--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If ever I was going to listen to a string…" description: "\"“If ever I was going to listen to a string of swearwords sitting next to a ninety-four-year-old, I'm glad that ninety-four-year-old was my grandfather...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/a-j-jacobs-11588_grandfather_if-ever-i-was-going-to-listen-to-a-strin_3090253.png" --- # If ever I was going to listen to a string of swearwords… ![“If ever I was going to listen to a string of swearwords sitting next to a ninety-four-year-old, I'm glad that ninety-four-year-old was my grandfather. Not that he swears a lot. It's just that he can take it. And, he is currently laughing so hard that his eyes are watery.” quote by A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/a-j-jacobs-11588_grandfather_if-ever-i-was-going-to-listen-to-a-strin_3090253.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/a-j-jacobs-11588_grandfather_if-ever-i-was-going-to-listen-to-a-strin_3090253.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/a-j-jacobs-11588_grandfather_if-ever-i-was-going-to-listen-to-a-strin_3090253.png) > ““If ever I was going to listen to a string of swearwords sitting next to a ninety-four-year-old, I'm glad that ninety-four-year-old was my grandfather. Not that he swears a lot. It's just that he can take it. And, he is currently laughing so hard that his eyes are watery.”” [A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A humorous anecdote showing that age does not diminish a person’s capacity to enjoy crude humor, and that shared laughter can bridge generational gaps. **In simple terms:** Older people can still enjoy and handle vulgar jokes, and laughter connects us. Key Takeaway Appreciate humor across ages. Themes family humor generational gaps resilience Mood joyful lighthearted reflective Type anecdotal humorous When to use this quote - family gatherings - intergenerational conversations - storytelling Key Concepts social bonding age and humor tolerance Questions to Reflect On - How does shared laughter affect family relationships? - When is it okay to use coarse language around elders? A Different Perspective Humor may not be appropriate in all settings; some may find it offensive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grandfather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandfather/) [Grandfather Swears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandfather-swears-5310572/) [Laughing so hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughing-so-hard/) [Ninety Year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ninety-year-357690/) [Old Grandfather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-grandfather-467116/) [Swearwords Sitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swearwords-sitting-5310573/) ## Related quotes > [I grew up reading Tolkien, and I love him. But I love him in the way that you love that rambly old grandfather. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/i-grew-up-reading-tolkien-and-i-love-him-but-i-love-him-in-the-way/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I can't play a 65-year-old grandfather, as much as I'd like to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-eve/i-can-t-play-a-65-year-old-grandfather-as-much-as-i-d-like-to/) [Alice Eve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-eve/) > [When I was four or five years old, my grandfather showed me how to build things, paint, saw. Through years of fixing bikes, repairing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-fadell/when-i-was-four-or-five-years-old-my-grandfather-showed-me-how-to/) [Tony Fadell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-fadell/) > [History is as Old as My Grandfather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/history-is-as-old-as-my-grandfather/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Look, one day I had gone to a little village. An old grandfather of ninety was busy planting an almond tree. ‘What, grandfather!’ I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/look-one-day-i-had-gone-to-a-little-village-an-old-grandfather-of/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [Since I was 15 or 16 years old, my grandfather was my high school football coach and my life's been ball. Dinners we're talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-witten/since-i-was-15-or-16-years-old-my-grandfather-was-my-high-school/) [Jason Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-witten/) > [I'm lucky: almost all my family has lived to be very old. I have one grandfather who lived to be 100.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-m-lucky-almost-all-my-family-has-lived-to-be-very-old-i-have-one/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [The hour or so I spent with the ninety-year-old David Attenborough was one of the most beatific of my life. An oddly religious term,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-maitlis/the-hour-or-so-i-spent-with-the-ninety-year-old-david-attenborough/) [Emily Maitlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-maitlis/) > [“Set aside a half hour to picture yourself at age ninety and to put yourself in the mind of ninety-year-old you. What does your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/set-aside-a-half-hour-to-picture-yourself-at-age-ninety-and-to-put/) [Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/) > [I think there's a possibility that comic book movies are getting a tiny bit better on the one hand because they're no longer made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/i-think-there-s-a-possibility-that-comic-book-movies-are-getting-a/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [“I eased into my chair like a ninety-year-old with hemorrhoids.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-macy/i-eased-into-my-chair-like-a-ninety-year-old-with-hemorrhoids/) [Al Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-macy/) > [So you’re suggesting we take the train up to York, meet a ninety-year-old man, leap on him, and yank out his hair? I’m sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/so-you-re-suggesting-we-take-the-train-up-to-york-meet-a-ninety-year/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“... this ninety-five-year-old man came hiking twenty-five miles over the mountain. Know why he could do it? Because no one ever told him he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcdougall/this-ninety-five-year-old-man-came-hiking-twenty-five-miles-over-the/) [Christopher McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcdougall/) > [“And if I really wanted to understand the Raramuri, I should have been there when this ninety-five-year-old man came hiking twenty-five miles over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcdougall/and-if-i-really-wanted-to-understand-the-raramuri-i-should-have-been/) [Christopher McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcdougall/) > [“So that means you are almost old enough to be my grandfather." Raj laughed, Your great, great, grandfather, more likely, but whose counting?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-reynolds/so-that-means-you-are-almost-old-enough-to-be-my-grandfather-raj/) [D.B. Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-reynolds/) ## More by A.J. Jacobs > [“To properly engage in magical thinking, I find you have to think of every possible ghastly scenario. That's the only way you outsmart fate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs/to-properly-engage-in-magical-thinking-i-find-you-have-to-think-of/) [A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/) > [“There is no better time in history to be an idiot than right now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs/there-is-no-better-time-in-history-to-be-an-idiot-than-right-now/) [A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/) > [“I was smart enough to know that I shouldn't tell anyone the reason I needed that icy air. No need to spill the secret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs/i-was-smart-enough-to-know-that-i-shouldn-t-tell-anyone-the-reason-i/) [A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/) > [“I'm hungry enough that I started to salivate at the sight of lettuce. I repeat: lettuce.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs/i-m-hungry-enough-that-i-started-to-salivate-at-the-sight-of-lettuce/) [A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/) > [“When I get it home and start to read it, the first thing I notice is that Warren has copyrighted the phrase “Purpose-driven.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs/when-i-get-it-home-and-start-to-read-it-the-first-thing-i-notice-is/) [A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/) > [“How do you gag the voice in your head that says, 'You don't have to go to the gym today. There's always tomorrow. C'mon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs/how-do-you-gag-the-voice-in-your-head-that-says-you-don-t-have-to-go/) [A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/) > [“Back to the books. The world’s largest bell was built in 1733 in Moscow, and weighed in at more than four hundred thousand pounds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs/back-to-the-books-the-world-s-largest-bell-was-built-in-1733-in/) [A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/) > [“If the Britannica has taught me anything, it's to be more careful. I don't want to turn into an unseemly noun or verb or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs/if-the-britannica-has-taught-me-anything-it-s-to-be-more-careful-i/) [A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/) > [“That's what I've noticed in my experiments: almost everything in life is a self-fulfilling prophecy .Probably even believing in self-fulfilling prophecies is a self-fulfilling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs/that-s-what-i-ve-noticed-in-my-experiments-almost-everything-in-life/) [A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/) > [“Mr. Berkowitz clicks open his black American Tourister rolling suitcase. Inside, his tools: a microscope, an old canister with the faded label “vegetable flakes,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs/mr-berkowitz-clicks-open-his-black-american-tourister-rolling/) [A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/) > [“What seems terrible at first may turn out to be a great thing. You can't predict.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs/what-seems-terrible-at-first-may-turn-out-to-be-a-great-thing-you-can/) [A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/) > [“Maybe taming my tongue will be good for me in the end. But it's pretty hard when you've got a world filled with idiots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs/maybe-taming-my-tongue-will-be-good-for-me-in-the-end-but-it-s-pretty/) [A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/) > [“I don't think I'm in the position to bestow legitimacy on anyone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs/i-don-t-think-i-m-in-the-position-to-bestow-legitimacy-on-anyone/) [A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/) > [“The literal Greek translation is “school for naked exercise.” Which made toweling off the stationary bike even more important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs/the-literal-greek-translation-is-school-for-naked-exercise-which-made/) [A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/) > [“The Bible is right: A deluge of images does encourage idolatry. Look at the cults of personality in America today. Look at Hollywood. Look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs/the-bible-is-right-a-deluge-of-images-does-encourage-idolatry-look-at/) [A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/) [Explore all 58 A.J. Jacobs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/) ## More Grandfather quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“The two families, sundered in the ruin of a friendship, were united again first in new friendship and then in mariage. My grandfather made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-two-families-sundered-in-the-ruin-of-a-friendship-were-united/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Grandfather / advised me: / Learn a trade / I learned / to sit at desk / and condense / No layoff / from this / condensery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorine-niedecker/grandfather-advised-me-learn-a-trade-i-learned-to-sit-at-desk-and/) [Lorine Niedecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorine-niedecker/) > [I am ever mindful of the legacy of my grandfather, the founder of this Kingdom, who had said to me that he perceived his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-hussein-i/i-am-ever-mindful-of-the-legacy-of-my-grandfather-the-founder-of-this/) [King Hussein I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-hussein-i/) > [“The war that killed my grandfather and great-uncles and thousands of other blacks is only a footnote in our history books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-garc-a/the-war-that-killed-my-grandfather-and-great-uncles-and-thousands-of/) [Cristina García](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-garc-a/) > [I never thought about becoming a politician. But during the military dictatorship, my grandfather was put in prison six times and my father twice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-papandreou/i-never-thought-about-becoming-a-politician-but-during-the-military/) [George Papandreou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-papandreou/) > [“Badass.'" My grandfather sampled the flavor of the word. It did not seem to revolt him, but it was nothing he needed ever to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/badass-my-grandfather-sampled-the-flavor-of-the-word-it-did-not-seem/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [I use the phrase 'sibling society' to suggest a culture fundamentally without fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, or ancestors. The thinking is horizontal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/i-use-the-phrase-sibling-society-to-suggest-a-culture-fundamentally/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [When we lived in a society where we had large families that lived together, especially in agricultural societies like my grandfather and father grew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/when-we-lived-in-a-society-where-we-had-large-families-that-lived/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [In my grandfather's day, there was a different perspective on war and men that went into war; it was such a patriotic act to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-holmes/in-my-grandfather-s-day-there-was-a-different-perspective-on-war-and/) [Ashton Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-holmes/) > [“Why do these big old country houses always have family portraits in the dining room? Do you really want to eat with someone's gloomy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/why-do-these-big-old-country-houses-always-have-family-portraits-in/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) > [My grandfather is a retired Marine, and I've always had a great deal of respect for anyone who serves our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellie-pickler/my-grandfather-is-a-retired-marine-and-i-ve-always-had-a-great-deal/) [Kellie Pickler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellie-pickler/) > [She glances back before stepping into the alley, and she catches her grandfather looking at her the way he does sometimes--as if she's already…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-baggott/she-glances-back-before-stepping-into-the-alley-and-she-catches-her/) [Julianna Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-baggott/) > [Miami Beach - that's where I grew up, in a middle-class Jewish family led by my maternal grandfather. Me, my great-grandmother - a Holocaust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-ratner/miami-beach-that-s-where-i-grew-up-in-a-middle-class-jewish-family/) [Brett Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-ratner/) [Browse all 1,365 Grandfather quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandfather/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If ever I was going to listen to a string of swearwords sitting next to a ninety-four-year-old, I'm glad that ninety-four-year-old was my grandfather. Not that he swears a lot. It's just that he can take it. And, he is currently laughing so hard that his eyes are watery.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "A.J. 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