventy’s ape is the final insult, implying imitation and diminished dignity, a return to gestures without the authority that once gave them meaning. “Eighty a nothing at all” is Gracian’s baroque sting: the social world, not nature, delivers the annihilation. In a 17th-century court culture obsessed with reputation, patronage, and performance, identity is something you rent from the gaze of others. When that gaze moves on, you don’t just lose status; you lose your supposed self.
Quote Details
| Topic | Aging |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Gracian, Baltasar. (2026, January 15). At twenty a man is a peacock, at thirty a lion, at forty a camel, at fifty a serpent, at sixty a dog, at seventy an ape, at eighty a nothing at all. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/at-twenty-a-man-is-a-peacock-at-thirty-a-lion-at-38543/
Chicago Style
Gracian, Baltasar. "At twenty a man is a peacock, at thirty a lion, at forty a camel, at fifty a serpent, at sixty a dog, at seventy an ape, at eighty a nothing at all." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/at-twenty-a-man-is-a-peacock-at-thirty-a-lion-at-38543/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"At twenty a man is a peacock, at thirty a lion, at forty a camel, at fifty a serpent, at sixty a dog, at seventy an ape, at eighty a nothing at all." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/at-twenty-a-man-is-a-peacock-at-thirty-a-lion-at-38543/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
