Horae quidem cedunt et dies et menses et anni
“Hours pass, and days, and months, and years.”
Cicero, De senectute 69
What does “Horae quidem cedunt et dies et menses et anni” mean?
Horae quidem cedunt et dies et menses et anni translates as “Hours pass, and days, and months, and years.”
Time slips away and never returns.
“Horae quidem cedunt et dies et …” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Horae | hours | nominative plural (subject) of hora, “hour” |
| quidem | indeed, to be sure | adverb that adds emphasis; often best left untranslated in English |
| cedunt | pass, go by | third person plural present indicative active of cedo, “to go, yield, pass away” |
| et | and | conjunction |
| dies | days | nominative plural (subject) of dies, “day” |
| et | and | conjunction |
| menses | months | nominative plural (subject) of mensis, “month” |
| et | and | conjunction |
| anni | years | nominative plural (subject) of annus, “year” |
How to pronounce “Horae quidem cedunt et dies et …”
The main differences are ae (eye in Classical, eh in Church), c before e (k or ch) and the long e in dies. Stress falls on the first syllable of horae, cedunt, dies, menses and anni, and on the second of quidem.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “hours indeed pass, and days and months and years”. It is a plain list of time units, each one slipping away in turn.
It comes from Cicero’s De senectute (On Old Age), written in 44 BC, a dialogue in which the elder Cato defends old age against the usual complaints. In this passage Cato notes that the past never returns and that what is still to come is unknown, so one should be content with the time given.
The line is quoted today mainly as a reminder that time keeps moving, and it suits sundials, clocks, cards and quiet personal mottos.
How to use “Horae quidem cedunt et dies et …”
Good for a clock or sundial inscription, a birthday or new-year card, a tattoo about the passing of time, or an essay on ageing and memory. It is calm rather than gloomy, so it fits reflective settings better than dramatic ones.
- Latin
- Horae quidem cedunt et dies et menses et anni
- English
- Hours pass, and days, and months, and years.
- Source
- Cicero, De senectute 69
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Time
Common mistakes
- It is often shortened to “tempus fugit”, which is a different phrase (from Virgil) and not what Cicero wrote.
- Horae quidem is sometimes mistranslated as “hours, who are…”. Quidem is an adverb meaning “indeed”, not a pronoun.
- Do not change the endings casually: horae, menses and anni are nominative plurals, and altering them breaks the grammar.
- The quote is a statement that hours pass, not a command to seize the day.
Questions about “Horae quidem cedunt et dies et …”
What does “Horae quidem cedunt et dies et menses et anni” mean?
“Hours pass, and days, and months, and years.” Time of every length slips away, and quidem simply adds emphasis.
Who said “Horae quidem cedunt”?
Cicero, in De senectute (On Old Age), section 69. The speaker in the dialogue is the elder Cato.
How do you pronounce “Horae quidem cedunt”?
Classical: OH-righ KWIH-dem KAY-dunt. Church Latin: OH-reh KWEE-dem CHEH-dunt. The stress is on the first syllable of horae and cedunt, and on the second of quidem.
Is “Horae quidem cedunt” good Latin for a tattoo?
Yes. It is genuine classical Latin from Cicero, and the grammar is correct as it stands. A shorter wording such as “Horae cedunt” loses the emphasis but still works.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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