‘The Seven Mistakes of Life’: A Forgotten Book Sounds Alarms We Need to Hear

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From the beginning of the republic, Americans took interest in Ancient Rome. Founding Fathers like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams looked to certain Romans—Cato the Younger, Cicero, Plutarch, and others—as mentors and guides. Movies like “Quo Vadis,” “Spartacus,” and “Gladiator” attracted huge audiences. In the last few years, commentators and pundits compared the cultural and political turmoil in the United States to events just before the fall of the Roman Empire. Recently, a trend circulated on social media where women asked men how often they think of the Roman Empire. Many are shocked when most of the men reply “Every day” or “A couple of times a week.” 

It seems only natural, then, that Cicero’s “Six Mistakes of Man” is popular with online audiences.