Edward Gibbon The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, pages: 711-712
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Yet the abstinence and humility of Omar were not inferior to the virtues of Abubeker: his food consisted of barley bread or dates; his drink was water; he preached in a gown that was torn or tattered in twelve places; and the Persian satrap, who paid his homage to the conqueror, found him asleep among the beggars on the steps of the mosch of Medina.

— Edward Gibbon on Umar

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Yet the abstinence and humility of Omar were not inferior to the virtues of Abubeker: his food consisted of barley bread or dates; his drink was water; he preached in a gown that was torn or tattered in twelve places; and the Persian satrap, who paid his homage to the conqueror, found him asleep among the beggars on the steps of the mosch of Medina." in the context of "Edward Gibbon The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, pages: 711-712" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Umar" (Quotes about Umar) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Edward Gibbon

About Edward Gibbon

Edward Gibbon (1737-05-08 or 1737-04-27, O.S. – 1794-01-16) was arguably the most important historian since the time of the ancient Roman Tacitus. Gibbon's magnum opus, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, published between 1776 and 1788, is a groundbreaking work of early modern erudition, the broad influence of which endures to this day.