Over the years, there have been great thinkers and role models who have spoken eloquently about aging. I admire their ability to reshape our thinking with simple statements, and I share ten of my favorites with you today.

     “None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.” 
               ~Henry David Thoreau
     “Know that you are the perfect age. Each year is special 
     and precious for you shall only live it once. Be comfort-
     able with growing older.” 
               ~Louise Hay
     “Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but 
     beautiful old people are works of art.” 
               ~Eleanor Roosevelt
     “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream 
     a new dream.” 
               ~C.S. Lewis
     “The age of a woman doesn’t mean a thing. The best 
     tunes are played on the oldest fiddles.” 
               ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
     “We don’t stop playing because we grow old. We grow 
     old because we stop playing.”  
               ~George Bernard Shaw
     “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
     “Those who love deeply never grow 
     old, they may die of old age, but they 
     die young.” 
               ~Ben Franklin
     “There is a foundation 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 these sources, you will truly have defeated age.” 
               ~Sophia Loren

     “One of the benefits of being a mature well-educated 
     woman is that you’re not afraid of expletives. And you 
     have no fear to put a fool in his place.” 
               ~Judi Dench
          Do these statements inspire you as they do me? What favorites of your own might you add ? I am compelled to add my own statement to this list:

      “These just might be the best years of your life.” 
               ~Antonia Albany
Contact Antonia at Antonia@TheJoyofAgingGratefully.com