---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: After a certain age, you couldn't even…"
description: "\"After a certain age, you couldn't even say where you were from. You went someplace, and lived there. And then you went someplace else.\" — Daniel Handler"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/daniel-handler-1043_age_after-a-certain-age-you-couldn-t-even-sa_1977509.jpg"
---

#  After a certain age, you couldn't even say where you were…

![“After a certain age, you couldn't even say where you were from. You went someplace, and lived there. And then you went someplace else.” quote by Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/daniel-handler-1043_age_after-a-certain-age-you-couldn-t-even-sa_1977509.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/daniel-handler-1043_age_after-a-certain-age-you-couldn-t-even-sa_1977509.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/daniel-handler-1043_age_after-a-certain-age-you-couldn-t-even-sa_1977509.jpg)

> “After a certain age, you couldn't even say where you were from. You went someplace, and lived there. And then you went someplace else.”

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Identity becomes fluid after migration, blurring origins and belonging.

**In simple terms:** Moving changes how we view our roots.

Key Takeaway

Embrace change, but stay aware of your roots.

Themes

identity migration belonging

Mood

reflective nostalgic

Type

personal philosophical

When to use this quote

- relocation
- career moves
- cultural integration
- expatriate life

Key Concepts

fluidity personal history

Questions to Reflect On

- How does moving reshape your sense of self?
- What anchors you amid constant change?

A Different Perspective

Identity can feel lost without conscious reflection.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Certain age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain-age/) [Say Went](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-went-1274789/) [Someplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/someplace/) [Someplace Lived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/someplace-lived-3356503/) [Went Someplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/went-someplace-3356502/)

## Related quotes

> [I saw a sign it said left lane closed so I went someplace else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-london/i-saw-a-sign-it-said-left-lane-closed-so-i-went-someplace-else/)

[Jay London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-london/)

> [“I just hope he went someplace where he could find a little peace... somewhere between nowhere and goodbye...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-x-toole/i-just-hope-he-went-someplace-where-he-could-find-a-little-peace/)

[F.X. Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-x-toole/)

> [“the men of the cave would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-men-of-the-cave-would-say-of-him-that-up-he-went-and-down-he-came/)

[Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/)

> [Let's just say, I went to Sweden for a reason, to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logan-paul/let-s-just-say-i-went-to-sweden-for-a-reason-to-make-music/)

[Logan Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logan-paul/)

> [One day your life, you'll look back and say this is where it all went wrong, and this is how I made it right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/one-day-your-life-you-ll-look-back-and-say-this-is-where-it-all-went/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [I'm proud to be able to say that I went to BYU.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/i-m-proud-to-be-able-to-say-that-i-went-to-byu/)

[Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/)

> [You see failed vocabulary in the adult world so often, and it's often because once you reach a certain age you're kind of embarrassed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/you-see-failed-vocabulary-in-the-adult-world-so-often-and-it-s-often/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [Those of us of a certain age grew up expecting that by now we would have Rosie the Robot from 'The Jetsons' in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-enriquez/those-of-us-of-a-certain-age-grew-up-expecting-that-by-now-we-would/)

[Juan Enriquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-enriquez/)

> [When you get to a certain age, you don't get lost. If you have a good set of pals around about you can have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-kiernan/when-you-get-to-a-certain-age-you-don-t-get-lost-if-you-have-a-good/)

[Ford Kiernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-kiernan/)

> [I'm looking for trouble. A lot of people get to be a certain age and they just kind of lose interest or they give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/i-m-looking-for-trouble-a-lot-of-people-get-to-be-a-certain-age-and/)

[John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/)

> [You get to a certain age and you just want to prove that you can still rock - that you've still got it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarvis-cocker/you-get-to-a-certain-age-and-you-just-want-to-prove-that-you-can/)

[Jarvis Cocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarvis-cocker/)

> [After you reach a certain age, they think you’re over. Well, I will never be over. I’ll be making records if I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/after-you-reach-a-certain-age-they-think-you-re-over-well-i-will/)

[Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/)

> [Have you ever been homesick for someplace that doesn't actually exist anymore? Someplace that exists only in your mind?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/have-you-ever-been-homesick-for-someplace-that-doesn-t-actually-exist/)

[Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/)

> [My mother taught me when you go someplace, you leave it better than you found it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/my-mother-taught-me-when-you-go-someplace-you-leave-it-better-than/)

[Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/)

> [You can never get someplace physically until you've been there mentally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-schalles/you-can-never-get-someplace-physically-until-you-ve-been-there/)

[Wade Schalles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-schalles/)

## More by Daniel Handler

> [We laughed the rest of the way, because the point of this story is, it is not the cookies. It is the love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/we-laughed-the-rest-of-the-way-because-the-point-of-this-story-is-it/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [I started making plans, thinking we would get that far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-started-making-plans-thinking-we-would-get-that-far/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [I can't imagine why you would want to take your child to see what the career of a writer is like, because it mostly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-can-t-imagine-why-you-would-want-to-take-your-child-to-see-what-the/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [“All the deaths are dead for nothing but you're not dead at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/all-the-deaths-are-dead-for-nothing-but-you-re-not-dead-at-all/)

[daniel handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [“I love you so soundly and I will do anything to drag you forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-love-you-so-soundly-and-i-will-do-anything-to-drag-you-forward/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [I’d ruin any day, all my days, for those long nights with you, and I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-d-ruin-any-day-all-my-days-for-those-long-nights-with-you-and-i-did/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [Chestnuts in stuffing tastes like someone chewed up a tree branch and then French-kissed it into your mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/chestnuts-in-stuffing-tastes-like-someone-chewed-up-a-tree-branch-and/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [Lemony Snicket. Now, I'm told - the books, of course, starting from the very first one, became hugely popular, selling millions and millions. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/lemony-snicket-now-i-m-told-the-books-of-course-starting-from-the/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [“The matches were a little 'he loves me, he loves me not,' but then I saw right on the box that I had twenty-four,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/the-matches-were-a-little-he-loves-me-he-loves-me-not-but-then-i-saw/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [I didn't like books where people played on a sports team and won a bunch of games, or went to summer camp and had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-didn-t-like-books-where-people-played-on-a-sports-team-and-won-a/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [I love no one but you, I have discovered, but you are far away and I am here alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-love-no-one-but-you-i-have-discovered-but-you-are-far-away-and-i-am/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [The Basic Eight and Watch Your Mouth both have first-person voices, and I ended up investigating those voices and investing so much in them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/the-basic-eight-and-watch-your-mouth-both-have-first-person-voices/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [The Long Goodbye' is one book I like to read over and over again, and it was an enormous inspiration for 'All The Wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/the-long-goodbye-is-one-book-i-like-to-read-over-and-over-again-and/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [The whole thing of what I’ve been trying,” you said, “is that you’re different, and you keep asking about the other girls, but what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/the-whole-thing-of-what-i-ve-been-trying-you-said-is-that-you-re/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [ I wrote a comedy, which hopefully \[Rick director\] Curtiss Clayton will bring to the screen, that I thought was the antithesis of all my… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-wrote-a-comedy-which-hopefully-rick-director-curtiss-clayton-will/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

[Explore all 295 Daniel Handler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "After a certain age, you couldn't even say where you were from. You went someplace, and lived there. And then you went someplace else.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Daniel Handler"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/after-a-certain-age-you-couldn-t-even-say-where-you-were-from-you/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/after-a-certain-age-you-couldn-t-even-say-where-you-were-from-you/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/daniel-handler-1043_age_after-a-certain-age-you-couldn-t-even-sa_1977509.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/daniel-handler-1043_age_after-a-certain-age-you-couldn-t-even-sa_1977509.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/daniel-handler-1043_age_after-a-certain-age-you-couldn-t-even-sa_1977509.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“After a certain age, you couldn't even say where you were from. You went someplace, and lived there. And…” — Daniel Handler",
                "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": "Daniel Handler",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "After a certain age, you couldn't...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/after-a-certain-age-you-couldn-t-even-say-where-you-were-from-you/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/after-a-certain-age-you-couldn-t-even-say-where-you-were-from-you/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
