--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's no such thing as ageing…" description: "\"There's no such thing as ageing gracefully. I don't meet people who want to get Alzheimer's disease, or who want to get cancer or arthritis or any of t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/aubrey-de-grey-17616_accept_there-s-no-such-thing-as-ageing-graceful_2510385.png" --- # There's no such thing as ageing gracefully. I don't meet… ![“There's no such thing as ageing gracefully. I don't meet people who want to get Alzheimer's disease, or who want to get cancer or arthritis or any of the other things that afflict the elderly. Ageing is bad for you, and we better just actually accept that.” quote by Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/aubrey-de-grey-17616_accept_there-s-no-such-thing-as-ageing-graceful_2510385.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/aubrey-de-grey-17616_accept_there-s-no-such-thing-as-ageing-graceful_2510385.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/aubrey-de-grey-17616_accept_there-s-no-such-thing-as-ageing-graceful_2510385.png) > “There's no such thing as ageing gracefully. I don't meet people who want to get Alzheimer's disease, or who want to get cancer or arthritis or any of the other things that afflict the elderly. Ageing is bad for you, and we better just actually accept that.” [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Aging inevitably brings disease and decline; accepting this reality is preferable to hoping for a graceful decline. **In simple terms:** Aging brings illness; accept it. Key Takeaway Embrace realistic health expectations. Themes longevity mortality acceptance Mood cautious reflective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - personal health planning - elder care policy - public health messaging Key Concepts biogerontology health pessimism Questions to Reflect On - Can we balance acceptance with proactive health interventions? - What role should optimism play in aging? A Different Perspective Overlooks advances in anti‑aging research that aim to reduce disease burden. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ageing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ageing/) [Alzheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alzheimer/) [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Elderly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elderly/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Theres no such thing as ageing gracefully. I dont meet people who want to get Alzheimers disease, or who want to get cancer or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/theres-no-such-thing-as-ageing-gracefully-i-dont-meet-people-who-want/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [People's opinions don't interfere with me. Ageing gracefully is supposed to mean trying not to hide time passing and just looking a wreck. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-moreau/people-s-opinions-don-t-interfere-with-me-ageing-gracefully-is/) [Jeanne Moreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-moreau/) > [The great thing about ageing is that your eyesight deteriorates at the same rate as your face. So I can't see how bad things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-perkins/the-great-thing-about-ageing-is-that-your-eyesight-deteriorates-at/) [Sue Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-perkins/) > [Little things console us because little things afflict us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/little-things-console-us-because-little-things-afflict-us/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [Our personal afflictions involve the living God; the only way in which Satan can persecute or afflict God is through attacking the people of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-schaeffer/our-personal-afflictions-involve-the-living-god-the-only-way-in-which/) [Edith Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-schaeffer/) > [Lord, how you afflict your lovers! But everything is small in comparison to what you give them afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/lord-how-you-afflict-your-lovers-but-everything-is-small-in/) [Teresa of Avila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/) > [War is one of the scourges with which it has pleased God to afflict men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cardinal-richelieu/war-is-one-of-the-scourges-with-which-it-has-pleased-god-to-afflict/) [Cardinal Richelieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cardinal-richelieu/) > [Most of us entered journalism and joined 'news organizations' because we care about the greater good. We strive to comfort the afflicted and afflict…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shuster/most-of-us-entered-journalism-and-joined-news-organizations-because/) [David Shuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shuster/) > [War is the greatest plague that can afflict humanity, it destroys religion, it destroys states, it destroys families. Any scourge is preferable to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/war-is-the-greatest-plague-that-can-afflict-humanity-it-destroys/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [Losing gracefully is commended but never chosen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/losing-gracefully-is-commended-but-never-chosen/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [I'm partly obsessed by aging gracefully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-matthews/i-m-partly-obsessed-by-aging-gracefully/) [Dave Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-matthews/) > [The greatest gift that you can give another person is to gracefully receive whatever it is that they want to give us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/the-greatest-gift-that-you-can-give-another-person-is-to-gracefully/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [It's hard for performers to grow old gracefully, but I'm trying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-murray/it-s-hard-for-performers-to-grow-old-gracefully-but-i-m-trying/) [Anne Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-murray/) > [The best part of the art of living is to know how to grow old gracefully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-best-part-of-the-art-of-living-is-to-know-how-to-grow-old/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [“Life is a flow which we can either resist or go with it gracefully.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonmoy-acharjee/life-is-a-flow-which-we-can-either-resist-or-go-with-it-gracefully/) Tonmoy Acharjee ## More by Aubrey de Grey > [Ageing is, simply and clearly, the accumulation of damage in the body. That's all that ageing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/ageing-is-simply-and-clearly-the-accumulation-of-damage-in-the-body/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [I'm the chief science officer of a foundation that works on the application of regenerative medicine to the problem of aging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/i-m-the-chief-science-officer-of-a-foundation-that-works-on-the/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [I think it's reasonable to suppose that one could oscillate between being biologically 20 and biologically 25 indefinitely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/i-think-it-s-reasonable-to-suppose-that-one-could-oscillate-between/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [If changing our world is playing God, it is just one more way in which God made us in His image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/if-changing-our-world-is-playing-god-it-is-just-one-more-way-in-which/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [Celebrating the future is about celebrating a better world: a world in which everyone's life is easier and their health is maintained longer. It’ll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/celebrating-the-future-is-about-celebrating-a-better-world-a-world-in/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [Basically, the body does have a vast amount of inbuilt anti-ageing machinery; it's just not 100% comprehensive, so it allows a small number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/basically-the-body-does-have-a-vast-amount-of-inbuilt-anti-ageing/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [In the eye, there is a type of junk that accumulates in the back of the retina that eventually causes us to go blind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/in-the-eye-there-is-a-type-of-junk-that-accumulates-in-the-back-of/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [The aim is to postpone frailty, postpone degenerative disease, debilitation and so on and thereby shorten the period at the end of life, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/the-aim-is-to-postpone-frailty-postpone-degenerative-disease/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [What I actually wanted to do with my life is make a difference to the world. That led me into science very quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/what-i-actually-wanted-to-do-with-my-life-is-make-a-difference-to-the/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [What I'm after is not living to 1,000. I'm after letting people avoid death for as long as they want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/what-i-m-after-is-not-living-to-1-000-i-m-after-letting-people-avoid/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [Wikipedia was a big help for science, especially science communication, and it shows no sign of diminishing in importance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/wikipedia-was-a-big-help-for-science-especially-science-communication/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [There's nothing wrong with making the best of one's declining years, but what does annoy me is the fatalism. Now that we're seriously in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-making-the-best-of-one-s-declining-years/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [Most scientists will get serious media exposure about twice in their entire career. And they'll get that because they've actually done an experiment that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/most-scientists-will-get-serious-media-exposure-about-twice-in-their/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [We've spent the last few millennia aware that senescence is horrible but knowing nevertheless that it's inevitable. We've had to find some mechanism to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/we-ve-spent-the-last-few-millennia-aware-that-senescence-is-horrible/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [The only difference between my work and the work of the whole medical profession is that I think we're in striking distance of keeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/the-only-difference-between-my-work-and-the-work-of-the-whole-medical/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) [Explore all 36 Aubrey de Grey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) ## More Accept quotes > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [The fans can accept a poor performance, but they won't take it when you choose not to put in the effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pep-guardiola/the-fans-can-accept-a-poor-performance-but-they-won-t-take-it-when/) [Pep Guardiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pep-guardiola/) > [“See, I know what they think about me. That I’m some project. And, yeah, I’ll accept their help. But I’m gonna pay my way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/see-i-know-what-they-think-about-me-that-i-m-some-project-and-yeah-i/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [If you're disabled or different from what general society deems normal, it's fine. There will always be people who won't accept you, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-simmonds/if-you-re-disabled-or-different-from-what-general-society-deems/) [Millicent Simmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-simmonds/) > [Things don't go on forever, and the quicker you accept that change is inevitable, the happier you're gonna be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-anastasio/things-don-t-go-on-forever-and-the-quicker-you-accept-that-change-is/) [Trey Anastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-anastasio/) > [It's very important to me that people accept me as a transgendered female. But it's ridiculous to a lot of people and I understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-arquette/it-s-very-important-to-me-that-people-accept-me-as-a-transgendered/) [Alexis Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-arquette/) > [I've always taken care of myself, and I'm a non-conformist, so I don't accept the negativity that comes with birthdays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-van-dam/i-ve-always-taken-care-of-myself-and-i-m-a-non-conformist-so-i-don-t/) [Rob Van Dam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-van-dam/) > [Not harder than it should be, no. We're about the business, we're about the work. It's all about the work, always. We have fun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-fuqua/not-harder-than-it-should-be-no-we-re-about-the-business-we-re-about/) [Antoine Fuqua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-fuqua/) > [I wish I could just accept that I'm not that good and not be shy about the fact that I'm not that professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-gainsbourg/i-wish-i-could-just-accept-that-i-m-not-that-good-and-not-be-shy/) [Charlotte Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-gainsbourg/) > [I cannot accept being silent in the face of injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-crockett/i-cannot-accept-being-silent-in-the-face-of-injustice/) [Jasmine Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-crockett/) > [“I hope there is less stigma and judgment against working moms and childless career women. All should be acceptable positions and society should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chan-heng-chee/i-hope-there-is-less-stigma-and-judgment-against-working-moms-and/) Chan Heng Chee > [“Of course I can accept you for who you are. You are someone I need to change.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-glasbergen/of-course-i-can-accept-you-for-who-you-are-you-are-someone-i-need-to/) [Randy Glasbergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-glasbergen/) > [I can't be that kind of person others want me to be.I know I can't please everybody for just being me But I'm glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix/i-can-t-be-that-kind-of-person-others-want-me-to-be-i-know-i-can-t/) [Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix/) > [I don't care who you are,Where you from,As long as you love me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mks-vibz/i-don-t-care-who-you-are-where-you-from-as-long-as-you-love-me/) [Mks Vibz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mks-vibz/) Browse all 2,963 Accept quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's no such thing as ageing gracefully. 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