--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Theres nothing wrong with making the best…" description: "\"Theres nothing wrong with making the best of ones declining years, but what does annoy me is the fatalism. Now that were seriously in range of finding ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c2/aubrey-de-grey-17616_ageing_theres-nothing-wrong-with-making-the-bes_2891219.jpg" --- # Theres nothing wrong with making the best of ones… ![“Theres nothing wrong with making the best of ones declining years, but what does annoy me is the fatalism. Now that were seriously in range of finding therapies that actually work against ageing, this apathy, of course, becomes an enormous part of the problem.” quote by Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c2/aubrey-de-grey-17616_ageing_theres-nothing-wrong-with-making-the-bes_2891219.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c2/aubrey-de-grey-17616_ageing_theres-nothing-wrong-with-making-the-bes_2891219.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c2/aubrey-de-grey-17616_ageing_theres-nothing-wrong-with-making-the-bes_2891219.jpg) > “Theres nothing wrong with making the best of ones declining years, but what does annoy me is the fatalism. Now that were seriously in range of finding therapies that actually work against ageing, this apathy, of course, becomes an enormous part of the problem.” [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. Optimism about anti‑aging therapies is undermined by fatalistic attitudes that hinder progress. **In simple terms:** Fatalism hinders anti‑aging progress. Key Takeaway Combat apathy toward aging research. Themes aging science optimism Mood determined cautious Type medical motivational When to use this quote - clinical trials - policy making Key Concepts longevity medical research Questions to Reflect On - What fuels your fatalism? - How can society stay hopeful yet realistic? A Different Perspective Skepticism may be healthy for rigor. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ageing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ageing/) [Ageing Apathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ageing-apathy-1770577/) [Annoying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/annoying/) [Apathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apathy/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Declining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/declining/) [Declining Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/declining-years-507547/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Enormous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enormous/) [Fatalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fatalism/) [Findings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/findings/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Range](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/range/) [Therapy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/therapy/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [There's nothing wrong with making the best of one's declining years, but what does annoy me is the fatalism. 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I think I'll move to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/i-thought-to-spend-my-declining-years-writing-poetry-and-teaching-but/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [It is important to remember that these are your Declining Years, in which you can jolly well decline to do what you don't feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-bracken/it-is-important-to-remember-that-these-are-your-declining-years-in/) [Peg Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-bracken/) > [Avarice is the vice of declining years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bancroft/avarice-is-the-vice-of-declining-years/) [George Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bancroft/) > [Britain is rich in radicalism, and anyone who says that our society has drifted into fatalism and apathy should get out more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-mulgan/britain-is-rich-in-radicalism-and-anyone-who-says-that-our-society/) [Geoff Mulgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-mulgan/) > [“Real wages have been declining for twenty years. People are working harder, they have to work longer hours, they have less security things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/real-wages-have-been-declining-for-twenty-years-people-are-working/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“Gladstone .. spent his declining years trying to guess the answer to the Irish Question; unfortunately, whenever he was getting warm, the Irish secretly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-sellar-2/gladstone-spent-his-declining-years-trying-to-guess-the-answer-to-the/) [W.C. Sellar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-sellar-2/) > [The greatest tragedy of old age is the tendency for the old to feel unneeded, unwanted, and of no use to anyone; the secret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/the-greatest-tragedy-of-old-age-is-the-tendency-for-the-old-to-feel/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Our youth and manhood are due to our country, but our declining years are due to ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/our-youth-and-manhood-are-due-to-our-country-but-our-declining-years/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [He who would pass his declining years with honor and comfort, should, when young, consider that he may one day become old, and remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/he-who-would-pass-his-declining-years-with-honor-and-comfort-should/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [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/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/there-s-no-such-thing-as-ageing-gracefully-i-don-t-meet-people-who/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [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/) > [As far as I'm concerned, ageing is humanity's worst problem, by some serious distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/as-far-as-i-m-concerned-ageing-is-humanity-s-worst-problem-by-some/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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/) ## 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 Ageing quotes > [“The whole idea of it makes me feel Like I’m coming down with something, Something worse than any stomach ache Or the headaches I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/the-whole-idea-of-it-makes-me-feel-like-i-m-coming-down-with/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [“They were people whose lives were slow, who did not see themselves growing old, or falling sick, or dying, but who disappeared little by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/they-were-people-whose-lives-were-slow-who-did-not-see-themselves/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [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/) > [“Ageing must be like wearing a heavy, itchy suit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cardamone/ageing-must-be-like-wearing-a-heavy-itchy-suit/) [Tom Cardamone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cardamone/) > [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/) > [“She has built her whole life on the foundation of beauty: each chiseled plane, each sloping dimple, each soft curve as crucial as keystones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/she-has-built-her-whole-life-on-the-foundation-of-beauty-each/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [“I've been 21 for many years now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/i-ve-been-21-for-many-years-now/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [Age doesn't define maturity. Some people will never grow up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/age-doesn-t-define-maturity-some-people-will-never-grow-up/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ageing is so many different things, and cells being able to self-renew is part of the picture but not all of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/ageing-is-so-many-different-things-and-cells-being-able-to-self-renew/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) > [Dying is a matter of slapstick and pratfalls. The ageing process is not gradual or gentle. It rushes up, pushes you over and runs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mortimer/dying-is-a-matter-of-slapstick-and-pratfalls-the-ageing-process-is/) [John Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mortimer/) > [Anyone who stops learning is old — whether this happens at twenty or at eighty. 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