Cicero observed to a degenerate patrician, "I am the first of my family, but you are the last of yours" And since his time, those who value themselves merely on their ancestry, have been compared to potatoes, all that is good of them is under the ground." - Meaning and context.">
Vol. I; VIII
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Cicero observed to a degenerate patrician, "I am the first of my family, but you are the last of yours" And since his time, those who value themselves merely on their ancestry, have been compared to potatoes, all that is good of them is under the ground.

— Charles Caleb Colton

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Cicero observed to a degenerate patrician, "I am the first of my family, but you are the last of yours" And since his time, those who value themselves merely on their ancestry, have been compared to potatoes, all that is good of them is under the ground." in the context of "Vol. I; VIII" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Charles Caleb Colton" (Quotes, Lacon (1820): Lacon, Or, Many Things in Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think (Vol. I, 1820; Vol. II, 1822; corrected one volume edition, 1836) Full text online at Archive.org, Volume 1) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

About Charles Caleb Colton

Charles Caleb Colton (baptized 11 December 1777 - 28 April 1832) was a British author, clergyman, and art collector.