--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man doesn't grow old because he has…" description: "\"A man doesn't grow old because he has lived a certain number of years. A man grows old when he deserts his ideal. The years may wrinkle his skin, but d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/brennan-manning-959_certain_a-man-doesn-t-grow-old-because-he-has-li_497870.png" --- # A man doesn't grow old because he has lived a certain… ![“A man doesn't grow old because he has lived a certain number of years. A man grows old when he deserts his ideal. The years may wrinkle his skin, but deserting his ideal wrinkles his soul.” quote by Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/brennan-manning-959_certain_a-man-doesn-t-grow-old-because-he-has-li_497870.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/brennan-manning-959_certain_a-man-doesn-t-grow-old-because-he-has-li_497870.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/brennan-manning-959_certain_a-man-doesn-t-grow-old-because-he-has-li_497870.png) > “A man doesn't grow old because he has lived a certain number of years. A man grows old when he deserts his ideal. The years may wrinkle his skin, but deserting his ideal wrinkles his soul.” [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Aging is not about years lived but about abandoning one’s ideals; losing purpose wrinkles the soul. **In simple terms:** Stay true to your ideals to avoid spiritual aging. Key Takeaway Guard your ideals to keep your soul youthful. Themes purpose aging idealism Mood reflective serious Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - career choices - relationships - community service - creative pursuits Key Concepts Spiritual health personal integrity Questions to Reflect On - What ideal guides you? - How do you revive a waning purpose? A Different Perspective Ideals can be hard to maintain under pressure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert/) [Grow Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grow-old/) [Ideals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideals/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) ## Related quotes > [“A man doesn’t grow old because he has lived a certain number of years. A man grows old when he deserts his ideal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/a-man-doesn-t-grow-old-because-he-has-lived-a-certain-number-of-years-2/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals. Years wrinkle the skin, but giving up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/nobody-grows-old-merely-by-living-a-number-of-years-people-grow-old/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/nobody-grows-old-by-merely-living-a-number-of-years-people-grow-old/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [I promise to keep on living as though I expected to live forever. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/i-promise-to-keep-on-living-as-though-i-expected-to-live-forever/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [The years wrinkle our skin, but lack of enthusiasm wrinkles our soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/the-years-wrinkle-our-skin-but-lack-of-enthusiasm-wrinkles-our-soul/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/years-wrinkle-the-skin-but-to-give-up-enthusiasm-wrinkles-the-soul/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [Years wrinkle the skin. Giving up wrinkles the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/years-wrinkle-the-skin-giving-up-wrinkles-the-soul/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul. You are as young as your faith, as old as your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/years-may-wrinkle-the-skin-but-to-give-up-interest-wrinkles-the-soul/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [But man grows old, lies down, remains where once he's laid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/but-man-grows-old-lies-down-remains-where-once-he-s-laid/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [When a man grows old his joy Grows more deep day after day, His empty heart is full at length But he has need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/when-a-man-grows-old-his-joy-grows-more-deep-day-after-day-his-empty/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [When a man grows old, he gives room for his child to take over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diamond-oluwole/when-a-man-grows-old-he-gives-room-for-his-child-to-take-over/) [Diamond Oluwole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diamond-oluwole/) > [It is a splendid thing to think that the woman you really love will never grow old to you. Through the wrinkles of time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-splendid-thing-to-think-that-the-woman-you-really-love-will-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The stones and trees, insensible to time, / Nor age nor wrinkle on their front are seen; / If Winter come, and greenness then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/the-stones-and-trees-insensible-to-time-nor-age-nor-wrinkle-on-their/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [Eternity has no gray hairs! The flowers fade, the heart withers, man grows old and dies, the world lies down in the sepulchre of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reginald-heber/eternity-has-no-gray-hairs-the-flowers-fade-the-heart-withers-man/) [Reginald Heber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reginald-heber/) > [Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-ullman/youth-means-a-temperamental-predominance-of-courage-over-timidity-of/) [Samuel Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-ullman/) ## More by Brennan Manning > [Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self. Judas could not face his shadow; Peter could. The latter befriended the impostor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/accepting-the-reality-of-our-sinfulness-means-accepting-our-authentic/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Trust is our gift back to God, and he finds it so enchanting that Jesus died for love of it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/trust-is-our-gift-back-to-god-and-he-finds-it-so-enchanting-that/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Genuine self-acceptance is not derived from the power of positive thinking, mind games or pop psychology. IT IS AN ACT OF FAITH in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/genuine-self-acceptance-is-not-derived-from-the-power-of-positive/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [That which is denied cannot be healed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/that-which-is-denied-cannot-be-healed/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“It is not objective proof of God’s existence that we want but the experience of God’s presence. That is the miracle we are really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/it-is-not-objective-proof-of-god-s-existence-that-we-want-but-the/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“He who is alone with his sins is utterly alone. It may be that Christians, notwithstanding corporate worship, common prayer, and all their fellowship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/he-who-is-alone-with-his-sins-is-utterly-alone-it-may-be-that/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [God not only loves me as I am, but also knows me as I am. Because of this I don't need to apply spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/god-not-only-loves-me-as-i-am-but-also-knows-me-as-i-am-because-of/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Grace abounds in contemporary movies, books, novels, films and music. If God is not in the whirlwind, He may be in a Woody Allen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/grace-abounds-in-contemporary-movies-books-novels-films-and-music-if/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [My trust in God flows out of the experience of his loving me, day in and day out, whether the day is stormy or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/my-trust-in-god-flows-out-of-the-experience-of-his-loving-me-day-in/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [I you think you've done it, then you're wrong. Because you're not finished until you have achieved everything that you never thought you could.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/i-you-think-you-ve-done-it-then-you-re-wrong-because-you-re-not/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [May all your expectations be frustrated, may all your plans be thwarted, may all your desires be withered into nothingness, that you may experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/may-all-your-expectations-be-frustrated-may-all-your-plans-be/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Our identity rests in God's relentless tenderness for us revealed in Jesus Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/our-identity-rests-in-god-s-relentless-tenderness-for-us-revealed-in/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“When I get honest I admit that I am a bundle of paradoxes. I believe and I doubt, I hope and I get discouraged.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/when-i-get-honest-i-admit-that-i-am-a-bundle-of-paradoxes-i-believe/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“At Sunday worship, as in every dimension of our existence, many of us pretend to believe we are sinners. Consequently, all we can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/at-sunday-worship-as-in-every-dimension-of-our-existence-many-of-us/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“You tell others about Me - that I am a loving God. Your words are glib. My words are written in the blood of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/you-tell-others-about-me-that-i-am-a-loving-god-your-words-are-glib/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) [Explore all 320 Brennan Manning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) ## More Certain quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) Riffat Hassan > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/) T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/) [Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/) > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) Browse all 13,673 Certain quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A man doesn't grow old because he has lived a certain number of years. A man grows old when he deserts his ideal. The years may wrinkle his skin, but deserting his ideal wrinkles his soul.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brennan Manning" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/a-man-doesn-t-grow-old-because-he-has-lived-a-certain-number-of-years/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Certain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/a-man-doesn-t-grow-old-because-he-has-lived-a-certain-number-of-years/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/brennan-manning-959_certain_a-man-doesn-t-grow-old-because-he-has-li_497870.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/brennan-manning-959_certain_a-man-doesn-t-grow-old-because-he-has-li_497870.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/brennan-manning-959_certain_a-man-doesn-t-grow-old-because-he-has-li_497870.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A man doesn't grow old because he has lived a certain number of years. A man grows old when he deserts his…” — Brennan Manning", "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": "Brennan Manning", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A man doesn't grow old because...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/a-man-doesn-t-grow-old-because-he-has-lived-a-certain-number-of-years/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/a-man-doesn-t-grow-old-because-he-has-lived-a-certain-number-of-years/#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 } } ] } ```