Luigi Cornaro

I was not aware that a father who is a glutton and a drunkard can beget moderate and virtuous children. Nor did I know, though I know it now, that the food which cannot be digested kills, while that which is digested sustains life.

The food which a temperate man leaves upon his plate is more beneficial than that which a glutton eats.

O wretched, miserable life! O unhappy temperament! To think that I, a man of sense, should have allowed myself to be brought to such a state by sensuality! Not to mention the pains in my stomach, my sides, and other parts of my body.

I found that a strict and regular life is the true way to conquer nature, and that the proverb which says that nature is so powerful is in part false.

It is certain that habit eventually has such power over human nature that it becomes, as it were, a second nature, and forces it to practise that to which it has become accustomed, regardless of whether or not it is good for health.

I eat only what is enough to sustain my life. My food is bread, soup, an egg, and a little meat. And the amount I eat is no more than my body can easily digest.

When I rise from the table I always feel inclined to sing; and in my eighty-third year my spirits and senses are as good as ever. I find myself in such perfect health that I am satisfied and happy.

How beautiful this life of mine has become! Freed of those infirmities which used to prey upon me, I have become active, cheerful, and well.

Old age, which is dreaded by all men, is to me the sweetest and most pleasant period of my life.

Those who are slaves to their appetites cannot preserve their reason, their memory, or their senses in their full vigour; for a full belly does not produce a fine mind.