--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An aged man is but a paltry thing, a…" description: "\"An aged man is but a paltry thing, a tattered coat upon a stick\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/anonymous-1_coats_an-aged-man-is-but-a-paltry-thing-a-tatt_1624659.jpg" --- # An aged man is but a paltry thing, a tattered coat upon a… ![“An aged man is but a paltry thing, a tattered coat upon a stick” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/anonymous-1_coats_an-aged-man-is-but-a-paltry-thing-a-tatt_1624659.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/anonymous-1_coats_an-aged-man-is-but-a-paltry-thing-a-tatt_1624659.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/anonymous-1_coats_an-aged-man-is-but-a-paltry-thing-a-tatt_1624659.jpg) > “An aged man is but a paltry thing, a tattered coat upon a stick” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Aging reduces a person to a fragile, insignificant shell. **In simple terms:** Old age makes one feel powerless. Key Takeaway Accept vulnerability with dignity. Themes age fragility existence Mood somber empathetic Type reflective poetic When to use this quote - elder care - health decline - loneliness - legacy planning Key Concepts mortality human condition Questions to Reflect On - How can society honor the aging? - What strengths persist with age? A Different Perspective May ignore resilience of the elderly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aged Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aged-man-319662/) [Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coats/) [Man Paltry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-paltry-319661/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Paltry Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paltry-thing-319664/) [Sticks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sticks/) [Tattered Coat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tattered-coat-319663/) [Thing Tattered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-tattered-319665/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [An aged man is but a paltry thing, a tattered coat upon a stick, unless soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/an-aged-man-is-but-a-paltry-thing-a-tattered-coat-upon-a-stick-unless/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [“LCVI If I should cast off this tattered coat, And go free into the mighty sky; If I should find nothing there But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/lcvi-if-i-should-cast-off-this-tattered-coat-and-go-free-into-the/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [The young person isn't certain that love can be real; the middle-aged man is only discovering that it is; and the older person seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcpherson/the-young-person-isn-t-certain-that-love-can-be-real-the-middle-aged/) [Conor McPherson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcpherson/) > [Well, Buttermere, this is a day that is good to live and breathe in, that makes a man feel in his prime. Standing here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/well-buttermere-this-is-a-day-that-is-good-to-live-and-breathe-in/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [Music's golden tongue Flatter'd to tears this aged man and poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/music-s-golden-tongue-flatter-d-to-tears-this-aged-man-and-poor/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [The only advantage to being a middle-aged man is that when you put on a jacket and tie, you're the Scary Dad. Never mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-only-advantage-to-being-a-middle-aged-man-is-that-when-you-put-on/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [One aged man - one man - can't fill a house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/one-aged-man-one-man-can-t-fill-a-house/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [The multitude will hardly believe the excessive force of education, and in the difference of modesty between men and women, ascribe that to nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-multitude-will-hardly-believe-the-excessive-force-of-education/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done, there are thousands to prophesy failure, there are thousands to point out to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-thousands-to-tell-you-it-cannot-be-done-there-are-thousands/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The pale pink light of dawn sparkled on branch and leaf and stone. Every blade of grass was carved from emerald, every drip of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-pale-pink-light-of-dawn-sparkled-on-branch-and-leaf-and-stone/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As a revolutionary people, we Americans won a probable victory over the best and biggest army in the world because we learned to fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-a-revolutionary-people-we-americans-won-a-probable-victory-over/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And who are you, the proud Lord said that I must bow so low? Only a cat of a different coat, that's all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-who-are-you-the-proud-lord-said-that-i-must-bow-so-low-only-a-cat/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When someone steals another's clothes, we call them a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-someone-steals-another-s-clothes-we-call-them-a-thief-should-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Bathing in shower, what for rain coats ?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bathing-in-shower-what-for-rain-coats/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If your friend wishes to read your 'Plutarch's Lives,' 'Shakespeare,' or 'The Federalist Papers,' tell him gently but firmly, to buy a copy. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-your-friend-wishes-to-read-your-plutarch-s-lives-shakespeare-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Coats quotes > [“coats every surface. The heat builds up and”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gruber/coats-every-surface-the-heat-builds-up-and/) [Michael Gruber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gruber/) > [I got Mary pregnant and man that's all she wrote. And for my 19th birthday, I got a union card and a factory coat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-got-mary-pregnant-and-man-that-s-all-she-wrote-and-for-my-19th/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > ['You spin in the sky, the world spins under you, and you step from land to land, while we . . .' She turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/you-spin-in-the-sky-the-world-spins-under-you-and-you-step-from-land/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [I do believe at the end of the night when you're with your family, the character gets hung up on the door like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-do-believe-at-the-end-of-the-night-when-you-re-with-your-family-the/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > ['The Matrix' is a movie that is all about glamour. I could do a whole talk on 'The Matrix' and glamour. It was criticized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-matrix-is-a-movie-that-is-all-about-glamour-i-could-do-a-whole/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Today at school I will learn to read at once; then tomorrow I will begin to write, and the day after tomorrow to cipher.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-collodi/today-at-school-i-will-learn-to-read-at-once-then-tomorrow-i-will/) [Carlo Collodi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-collodi/) > [Characterization is not divorced from plot, not a coat of paint you slap on after the structure of events is already built. Rather characterization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-kress/characterization-is-not-divorced-from-plot-not-a-coat-of-paint-you/) [Nancy Kress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-kress/) > [By a man's finger-nails, by his coat-sleeve, by his boots, by his trouser-knees, by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb, by his expression,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/by-a-man-s-finger-nails-by-his-coat-sleeve-by-his-boots-by-his/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [Dan Coats, retiring senator from Indiana, a mild-mannered man, a former United States ambassador to Germany, former congressman, said of Ted Cruz he's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/dan-coats-retiring-senator-from-indiana-a-mild-mannered-man-a-former/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [You must have had such a great childhood with a man like that for your father. (Delphine) Yeah. All puppy dogs and rainbows and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/you-must-have-had-such-a-great-childhood-with-a-man-like-that-for/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [I’ve always been a sort of self-imposed outsider, not a geeky outsider or a snobby outsider but, I just have a natural desire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-quin/i-ve-always-been-a-sort-of-self-imposed-outsider-not-a-geeky-outsider/) [Sara Quin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-quin/) > [Randall laid his hand on Stella's, but only to remove it from his sleeve. "My precious, you really must have some regard for my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgette-heyer/randall-laid-his-hand-on-stella-s-but-only-to-remove-it-from-his/) [Georgette Heyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgette-heyer/) > [Do you know, I always imagine that the subway trains are dragons,' Rose said to Bear as they clung to his coat for support…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-doman/do-you-know-i-always-imagine-that-the-subway-trains-are-dragons-rose/) [Regina Doman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-doman/) > [Nice creepy reptile,” Frank said, very aware of the driftwood in his coat pocket. “Nice poisonous, fire-breathing reptile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/nice-creepy-reptile-frank-said-very-aware-of-the-driftwood-in-his/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [If Under fell, if Over leaped, If death was life and Death life reaped, Something rises from the gloom, To make the Underland a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/if-under-fell-if-over-leaped-if-death-was-life-and-death-life-reaped/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) [Browse all 623 Coats quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coats/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "An aged man is but a paltry thing, a tattered coat upon a stick", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-aged-man-is-but-a-paltry-thing-a-tattered-coat-upon-a-stick/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Coats" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-aged-man-is-but-a-paltry-thing-a-tattered-coat-upon-a-stick/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/anonymous-1_coats_an-aged-man-is-but-a-paltry-thing-a-tatt_1624659.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/anonymous-1_coats_an-aged-man-is-but-a-paltry-thing-a-tatt_1624659.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/anonymous-1_coats_an-aged-man-is-but-a-paltry-thing-a-tatt_1624659.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“An aged man is but a paltry thing, a tattered coat upon a stick” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "An aged man is but a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-aged-man-is-but-a-paltry-thing-a-tattered-coat-upon-a-stick/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-aged-man-is-but-a-paltry-thing-a-tattered-coat-upon-a-stick/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```