Words of Wisdom

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes wonder what getting old is all about. The whole notion seems strange to me. Why do I find myself taking a nap in the afternoon? Those little bumps and bruises that show up on my body — where do they come from? Why don’t people speak a little louder . . . and maybe talk a little more slowly? And most of all: who is that stranger staring back at me from the mirror?

When I’m confused about life, or questioning what’s happening to the world, I usually go back to the writers and philosophers who guided me earlier in life. So here are a few quotes about aging from people smarter than I am. Some of them are funny, some inspirational, some comforting. And . . . maybe you have a favorite quote of your own?

“The older we get the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.” — Will Rogers

“To get back to my youth I would do anything in the world except exercise, get up early, or be respectable.” — Oscar Wilde

“Old age is like a plane flying through a storm. Once you are aboard there is nothing you can do about it.” — Golda Meir

“The older I get, the more clearly I remember things that never happened.” — Mark Twain

“Always be nice to your children, because they are the ones who will choose your Retirement home.” — Phyllis Diller

“Getting old is like climbing a mountain. You get a little out of breath, but the view is much better!” — Ingrid Bergman

“You can live to be a hundred, if you give up all things that make you want to live to be a hundred.” — Woody Allen

“It’s paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone.” — Andy Rooney

“The older I get, the better I used to be.” — Lee Travino

“I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a lot more as they get older, and then it dawned on me — they’re cramming for their final exam.” — George Carlin

“I don’t feel old. I don’t feel anything until noon. Then it’s time for my nap.” — Bob Hope

“I have reached an age when, if someone tells me to wear socks, I don’t have to.” — Albert Einstein

“When your friends begin to flatter you on how young you look, it’s a sure sign you’re getting old.” — Mark Twain

“The idea is to die young as late as possible.” — Ashley Montagu

“You don’t stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing.” — George Bernard Shaw