"Old men are fond of giving good advice to console themselves for their inability to give bad examples"

This quote by Francois de La Rochefoucauld recommends that older individuals typically give advice to offset their failure to set a good example. He suggests that older individuals understand their own shortcomings and are not able to offer a positive example for others to follow. Instead, they offer guidance as a way to make up for their lack of good examples. This quote likewise indicates that older people are most likely to provide suggestions than to take it. They may be more likely to offer guidance due to the fact that they feel that they have more experience and knowledge than more youthful individuals. Furthermore, they might feel that they have a responsibility to hand down their wisdom to the younger generations. Eventually, this quote recommends that older individuals are more likely to offer advice than to take it, which they do so to make up for their inability to provide a fine example.