Aging Quote by Alice Walker
“I always have felt that elders are really important. I think it's because, in my little Southern black culture, elders really were respected. Everybody listened to them. They may not have agreed - that's a whole different story - but they would totally listen and consider what the elder had to say.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Southern Black Culture, 1990s
Elders hold respect and influence in community traditions, guiding decisions even when not always agreed upon.
In simple terms: Elders are respected and listened to.
Key Takeaway
Value elders’ counsel.
Themes
respect
community
tradition
Mood
reflective
respectful
Type
cultural
social
When to use this quote
- family gatherings
- community meetings
- council discussions
Key Concepts
intergenerational wisdom
social hierarchy
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we balance elder wisdom with modern perspectives?
- What happens when elders’ advice conflicts with youth?
A Different Perspective
Elders may resist change or new ideas.
![“I am an elder, and I am delighted to be an elder. I would like to exhibit [and] explore it more - what an elder could mean in this time. But, I'd like to show that elders are good for us - that they can be good for us.” quote by Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/003/alice-walker-347_aging_i-am-an-elder-and-i-am-delighted-to-be-a_762877.jpg)
![“We [black people] don't respect our elders. Besides artists, we don't respect Frederick Douglass. We don't respect Martin Luther King. You look at every Martin Luther King Boulevard out here, and it's a crack block. That's not because of white people. That's because of black leadership. We just…” quote by KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/92d/krs-one-2404_art_we-black-people-don-t-respect-our-elders_1985041.jpg)
