--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ... I would far rather get to be ninety…" description: "\"“... I would far rather get to be ninety years old and look back and say, \"I tried my damnedest\" to succeed, rather than get to be ninety and think, \"I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c94/cathy-lamb-25998_quote_i-would-far-rather-get-to-be-ninety-year_2130244.jpg" --- # ... I would far rather get to be ninety years old and look… ![“... I would far rather get to be ninety years old and look back and say, "I tried my damnedest" to succeed, rather than get to be ninety and think, "I wonder what would have happened if only I had done something different. Katie's character, Julia's Chocolates” quote by Cathy Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c94/cathy-lamb-25998_quote_i-would-far-rather-get-to-be-ninety-year_2130244.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c94/cathy-lamb-25998_quote_i-would-far-rather-get-to-be-ninety-year_2130244.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c94/cathy-lamb-25998_quote_i-would-far-rather-get-to-be-ninety-year_2130244.jpg) > ““... I would far rather get to be ninety years old and look back and say, "I tried my damnedest" to succeed, rather than get to be ninety and think, "I wonder what would have happened if only I had done something different. Katie's character, Julia's Chocolates”” [Cathy Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-lamb/) ## 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 urges living fully and taking risks, valuing effort over regret in old age. **In simple terms:** Try hard now to avoid future regret. Key Takeaway Act boldly, avoid hindsight regret. Themes courage risk regret legacy Mood reflective determined Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - career decisions - creative projects - relationships - health choices Key Concepts existentialism personal responsibility Questions to Reflect On - What risk will you take today? - How can you measure a life well‑lived? A Different Perspective Effort alone doesn't guarantee success; outcomes may still disappoint. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“Women, in his experience, often expected you to understand that it was a measure of how much they loved you that they tried their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/women-in-his-experience-often-expected-you-to-understand-that-it-was/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [“I can keep you, Avery?” “For as long as you want.” “Then I’m calling dibs on the next ninety years.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-moreland/i-can-keep-you-avery-for-as-long-as-you-want-then-i-m-calling-dibs-on/) [Melanie Moreland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-moreland/) > [“I'm ninety-five years old. I can have ice cream ten times a day if I want.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-n-harvey/i-m-ninety-five-years-old-i-can-have-ice-cream-ten-times-a-day-if-i/) [Sarah N. 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Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“Real and pure love, exists in the age of nine and ninety years, between that lies a risk. However, an exception may become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehsan-sehgal/real-and-pure-love-exists-in-the-age-of-nine-and-ninety-years-between/) [Ehsan Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehsan-sehgal/) > [“You're ninety years old. What's one regret you wish you could change? That's it? That's the question, but here are the rules. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-tucker/you-re-ninety-years-old-what-s-one-regret-you-wish-you-could-change/) [heather tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-tucker/) > [Here is a shared memory that we didn't share, forgot to share, for almost ninety years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mcaleese/here-is-a-shared-memory-that-we-didn-t-share-forgot-to-share-for/) [Mary McAleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mcaleese/) > [Ninety years ago I was a freak. Today I'm an amateur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-the-ripper/ninety-years-ago-i-was-a-freak-today-i-m-an-amateur/) Jack the Ripper > [Now that I am ninety-five years old, looking back over the years, I have seen many changes taking place, so many inventions have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grandma-moses/now-that-i-am-ninety-five-years-old-looking-back-over-the-years-i/) [Grandma Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grandma-moses/) > [“I never found anybody else and I don’t want anybody else. I don’t care whether you’re ninety years old or thirty. If I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/i-never-found-anybody-else-and-i-don-t-want-anybody-else-i-don-t-care/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [“Sometimes, Shan's father had told him, people can live eighty and ninety years and only briefly, once or twice at most, glimpse the true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-pattison/sometimes-shan-s-father-had-told-him-people-can-live-eighty-and/) [Eliot Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-pattison/) > [“You know, my young friend, I will be ninety years old next year, and life is still a constant surprise to me. We never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-t-sullivan/you-know-my-young-friend-i-will-be-ninety-years-old-next-year-and/) [Mark T. Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-t-sullivan/) > [“Last Saturday night I was in a club on the South Side of Chicago listening to live rock music and talking to a guitar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-freveletti/last-saturday-night-i-was-in-a-club-on-the-south-side-of-chicago/) [Jamie Freveletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-freveletti/) ## More by Cathy Lamb > [“I have learned that what we want from life, and what we get, are often two very different things”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-lamb/i-have-learned-that-what-we-want-from-life-and-what-we-get-are-often/) [Cathy Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-lamb/) > [“Grab the love. Hold on tight. Treasure it. Put that love you have for your husband first, arrange everything else around it, and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-lamb/grab-the-love-hold-on-tight-treasure-it-put-that-love-you-have-for/) [Cathy Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-lamb/) > [“Sometimes things are so insanely private, you don't even want to talk about them with yourself. Don't talk about them, don't wrestle with them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-lamb/sometimes-things-are-so-insanely-private-you-don-t-even-want-to-talk/) [Cathy Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-lamb/) > [“A child’s bond to her mother cannot be understated, and my bond with Helen was a ragged, baffling, disheartening, chaotic mess. I felt crazy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-lamb/a-child-s-bond-to-her-mother-cannot-be-understated-and-my-bond-with/) [Cathy Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-lamb/) > [“wasn’t a live chicken—that would not have been kind to the chicken—but a whole, plucked chicken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-lamb/wasn-t-a-live-chicken-that-would-not-have-been-kind-to-the-chicken/) [Cathy Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-lamb/) > [“I can wield any type of saw out there, and I have to do this, even if it takes me years. That I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-lamb/i-can-wield-any-type-of-saw-out-there-and-i-have-to-do-this-even-if/) [Cathy Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-lamb/) > [“Sisters are the worst. And they are the best. 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Many of the brightest people floating about this planet have only a finger's grip on sanity, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-lamb/sanity-is-tenuous-tenuous-comes-and-goes-many-of-the-brightest-people/) [Cathy Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-lamb/) > [“I sprinted into the conference room as my boss, and the owner of this law firm, Cherie Poitras, grabbed her client around the waist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-lamb/i-sprinted-into-the-conference-room-as-my-boss-and-the-owner-of-this/) [Cathy Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-lamb/) > [“When you're sad or depressed, you might as well get something done," Lydia always said. "Pretty soon, you're not sad or depressed, and darned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-lamb/when-you-re-sad-or-depressed-you-might-as-well-get-something-done/) [Cathy Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-lamb/) > [“I laughed until my fat hurt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-lamb/i-laughed-until-my-fat-hurt/) [Cathy Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-lamb/) > [Happiness, most often, is a choice. Make the choice to sit, breathe, and be in that moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-lamb/happiness-most-often-is-a-choice-make-the-choice-to-sit-breathe-and/) [Cathy Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-lamb/) > [“Stevie: "If you think he's a lecher and all men are disgusting, why do you want me to date?" Zena: "Because, Stevie. Now and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-lamb/stevie-if-you-think-he-s-a-lecher-and-all-men-are-disgusting-why-do/) [Cathy Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-lamb/) [Explore all 22 Cathy Lamb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-lamb/) ## More Ninety Years quotes > [“I can keep you, Avery?” “For as long as you want.” “Then I’m calling dibs on the next ninety years.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-moreland/i-can-keep-you-avery-for-as-long-as-you-want-then-i-m-calling-dibs-on/) [Melanie Moreland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-moreland/) > [“You know, my young friend, I will be ninety years old next year, and life is still a constant surprise to me. We never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-t-sullivan/you-know-my-young-friend-i-will-be-ninety-years-old-next-year-and/) [Mark T. Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-t-sullivan/) > [“Sometimes, Shan's father had told him, people can live eighty and ninety years and only briefly, once or twice at most, glimpse the true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-pattison/sometimes-shan-s-father-had-told-him-people-can-live-eighty-and/) [Eliot Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-pattison/) > [“I never found anybody else and I don’t want anybody else. I don’t care whether you’re ninety years old or thirty. If I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/i-never-found-anybody-else-and-i-don-t-want-anybody-else-i-don-t-care/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [Now that I am ninety-five years old, looking back over the years, I have seen many changes taking place, so many inventions have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grandma-moses/now-that-i-am-ninety-five-years-old-looking-back-over-the-years-i/) [Grandma Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grandma-moses/) > [Ninety years ago I was a freak. Today I'm an amateur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-the-ripper/ninety-years-ago-i-was-a-freak-today-i-m-an-amateur/) Jack the Ripper > [Here is a shared memory that we didn't share, forgot to share, for almost ninety years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mcaleese/here-is-a-shared-memory-that-we-didn-t-share-forgot-to-share-for/) [Mary McAleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mcaleese/) > [“You're ninety years old. What's one regret you wish you could change? That's it? That's the question, but here are the rules. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-tucker/you-re-ninety-years-old-what-s-one-regret-you-wish-you-could-change/) [heather tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-tucker/) > [“Real and pure love, exists in the age of nine and ninety years, between that lies a risk. However, an exception may become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehsan-sehgal/real-and-pure-love-exists-in-the-age-of-nine-and-ninety-years-between/) [Ehsan Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehsan-sehgal/) > [In the eighty or ninety years I have given to this subject, trying to trace out the meanderings of their twisty little minds, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/in-the-eighty-or-ninety-years-i-have-given-to-this-subject-trying-to/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“Alex, you're so beautiful, sometimes just looking in our eyes makes my heart stop. Even if I never see you again after today...even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sheehan-miles/alex-you-re-so-beautiful-sometimes-just-looking-in-our-eyes-makes-my/) [Charles Sheehan-Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sheehan-miles/) > [“I am ninety-one years old, and almost everyone who was once in my life is now a ghost. Sometimes these”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/i-am-ninety-one-years-old-and-almost-everyone-who-was-once-in-my-life/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“I'm ninety-five years old. I can have ice cream ten times a day if I want.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-n-harvey/i-m-ninety-five-years-old-i-can-have-ice-cream-ten-times-a-day-if-i/) [Sarah N. Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-n-harvey/) > [“Last Saturday night I was in a club on the South Side of Chicago listening to live rock music and talking to a guitar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-freveletti/last-saturday-night-i-was-in-a-club-on-the-south-side-of-chicago/) [Jamie Freveletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-freveletti/) > [“Molly’s been surprised to find that she looks forward to it. Ninety-one years is a long time to live—there’s a lot of history in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/molly-s-been-surprised-to-find-that-she-looks-forward-to-it-ninety/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) Browse all 22 Ninety Years quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“... 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