Not by age but by capacity is wisdom acquired.

The saying distinguishes between chronological age and the qualities that actually produce wisdom: ability, discernment, and the capacity to learn. It challenges the appeal to seniority as proof of insight, implying that experience only becomes wisdom when it is processed intelligently. In a broader ethical sense, it argues for merit over rank—inviting listeners to evaluate counsel by its soundness rather than by the speaker’s years. Read in a Plautine key, it also carries a comic edge: the “old and important” may be foolish, while the supposedly inexperienced may see clearly. The quote thus remains a compact defense of competence and teachability.