“The customs and fashions of men change like leaves on the bough, some of which go and others come.”
- c. 1265 – September 14, 1321
- Italian
- Poet, Writer, Philosopher, Author of The Divine Comedy
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Quote
“The customs and fashions of men change like leaves on the bough, some of which go and others come.”
Explanation
This quote is commonly attributed to Dante Alighieri, but there is no known source in any of his authenticated works—including The Divine Comedy, La Vita Nuova, or his treatises such as De Monarchia—that contains this exact wording or clear equivalent. While it is thematically consistent with Dante’s reflections on the fleeting nature of worldly things, especially human institutions and behaviors, the quote as written appears to be a modern paraphrase or fabrication.
In The Divine Comedy, Dante does use natural imagery, particularly leaves and seasons, to convey the transience of earthly glory, fame, and human conduct. However, the particular construction of comparing customs and fashions to leaves on a bough, with some falling and others replacing them, more closely resembles a Romantic or later humanist sensibility than Dante’s tightly structured moral cosmology. Thus, while plausible in tone, it cannot be verified as his.
Because this quote cannot be directly sourced to Dante, a full explanation under his name would be misleading. It remains a poetic and insightful observation, but it should be regarded as inspired by Dantean themes rather than authentically his.
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