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English speaking countries | | Date: Centuries-old | Notes: Folk Sayings, Famous Quotes and Proverbs on Aging
A
o Age before beauty.
o Age can be a bad traveling companion.
o "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter" [Mark Twain].
o Age is honorable and youth is noble.
o The old forget the young don't know.
o "All diseases run into one, old age" [Ralph Waldo Emerson].
o "The arrogance of age must submit to be taught by youth." [Edmund Burke]
o As long as you live, keep learning how to live.
o As old as the hills.
o As the old cock crows, the young cock learns.
o As we live, so we learn.
B
o The best broths are made in the oldest pots (Meaning: Older women are worth their weight in gold.)
o The best is yet to come.
o Better die standing than live kneeling.
C
o Character building begins in infancy and continues until death.
o Children suck the mother when they are young and the father when they are old.
D
o The devil knows many things because he is old.
o Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.
o Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out of it alive.
o Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs (Equivalent: You can't teach an old dog new tricks.).
o Does life stop when a pen is out of ink?
E
o "Every man desires to live long, but no man would be old" [Jonathan Swift].
o Experience keeps a dear school, but fools learn no other.
o Experience keeps no school, she teaches her pupils singly.
o Experience is a comb which nature gives to men when they are bald. [Of Unknown origin]
o Experience is good, if not bought too dear.
o Experience is the best teacher.
o Experience is the mother of wisdom.
F
o A fool at forty is a fool indeed.
o Fretting cares make gray hairs.
G
o Gray hairs are death's blossoms.
o "Grow old along with me!/The best is yet to be./ The last of life, for which the first was made" [Robert Browning].
H
o He is as old as Mathusla.
o He lives long, who lives well. Or, He lives long that lives well.
o He that cannot endure the bad will not live to see the good.
o He that lives on hope will die fasting.
o He who lives too fast, goes to his grave too soon.
o He who pleased everybody died before he was born.
o Hope is life.
I
o If you move old furniture it may fall to bits.
o If you wish good advice, consult an old man.
o Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened.
o It's better to be happy than wise.
o It's better to die on one's feet than live on one's knees.
K
o "Keep on raging to stop the aging [Dale Carnegie].
L
o Life begins at forty.
o Life happens while you are making other plans.
o Life has its little ups and downs.
o Life is half spent before we know what it is.
o Life is not a problem to be solved, but a gift to be enjoyed.
o Life goes on, no matter what we try to do to it.
o Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.
o Life is not a dress rehearsal.
o Life is short and full of blisters.
o Life is too short to waste.
o Life is what you make it.
o The life of an old hat is to cock it.
o "Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen. [Mark Twain].
o Live and learn.
o Live your own life, for you will die your own death.
o Lost time is never found again.
M
o A man is as old as he feels to be.
o Man wasn't born to suffer but to carry on.
o Middle age is when a narrow waist and a broad mind begin to change places.
o Middle age is when we can do just as much as ever -- but would rather not.
o "Middle age is when your age starts to show around your middle" [Bob Hope].
o The more you study, the more you know. The more you know, the more you forget. The more you forget, the less you know. So why study?
N
o Never say die (Meaning: Never give up).
o Never say never (Meaning: Never give up).
o Never too old to learn.
o No fool like an old fool.
o "None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm" [Henry David Thoreau].
O
o Off with the old and on with the new.
o "Old age is no place for sissies" [Bette Davis].
o "The old believe everything, the middle-aged suspect everything, the young know everything" [Oscar Wilde].
o The old dog for the hard road and leave the pup on the path.
o Old friends and old wine and old gold are best.
o The older the fiddle the sweeter the tune.
o Once in a lifetime comes often, so be prepared.
o One learns from one's mistakes.
P
o Plan your life like you will live forever, and live your life like you will die the next day.
o Praise the ripe field not the green corn.
o Praise youth and it will prosper.
R
o The real dread of man is not the devil, but old age.
o "Regrets are the natural property of gray hairs" [Charles Dickens].
o The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated [Mark Twain].
S
o The schoolhouse bell sounds bitter in youth and sweet in old age.
o "The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly and lie about your age" [Lucille Ball].
o Seldom is the last of anything better than the first.
o She's no spring chicken.
o The smaller the waistline the longer the life.
o The start of a journey should never be mistaken for success.
T
o That which does not kill you, makes you stronger.
o There is no fool like an old fool.
o There is no substitute for experience.
o There is wisdom in age.
o There are no endings, only new beginnings.
o "There are three faithful friends: an old wife, an old dog and ready money." [Benjamin Franklin]
o There are two things certain in life -- death and taxes.
o There's life in the old dog yet.
o "There is only one cure for gray hair. It was invented by a Frenchman. It is called the guillotine." [P.G. Wodehouse].
o They that live longest, see most.
o Time cures all things.
o Time flies.
o Time is a great healer.
o Time tries truth.
o Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age but they die young.
o Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
o Tomorrow is another day (Meaning: There's hope yet).
o Tomorrow is a new day.
o Too soon old, too late smart.
o "The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young" [Oscar Wilde].
o True love never grows old.
W
o A woman is as old as she admits.
o We are all on this earth, we can't get off so get on.
o We have nothing to fear but fear itself.
o "We do not count a man's years until he has nothing else to count" [Ralph Waldo Emerson].
o We live and learn.
o We must take the bad with the good.
o "We turn not older with years, but newer every day" [Emily Dickinson].
o What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
o "Whatever poet, orator, or sage may say of it, old age is still old age" [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow].
o When one door closes, another door opens.
o When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
o Where there is life, there's hope.
o "Wisdom comes with winters." [Oscar Wilde]
o "Wish not so much to live long as to live well" [Ben Franklin].
o "Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been" [Mark Twain].
o Women are like wine -- the older the better.
Y
o You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely.
o You can't put on old heads on young shoulders.
o You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Or, an old dog will learn no tricks.
o You cannot weld cake-dough to cast iron, nor a girl to an old man.
o You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.
o You reap what you sow.
o Young men may die, old men must.
o "Youth is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children" [George Bernard Shaw].
o Youth looks forward but age looks back.
o Young people don't know what old age is, and old people forget what youth was.
o Youth is wasted on the young.
o Youth sheds many a skin. The steed does not retain its speed forever.
o Youth will be served.
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French speaking countries | | Date: Centuries-old | Notes: Folk Sayings or Proverbs on Aging from French speaking countries
A
o As we grow older we grow both more foolish and wise at the same time.
B
o Better be an old man's darling than a young man's slave.
o in English translation (literally): Better to bend than to break.
- Meaning: Adapt and survive.
- French original: Mieux vaut plier que rompre.
C
o The cart leads the horse; the young instruct the old [Said sarcastically].
o A colt may break, but an old horse you never can.
D
o The days follow one another and do not look alike.
o in English translation (Literally): A dappled sky and the beauty of a woman does not last long.
- French original: Ciel pommele et fille fardee ne son pas de longue duree.
E
o Everybody must live.
o Everything passes, everything breaks, everything wearies.
F
o Few people know how to be old.
o Forty is the old age of youth; fifty the youth of old age [Victor Hugo].
H
o He who lives long knows what pain is.
o in English translation (literally): Hope keeps one alive.
- English equivalent: Where there's life, there's hope).
- French original: L'espoir fait vivre.
I
o I prefer old age to the alternative [Maurice Chevalier].
o in English translation: It's not an old money one teaches to grimace.
- English equivalent: You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
- French original: Ce n'est pas a un view singe qu'on apprend a faire la grimace.
o It's sad to grow old, but nice to ripen [Brigitte Bardot].
o If youth but had the knowledge and old age the strength.
o in French translation: If the young only knew; if the old only could.
- Equivalent: Youth is wasted on the young.
- French original: Si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait.
o in English translation (literally): It's in old kettles that one makes the best soup.
- English equivalent: Women get better with age.
- French original: C'est dans les vieilles marmites qu'on fait les meilleurs soupes.
o in English translation: It's never too late to do well.
- Meaning: It is never too late to mend.
- French original: Il n'est jamais trop tard pour bien faire.
o It takes a long time to become young [Pablo Picasso].
G
Greedy eaters dig their graves with their teeth.
M
o Maturity consists of no longer being taken in by oneself.
o May and December never agree.
o Much memory and little judgment.
O
o The old dog barks not in vain.
o in English translation: The old friends and the old ecus are the best.
- French original: Le vieux amis et les vieux ecu sont les meilleurs.
o The old monkey gets the apple.
o An old rat is a brave rat.
R
o Reckless youth makes rueful age.
o Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something and hos lost something.
S
o Some have bread who have no teeth left.
T
o There are toys for all ages.
o They that live the longest, see the most.
o To rise at five, dine at nine, sup at five, go to bed at nine, makes a man live to ninety-nine.
W
o What is learned in the cradle lasts to the grave.
o What most persons consider as virtue, after the age of 40 is simply a loss of energy [Voltaire].
o When all sings grow old covetousness is young.
o When goods increase the body decreases.
o When grace is joined with wrinkles, it is adorable. There is an unspeakable dawn in happy old age [Victor Hugo].
o When the devil grows old he turns himself into a hermit.
o Who lives will see.
o in English translation: With a young hunter, one needs an old dog.
- Meaning: The young need the old to guide them.
- French original: Un jeaune casseur, il faut un view chien.
o Wrinkled purses make wrinkled faces.
Y
o Yesterday is nostalgia.
o in English translation (literally): You can't teach old monkeys how to make faces.
- English equivalent: You can't teach an old dog new tricks.).
- French original: Ce n'est pas aux vieux singes qu'on apprend a faire des grimaces.
o Young men forgive, old men never.
o Young people tell what they are doing, old people what they have done and fools what they wish to do.
o Youth lives on hope, old age on remembrance.
o Youth must be served.
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Spanish speaking countries | | Date: Centuries-old | Notes: Spanish Proverbs or Folk Sayings on Aging
B
o Be happy while you're living, for you will be a long time dead.
o The best mirror is an old friend.
o Between the beginning and the end there is always a middle.
o in English translation: A born-twisted tree never grows straight.
- English Equivalent: You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
Or, It's hard to break old habits.
- Spanish original: Arbol que nace torcido, janas su tronco endereza.
o The boy is father to the man.
D
o in English translation (Literally): The devil knows more from being old than from being the devil.
- Meaning: Don't underestimate experience, and/or Titles do not always describe a person's abilities and knowledge.
- Spanish original: Mas sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo.
E
o in ENGLISH translation: Even the wisest makes mistakes.
- Spanish original: Hasta el justo se equivoca.
o Everyone is the age of their heart.
o Experience is not always the kindest of teachers, but it is surely the best.
F
o in English translation: (Literally) A friend and wine, are best old.
Meaning: Old friends like aged wine are the best.
- Spanish original: Amigo y vino, el mas antiguo.
o Fools look to tomorrow, wise men to tonight.
o in English translation: (Literally) For an old donkey, a new bridle.
- Meaning: No matter how well you dress, you can only hide your age so much.
G
o A good life defers wrinkles.
o Growing old is no more than another bad habit.
H
o He that is not gallant at twenty, strong at thirty, rich at forty, or experienced at fifty, will never be gallant, strong, rich or prudent.
o He who lives a long life must pass through much evil.
o He who made fun of the old man, laughed at first and cried afterwards.
o A hundred years from now we shall all be bald.
I
o in English translation: If you wish good counsel, consult an old man.
- Spanish original: Quien quiera saber, que compre un viejo.
o If you would live in health, be old early.
L
o A lazy youth, a lousy old age.
M
o A man who develops himself is born twice.
N
o in English translation: No one is born knowing everything.
- Spanish original: Nadie nace ensenado.
O
o in English translation: An old dog for a new hunter.
- Meaning: The old have experience, and so they are useful to the young.
- Spanish original: A cazador nuevo, perro viejo.
o in English translation: An old dog barks while lying.
- Meaning: An old dog knows that he has authority even if he is lying, so he doesn't need to waste energy in getting up.
- Spanish original: Perro viejo, ladra echado.
o The old for want of ability, and the young for want of knowledge, let things be lost.
o in English translation: The old house does not lack for leaks.
Meaning: Old people have lots of problems.
- Spanish original: Al jacal viejo no le faltan goteras.
o The old man at home, and the young abroad, lie after the same fashion.
o An old ox makes a straight furrow.
P
o A proverb is a short sentence based on long experience.
o Put a nice face to the bad times (Meaning: Be positive even in bad situations).
S
o Sense comes with age.
o Skill is better than strength.
o So wise, so young, they say, do never live long.
T
o Threatened men live long.
o Though you are a prudent old man, do not despise counsel.
o The trees with the most leaves will not necessarily produce juicy fruit.
W
o When an old man cannot drink, prepare the grave.
o When the child cuts its teeth, death is on the watch.
o in English translation (literally): When touched -- touched.
- Equivalent: When your time is up, it's up.
- Spanish original: Cuando toca, toca.
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German speaking countries | | Date: Centuries-old | Notes: German Proverbs, Folk Sayings and Famous Quotes on Aging
A
o in English translation: Age is a sickness from which everyone must die.
o in English translation: Age is a troublesome guest.
o in English translation (Literally): Age does not protect from foolishness.
- English equivalent: No fool like an old fool.
- German original: Alter schutzt vor torheit nicht.
D
o in English translation (literally): Declared dead live longer.
- English equivalent: There's life in the old dog yet.
- German original: Totgesagte leben langer!
E
o in English translation: Even autumn still has nice days.
- English equivalent: You're as young as you feel.
o in English translation: The egg wants to be smarter than the hen.
F
o in English translation: The first forty years of life give us the text; the next thirty supply the commentary on it.
o in English translation: The final shirt has no pockets.
- Equivalent: You can't take it with you.
o in English translation (Literally): From damage one become intelligent.
- English equivalent: One learns from one's mistakes.
- German original : Aus Schaden wird man klug (Darum ist einer nicht genug.).
G
o in English translation: A glutton young, a beggar old.
H
o in English translation: He who does not honor age does not deserve age.
o in English translation: Humility, this beautiful virtue, honors the age and the youth.
- German original: Demut, diese schone Tugend, ehrt das Alter und die Jugend.
I
o in English translation: If an old man lacks knowledge, at least he has experience.
o in English translation: If the devil can't come himself, he sends an old woman.
o in English translation: It is good to grow old in a place where age is honored.
L
o in English translation: "Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards" [Kierkegaard].
M
o in English translation: "A man must have grown old and lived long in order to see how short life is" [Schopenhauer].
o in English translation: Many men would rather let themselves be beaten to death than to pass between two old women.
N
o in English translation (Literally): New brooms clean well but the old one knows the corners.
- English equivalent: New things may look good on the first glimpse, but old things can still be better on the second look. Or, experience counts.
- German original: Neue besen kehren gut aber der alte kennt die ecken.
o in English translation: Nothing good will come from an old man who still wants to dance.
o in English translation (Literally) Old foxes go with difficulty into the trap.
- Meaning: The old and wise are less likely to get tricked.
- German original: Alte fuchse gehen schwer in die falle.
o in English translation: An old man can be outrun but not out counseled.
o in English translation: An old man can see backward better than a young one can see forward.
o in English translation: An old man loved is winter with flowers.
o in English translation: An old man who takes a young wife invites Death to the wedding.
o in English translation: The old one who is loved, is winter with flowers.
o in English translation (literally): On old horses you learn how to ride.
- Meaning: Older women can you a lot in bed.
- German original: Auf alten pferden lernt man reiten.
o in English translation (literally): On old pots you learn cooking
- Meaning: Older women can teach you a lot in bed.
- German original: Auf alten pfannen lernt man kichen.
o in English translation: One father can better nourish ten children than ten children can nourish one father.
P
o in English translation: The parents' death is often the children's good fortune.
o in English translation: Parents love their children more than to children their parents.
o A person has learned much who has learned how to die.
T
o in English translation: Time is a great healer.
o in English translation (literally): Trees do not grow into the sky.
- Meaning: There are natural limits to things.
- German original: Baume wachsen nicht in den Himmel.
o in English translation: To meet old women first thing in the morning means bad luck; young people, good luck. Old people can dye their hair, but they can't change their backs.
W
o in English translation: The way is the goal.
- English equivalent: Stay in the moment.
o in English translation (literally): What little Hans didn't learn, grown-up Hans will never learn.
- English equivalent: You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
- German original: Was Hanschen nicht lernte, lernt Hans nimmermehr.
o in English translation: With old men take counsel.
Y
o in English translation: A young woman with an old husband is a wife by day and a widow by night.
o in English translation: Youth rises, age falls.
| Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #832798
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