Laudator Temporis Acti

Cicero, On Old Age 19.71 (tr. William Armistead Falconer):

Therefore, when the young die I am reminded of a strong flame extinguished by a torrent; but when old men die it is as if a fire had gone out without the use of force and of its own accord, after the fuel had been consumed; and, just as apples when they are green are with difficulty plucked from the tree, but when ripe and mellow fall of themselves, so, with the young, death comes as a result of force, while with the old it is the result of ripeness.

itaque adulescentes mihi mori sic videntur, ut cum aquae multitudine flammae vis opprimitur, senes autem sic, ut cum sua sponte, nulla adhibita vi, consumptus ignis exstinguitur, et quasi poma ex arboribus, cruda si sunt, vix evelluntur, si matura et cocta, decidunt, sic vitam adulescentibus vis aufert, senibus maturitas.

J.G.F. Powell ad loc.: Aristotle, On Youth and Old Age 5 (tr. W.S. Hett):

Now we can see two ways in which fire is destroyed—by dying out and by extinction. By dying out we mean a decay arising from itself, and by extinction a decay caused by opposites: one is death by old age and the other by violence.

ἀλλὰ μὴν πυρός γε δύο ὁρῶμεν φθοράς, μάρανσίν τε καὶ σβέσιν. καλοῦμεν δὲ τὴν μὲν ὑφ᾿ αὑτοῦ μάρανσιν, τὴν δ᾿ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων σβέσιν, τὴν μὲν γήρᾳ, τὴν δὲ βίαιον.

Midrash Rabbah: Ecclesiastes, tr. A. Cohen (London: Soncino Press, 1939). p. 151 (5.11.2):

What is the difference between the death of the young and the death of the old? R. Judah and R. Nehemiah give answers. R. Judah says: When a lamp is extinguished of its own accord, it is good for the lamp and for the wick; but when it is not extinguished of its own accord, it is bad for the lamp and for the wick.² R. Nehemiah says: When the fig is gathered in its due season it is good for the fig and for the tree; but when it is not gathered in its due season, it is bad for the fig and for the tree.

² So it is good for a person to die in the fulness of years, and not to be cut off in youth like a lamp blown out by a gust of wind.