Perhaps Betty Friedan said it best with this quote about aging, “Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.’ The fact of the matter is the cliches are right. Age IS just a number but it’s also a privilege. Sure, we’ve all heard the horror stories about aging. From the aches and pains in places you never knew could ache or cause you pain to those frustrating “senior moments” that have you questioning your memory and its abilities. While the aging process is often accompanied by not so pleasant health side effects, the aging process shouldn’t be something to dread, rather something to celebrate!
Getting older has its perks. Time and experience are great teachers and can offer you a perspective you won’t be able to learn any other way. They’re called the golden years for a reason. Getting older has its perks. For one, you’re good at using what you’ve learned. Crystalized intelligence involves knowledge that comes from prior learning and past experiences, and continues to get better into your 60s and 70s. Aging gracefully is also accompanied with maturity and confidence. The more time you spend with yourself, the more understand yourself. Understanding yourself allows you to tap into the self confidence you didn’t have in your younger years.
So tap into your fountain of youth and celebrate the gift of growing older with these inspirational quotes about aging.
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1. “There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” – Sophia Loren
2. “For what it’s worth… it’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you’ve never felt before. I hope you meet people who have a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start over again.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. “Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
4.“I believe the second half of one’s life is meant to be better than the first half. The first half is finding out how you do it. And the second half is enjoying it.” – Frances Lear
5. “Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.” – Samuel Ullman
6. “We live in a youth-obsessed culture that is constantly trying to tell us that if we are not young, and we’re not glowing, and we’re not hot, that we don’t matter. I refuse to let a system or a culture or a distorted view of reality tell me that I don’t matter. I know that only by owning who and what you are can you start to step into the fullness of life. Every year should be teaching us all something valuable. Whether you get the lesson is really up to you.” – Oprah Winfrey, in “O, the Oprah Magazine” 2011
7. “The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.” – Frank Lloyd Wright
8. “Getting old is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath, but the view is much better!” – Ingrid Bergman
9. “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” – Mark Twain
10. “It’s not a surprise, we knew it was coming—make the most of it. So you may not be as fast on your feet, and the image in your mirror may be a little disappointing, but if you are still functioning and not in pain, gratitude should be the name of the game.” – Betty White
In the end, aging is what you make it. It’s all a matter of perspective. You can resent it for the wears and tears it’s created on your body and soul or you can embrace it, knowing how much of a gift those wears and tears actually are. Every stage of life comes with new opportunities and strengths that result from those opportunities. Tap into your fountain of youth and celebrate all that your golden years have to offer!
