“Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.”
Mark Twain
WrinklesSmile
200 FAMOUS QUOTES · AGE
Age Quotes
Read 200 of the best age quotes about growing older, youth, wisdom and old age from Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare, Confucius and more.
“The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young.”
Oscar Wilde
Old AgeYouth
“We do not count a man's years, until he has nothing else to count.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
YearsLife
“Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be.”
Robert Browning
Growing OldLove
“Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions.”
Samuel Ullman
YouthMindset
“Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.”
Samuel Ullman
Growing OldIdeals
“No wise man ever wished to be younger.”
Jonathan Swift
WisdomYouth
“Age considers; youth ventures.”
Rabindranath Tagore
YouthWisdom
“Forty is the old age of youth; fifty the youth of old age.”
Victor Hugo
Middle AgeBirthday
“With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.”
William Shakespeare
LaughterWrinkles
“I have achieved my seventy years in the usual way: by sticking strictly to a scheme of life which would kill anybody else.”
Mark Twain
FunnyBirthday
“We can't reach old age by another man's road.”
Mark Twain
Old AgeIndividuality
“The old believe everything; the middle-aged suspect everything; the young know everything.”
Oscar Wilde
FunnyGenerations
“To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable.”
Oscar Wilde
YouthFunny
“The soul is born old but grows young. That is the comedy of life. And the body is born young and grows old. That is life's tragedy.”
Oscar Wilde
SoulLife
“Those whom the gods love grow young.”
Oscar Wilde
YouthSpirit
“Youth is the one thing worth having.”
Oscar Wilde
Youth
“Every man desires to live long, but no man would be old.”
Jonathan Swift
Growing OldLife
“May you live all the days of your life.”
Jonathan Swift
LifeBirthday
“All would live long, but none would be old.”
Benjamin Franklin
Growing OldLife
“At twenty years of age the will reigns; at thirty, the wit; and at forty, the judgment.”
Benjamin Franklin
WisdomLife Stages
“For age is opportunity no less than youth itself, though in another dress, and as the evening twilight fades away the sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
OpportunityOld Age
“Crabbed age and youth cannot live together: youth is full of pleasance, age is full of care.”
William Shakespeare
YouthOld Age
“Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise.”
William Shakespeare
WisdomOld Age
“At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven. At sixty, my ear was an obedient organ for the reception of truth. At seventy, I could follow what my heart desired, without transgressing what was right.”
Confucius
Life StagesWisdom
About Age Quotes
Age is one of life's great teachers. Every stage, from restless youth to thoughtful old age, brings its own lessons, and writers and thinkers have reflected on growing older for thousands of years, sometimes with wisdom, sometimes with humour, and often with both.
This collection brings together 50 of the best age quotes from poets, philosophers and famous writers, including Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Shakespeare, Confucius and Rabindranath Tagore. Whether you're celebrating a birthday, writing a card or simply thinking about the years ahead, these quotes about age offer comfort, laughter and perspective.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about Age quotes.
What is the best quote about age?
Mark Twain's line that wrinkles should merely show where smiles have been is one of the most loved age quotes because it turns ageing into something warm and positive. Robert Browning's "Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be" is another favourite, especially for anniversaries.
What are some funny quotes about getting older?
Oscar Wilde and Mark Twain wrote some of the funniest age quotes, such as Wilde saying he would do anything to get his youth back except exercise, get up early or be respectable. These light-hearted lines are perfect for birthday cards and messages.
What are good age quotes for a birthday card?
For milestone birthdays, try Victor Hugo's line about forty and fifty, or Oliver Wendell Holmes's thought that being seventy years young can be more cheerful than being forty. Jonathan Swift's simple wish, "May you live all the days of your life," also works beautifully in a card.
What did Confucius say about age?
Confucius described life as a series of stages, from setting his mind on learning at fifteen to following his heart without doing wrong at seventy. His words are one of the oldest and most quoted reflections on how people grow wiser with age.
Who said "Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind"?
These words come from the American poet and businessman Samuel Ullman, from his short poem "Youth" written in 1918. The poem became famous worldwide after General Douglas MacArthur kept a copy on his office wall.
Why do people share quotes about age?
Age quotes help people make sense of growing older, whether they are celebrating a birthday, feeling nostalgic or looking for encouragement. They remind us that every age has its own value, from the energy of youth to the wisdom and calm of later years.