--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just as darkness is sometimes defined as…" description: "\"Just as darkness is sometimes defined as the absence of light, so age is defined as the absence of youth.\" — Betty Friedan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/betty-friedan-3185_absence_just-as-darkness-is-sometimes-defined-as_726776.jpg" --- # Just as darkness is sometimes defined as the absence of… ![“Just as darkness is sometimes defined as the absence of light, so age is defined as the absence of youth.” quote by Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/betty-friedan-3185_absence_just-as-darkness-is-sometimes-defined-as_726776.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/betty-friedan-3185_absence_just-as-darkness-is-sometimes-defined-as_726776.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/betty-friedan-3185_absence_just-as-darkness-is-sometimes-defined-as_726776.jpg) > “Just as darkness is sometimes defined as the absence of light, so age is defined as the absence of youth.” [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Age is often seen as the opposite of youth, just as darkness is the lack of light. **In simple terms:** Age is defined by the loss of youth. Key Takeaway Recognize age as a natural stage, not a deficit. Themes aging perception time Mood reflective neutral Type sociological philosophical When to use this quote - career transitions - health planning - intergenerational dialogue - media representation Key Concepts gerontology social constructs Questions to Reflect On - How can we value each life stage? - What does “absence of youth” imply? A Different Perspective May reinforce negative stereotypes about aging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Age Defined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-defined-5700819/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Darkness Defined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness-defined-5700820/) [Defined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defined/) [Just Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-darkness-3424731/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Light Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light-age-1902366/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [“I am light. I am not my age, I am not my race; my soul inside is all light. I am light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/i-am-light-i-am-not-my-age-i-am-not-my-race-my-soul-inside-is-all/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [“After a while, it all started to fade. No more pain, no more unwanted thoughts and no sound. Just darkness. I welcomed it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-san/after-a-while-it-all-started-to-fade-no-more-pain-no-more-unwanted/) [Ani San](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-san/) > [“Just as darkness cannot put out a candle, evil has no real power over goodness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/just-as-darkness-cannot-put-out-a-candle-evil-has-no-real-power-over/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [“not the end of the world, just darkness over everything," Charlie cheerfully said. 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It is much more poetic than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/jazz-is-not-something-that-can-be-defined-through-blunt-instruments/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) ## More by Betty Friedan > [It is easier to live life through someone else than to become complete yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/it-is-easier-to-live-life-through-someone-else-than-to-become/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [This idea that the employment of women, the movement of women outside the home into the work world, and their demand for equality is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/this-idea-that-the-employment-of-women-the-movement-of-women-outside/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [A good woman is one who loves passionately, has guts, seriousness and passionate convictions, takes responsibility, and shapes society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/a-good-woman-is-one-who-loves-passionately-has-guts-seriousness-and/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [...women who 'adjust' as housewives, who grow up wanting to be 'just a housewife,' are in as much danger as the millions who walked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/women-who-adjust-as-housewives-who-grow-up-wanting-to-be-just-a/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [You can have it all, just not all at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/you-can-have-it-all-just-not-all-at-the-same-time/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [It is easier to live through someone else than to complete yourself. 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