---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The age of discretion is the age of…"
description: "\"The age of discretion is the age of impotence.\" — Anonymous"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/599/anonymous-1_age_the-age-of-discretion-is-the-age-of-impo_321397.jpg"
---

#  The age of discretion is the age of impotence.

![“The age of discretion is the age of impotence.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/599/anonymous-1_age_the-age-of-discretion-is-the-age-of-impo_321397.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/599/anonymous-1_age_the-age-of-discretion-is-the-age-of-impo_321397.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/599/anonymous-1_age_the-age-of-discretion-is-the-age-of-impo_321397.jpg)

> “The age of discretion is the age of impotence.”

[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.

The quote suggests that when people become overly cautious, they lose power and influence.

**In simple terms:** Caution leads to powerlessness.

Key Takeaway

Avoid excessive caution.

Themes

caution power influence

Mood

reflective serious

Type

aphilosophical critical

When to use this quote

- personal decisions
- leadership
- risk taking

Key Concepts

agency self‑efficacy

Questions to Reflect On

- When does caution serve you?
- How can you balance caution and action?

A Different Perspective

Excessive caution can also protect from harm.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Age Discretion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-discretion-3027672/) [Age Impotence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-impotence-3027670/) [Discretion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discretion/) [Discretion Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discretion-age-3027671/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Impotence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impotence/)

## Related quotes

> [The pride of youth is in strength and beauty, the pride of old age is in discretion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/democritus/the-pride-of-youth-is-in-strength-and-beauty-the-pride-of-old-age-is/)

[Democritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/democritus/)

> [Silence, maiden; thy tongue outruns thy discretion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/silence-maiden-thy-tongue-outruns-thy-discretion/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Governments decide they know best and they're going to tell you what to do. The trouble is that education doesn't go on in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/governments-decide-they-know-best-and-they-re-going-to-tell-you-what/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My son, by all means desist from kicking the venerable and enlightened Vizier: for as a costly jewel retains its value even if hidden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-son-by-all-means-desist-from-kicking-the-venerable-and-enlightened/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Discretion is the better part of valor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/discretion-is-the-better-part-of-valor/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We need to know all the facts and be able to discern the situation before we pass judgment on someone. Sometimes life has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-need-to-know-all-the-facts-and-be-able-to-discern-the-situation/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Perish discretion when it interferes with duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/perish-discretion-when-it-interferes-with-duty/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Discretion is being able to raise your eyebrow instead of your voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/discretion-is-being-able-to-raise-your-eyebrow-instead-of-your-voice/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Judgment is not upon all occasions required, but discretion always is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/judgment-is-not-upon-all-occasions-required-but-discretion-always-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Lacking many of the essential implements, it irritated me to be reduced to impotence in the face of artistic projects to which I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gauguin/lacking-many-of-the-essential-implements-it-irritated-me-to-be/)

[Paul Gauguin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gauguin/)

> [The truth is, the older you get, the less variety of parts you are offered. If you're a star and you've spent most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-hoffman/the-truth-is-the-older-you-get-the-less-variety-of-parts-you-are/)

[Dustin Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-hoffman/)

> [Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/victory-attained-by-violence-is-tantamount-to-a-defeat-for-it-is/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“The world was full of forces you couldn't fight against which suddenly loomed up and aimed a crushing blow at you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarjei-vesaas/the-world-was-full-of-forces-you-couldn-t-fight-against-which/)

[Tarjei Vesaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarjei-vesaas/)

> [Democracy is the worst form of government. It is the most inefficient, the most clumsy, the most unpractical… It reduces wisdom to impotence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-briffault/democracy-is-the-worst-form-of-government-it-is-the-most-inefficient/)

[Robert Briffault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-briffault/)

> [Wise people are able to give themselves gracefully to seemingly contradictory experiences, because they know that they belong to different seasons of life, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/wise-people-are-able-to-give-themselves-gracefully-to-seemingly/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

## 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 Age 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/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The age of discretion is the age of impotence.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anonymous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-age-of-discretion-is-the-age-of-impotence/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-age-of-discretion-is-the-age-of-impotence/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/599/anonymous-1_age_the-age-of-discretion-is-the-age-of-impo_321397.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/599/anonymous-1_age_the-age-of-discretion-is-the-age-of-impo_321397.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/599/anonymous-1_age_the-age-of-discretion-is-the-age-of-impo_321397.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The age of discretion is the age of impotence.” — 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": "The age of discretion is the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-age-of-discretion-is-the-age-of-impotence/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-age-of-discretion-is-the-age-of-impotence/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
