We grow up with ingrained ideas about age. Ageism is pervasive in our society, and it’s often so covert that many people don’t know how to identify or challenge it. Our parents say things like, “I’m old and grey” or “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” and as a result, we may fear growing older–despite the positive aspects of the experience.

Maybe you need hope and inspiration, or perhaps, you want advice on aging from people who’ve done it gracefully. Regardless, here are 30 quotes about getting older that can help you turn hesitation, stress, or nervousness into joy. 

Aging quotes for inspiration and hope

All of us can use inspiration and hope, no matter how positive a person you are. Let’s start with some aging quotes to deliver just that:

  1. “It matters not how long we live, but how.” – Philip James Bailey
  2. “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln
  3. “Today is the oldest you’ve ever been, and the youngest you’ll ever be again.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
  4. Sometimes, people use age as a convenient excuse. ‘I’m to old too start something new’, or, ‘I couldn’t learn that at my age.’ Other people, though, go on to achieve their greatest accomplishments in life in later years. Catherine Pulsifer
  5. “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – CS Lewis
  6. “Age is inevitable. Aging isn’t.” – Marv Levy

Quotes to help you stay invigorated

To stay young in every way is not only impossible but a cultural goal that we must question. When we say “a youthful sprit,” we often mean a spirit of enthusiasm, joy, and curiosity. Here are some quotes to help you carry those things at any age:

  1. “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” – Henry Ford.
  2. “Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.” – Franz Kafka
  3. “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?” – Satchel Paige
  4. “None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.” – Henry David Thoreau
  5. “It annoys me when people say, ‘Even if you’re old, you can be young at heart!’ Hiding inside this well-meaning phrase is a deep cultural assumption that old is bad and young is good. What’s wrong with being old at heart, I’d like to know? Wouldn’t you like to be loved by people whose hearts have practiced loving for a long time?” – Susan Moon

Aging and wisdom

Those who look forward to aging often have excitement for what they’ll learn over the years. Here are some quotes on the wisdom that can come with age:

  1. “Aging is an inevitable process. I surely wouldn’t want to grow younger. The older you become, the more you know; your bank account of knowledge is much richer.” – William Holden
  2. “When you’re 16, you think 28 is so old! And when you get to 28 and it’s fabulous you think what about 42? Ugh! And then 42 is great. As you reach each age, you gain the understanding you need to deal with it and enjoy it.” – Helen Mirren
  3. “Age is a necessary but insufficient requirement for growing up. There are immature old people, and there are appropriately mature young people.” – Henry Cloud
  4. “Know that you are the perfect age. Each year is special and precious, for you shall only live it once. Be comfortable with growing older.” – Louise Hay

Aging advice quotes

Those who fear aging may find that it stems from the desire to make the most of their time. They don’t want to waste a second or look back with regret. It’s important, then, to be your authentic self and do the things you wish to do – at least, those within your control. Here are some aging quotes that give advice to make the most of your years:

  1. “You know people who are already saying, ‘I’m going to be 30 – oh, what am I going to do?’ Well, use that decade! Use them all!” – Betty White 
  2.  “As soon as you feel too old to do a thing, DO IT.” – Margaret Deland 
  3. “Life isn’t about your age. Life is about living. So, when your birthday comes, be thankful for the year that has just passed and anticipate with a happy heart what the coming year will bring.” – Catherine Pulsifer
  4. “It’s not how old you are, it’s how you are old.” – Jules Renard
  5. “Every year should teach you something valuable; whether you get the lesson is up to you. Every year brings you closer to expressing your whole and healed self.” – Oprah Winfrey
  6. “Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.” – John Lennon
  7. “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

Quotes to help you embrace age

Many say that, with age, we come into ourselves. Any opportunity we have to get to know ourselves better is a reward. Here are some aging quotes on coming into yourself with age:

  1. “You know what? I’m not young, and I’m okay with that. I feel so much more comfortable. It’s like I’ve taken off a mask.” – Andie MacDowell
  2. “There’s no such thing as aging, but maturing and knowledge. It’s beautiful, I call that beauty.” – Celine Dion
  3. “I’m the sexiest I’ve ever been. And when I say that, I mean I feel the most myself.” – Tracee Ellis Ross

Quotes on enjoying growing older 

The ability to age is lucky, but sometimes, we need help to combat worry and uncertainty about aging. Here are some quotes to help you feel happy to age:

  1. “I am of the mindset that it’s a blessing to grow old. That if your face has lines around your eyes and mouth it means you’ve laughed a lot. I pray I look older in 10 years, cause that will mean I’m alive.” – P!nk
  2. “Aging seems to be the only available way to live a long life.” – Kitty O’Neill Collins.
  3. “Ageing is not lost youth, but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” – Betty Friedan
  4. “I love living. I love that I’m alive to love my age. There are many people who went to bed just as I did yesterday evening and didn’t wake this morning. I love and feel very blessed that I did.” – Maya Angelou
  5. “Your 40s are good. Your 50s are great. Your 60s are fab. And 70 is f*@king awesome!” – Helen Mirren

Aging quotes are validating. So is peer support.

Whether you’re 19, 30, or 60+, it isn’t uncommon to feel fear about the future. Whether you care for an aging person, are concerned with aging yourself, or have something else going on in life, it helps to have someone to listen. If you need a safe place to chat, peer support options like Supportiv can help.