--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Here was a thing that would grow old…" description: "\"Here was a thing that would grow old; here was a thing that would turn beautiful and lose that beauty, that would inherit the grace but also the bad ea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/andrew-sean-greer-2689_beautiful_here-was-a-thing-that-would-grow-old-her_1240869.jpg" --- # Here was a thing that would grow old; here was a thing… ![“Here was a thing that would grow old; here was a thing that would turn beautiful and lose that beauty, that would inherit the grace but also the bad ear and flawed figure of her mother, that would smile too much and squint too often and spend the last decades of her life creaming away the wrinkles…” quote by Andrew Sean Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/andrew-sean-greer-2689_beautiful_here-was-a-thing-that-would-grow-old-her_1240869.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/andrew-sean-greer-2689_beautiful_here-was-a-thing-that-would-grow-old-her_1240869.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/andrew-sean-greer-2689_beautiful_here-was-a-thing-that-would-grow-old-her_1240869.jpg) > “Here was a thing that would grow old; here was a thing that would turn beautiful and lose that beauty, that would inherit the grace but also the bad ear and flawed figure of her mother, that would smile too much and squint too often and spend the last decades of her life creaming away the wrinkles made in youth until she finally gave up and wore a collar of pears to hide a wattle; here was the ordinary sadness of the world.” [Andrew Sean Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sean-greer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A poetic description of aging, beauty fading, and inherited flaws, reflecting on life's ordinary sorrow. **In simple terms:** Aging brings loss of beauty and inherited imperfections. Key Takeaway Embrace imperfection, find grace. Themes aging beauty inheritance sadness Mood reflective somber Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal aging - family legacy - self‑acceptance Key Concepts mortality generational traits Questions to Reflect On - What beauty do you cherish beyond looks? - How can you honor inherited traits? A Different Perspective Focus on external appearance can ignore inner worth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Beauty Inherit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty-inherit-3872685/) [Collars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collars/) [Ears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ears/) [Figures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figures/) [Flawed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flawed/) [Gave up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave-up/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Grow Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grow-old/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lose Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lose-beauty-275240/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Nature of Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/) [Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary/) [Ordinary Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary-sadness-3872686/) [Pears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pears/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Wrinkles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrinkles/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [“Beauty is a woman’s curse. 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