--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Old age is not as honorable as death, but…" description: "\"Old age is not as honorable as death, but most people seek it.\" — David Gemmell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/david-gemmell-1821_age_old-age-is-not-as-honorable-as-death-but_1313042.png" --- # Old age is not as honorable as death, but most people seek… ![“Old age is not as honorable as death, but most people seek it.” quote by David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/david-gemmell-1821_age_old-age-is-not-as-honorable-as-death-but_1313042.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/david-gemmell-1821_age_old-age-is-not-as-honorable-as-death-but_1313042.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/david-gemmell-1821_age_old-age-is-not-as-honorable-as-death-but_1313042.png) > “Old age is not as honorable as death, but most people seek it.” [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Old age is less revered than death, yet many still pursue it, highlighting a paradox in how society values longevity over mortality. **In simple terms:** People chase old age despite its lesser honor. Key Takeaway Reflect on what truly matters at life's end. Themes mortality honor longevity Mood reflective somber Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - retirement planning - health care - legacy building - intergenerational dialogue Key Concepts existentialism cultural values Questions to Reflect On - Why do we prize death over a long life? - How can we honor aging more fully? A Different Perspective The view may ignore the dignity and wisdom that can come with age. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Honorable death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honorable-death/) [Old age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-age/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [Among us, I am happy to say, old age is honorable, and regarded as a blessing from the Lord. It is our duty to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorenzo-snow/among-us-i-am-happy-to-say-old-age-is-honorable-and-regarded-as-a/) [Lorenzo Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorenzo-snow/) > [ An honorable death is better than a dishonorable life. \[Lat., Honesta mors turpi vita potior.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/an-honorable-death-is-better-than-a-dishonorable-life-lat-honesta/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Despair is a great incentive to honorable death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintus-curtius-rufus/despair-is-a-great-incentive-to-honorable-death/) [Quintus Curtius Rufus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintus-curtius-rufus/) > [I got shot in the head by my own guys in my foxhole. And they didn't even give me an honorable death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/i-got-shot-in-the-head-by-my-own-guys-in-my-foxhole-and-they-didn-t/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [“While it is unclear who had done so, someone had produced a heroine. Cleopatra's was an honorable death, a dignified death, an exemplary death.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/while-it-is-unclear-who-had-done-so-someone-had-produced-a-heroine/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [Man's life is short; and therefore an honorable death is his immortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/man-s-life-is-short-and-therefore-an-honorable-death-is-his/) [Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/) > [No evil is honorable: but death is honorable; therefore death is not evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-evil-is-honorable-but-death-is-honorable-therefore-death-is-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If I lived by some code, my actions would become predictable. The enemy would take advantage of this and I’d be killed. An honorable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-beddor/if-i-lived-by-some-code-my-actions-would-become-predictable-the-enemy/) [Frank Beddor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-beddor/) > [“You’ve earned an honorable death, creature.” He meets my gaze; his eyes begin to glow, as if filled with stars. I can’t look away.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/you-ve-earned-an-honorable-death-creature-he-meets-my-gaze-his-eyes/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [The loss of reason seems to me honorable, like the death of a sentry at his post.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonid-andreyev/the-loss-of-reason-seems-to-me-honorable-like-the-death-of-a-sentry/) [Leonid Andreyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonid-andreyev/) > [“God grant me a quick honorable death, Isgrimnur prayed, and never let me be one of those old fools who sits by the campfire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tad-williams/god-grant-me-a-quick-honorable-death-isgrimnur-prayed-and-never-let/) [Tad Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tad-williams/) > [“Honor from death,” I snap, “is a myth. Invented by the war torn to make sense of the horrific. If we die, it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-carson/honor-from-death-i-snap-is-a-myth-invented-by-the-war-torn-to-make/) [Rae Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-carson/) > [“You are well aware that it is not numbers or strength that bring the victories in war. No, it is when one side goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xenophon/you-are-well-aware-that-it-is-not-numbers-or-strength-that-bring-the/) [Xenophon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xenophon/) > [“God always shows up for people who seek him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mylee-bankston/god-always-shows-up-for-people-who-seek-him/) Mylee Bankston > [Most people seek after what they do not possess and are enslaved by the very things they want to acquire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anwar-sadat/most-people-seek-after-what-they-do-not-possess-and-are-enslaved-by/) [Anwar Sadat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anwar-sadat/) ## More by David Gemmell > [Do not complain of life's unfairness. It is never fair - at best it is impartial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/do-not-complain-of-life-s-unfairness-it-is-never-fair-at-best-it-is/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [“It seems to me, that you people spend a great deal of time talking about honour, but strip away the high sounding words and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/it-seems-to-me-that-you-people-spend-a-great-deal-of-time-talking/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [Makes no sense to me,' said Huntsekker. 'You don't know who is at your door, but you know the thoughts of a man twenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/makes-no-sense-to-me-said-huntsekker-you-don-t-know-who-is-at-your/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [I may be stupid, as you say, to believe in honour and friendship and loyalty without price. But these are virtues to be cherished,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/i-may-be-stupid-as-you-say-to-believe-in-honour-and-friendship-and/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [When your life has been spent in one war after another for forty-five years, you have to be pretty handy to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/when-your-life-has-been-spent-in-one-war-after-another-for-forty-five/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [When healers yearn to kill then hope begins to die ... Evil cannot be overcome by evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/when-healers-yearn-to-kill-then-hope-begins-to-die-evil-cannot-be/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [I have discovered in my long life that there are many words and phrases which have more power than any spell of magick. 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You will not disappoint them, for you owe them nothing;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/it-is-easier-with-strangers-for-they-touch-your-life-but-for-an/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [I don't know yet whether I fully believe in fate, but certain things do happen in a man's life that he cannot explain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/i-don-t-know-yet-whether-i-fully-believe-in-fate-but-certain-things/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [If you look at any ancient civilization, they've all used fantasy stories to train the young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/if-you-look-at-any-ancient-civilization-they-ve-all-used-fantasy/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [All men have talents. Some build, some paint, some write, some fight. For me it is different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/all-men-have-talents-some-build-some-paint-some-write-some-fight-for/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [“Never violate a woman, nor harm a child. Do not lie, cheat or steal. These things are for lesser men. Protect the weak against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/never-violate-a-woman-nor-harm-a-child-do-not-lie-cheat-or-steal/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [“The truth? What the Hell is the truth? We're born, we live and we die. Everything else is just shades of opinion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/the-truth-what-the-hell-is-the-truth-we-re-born-we-live-and-we-die/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) [Explore all 201 David Gemmell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." 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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": "Old age is not as honorable as death, but most people seek it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Gemmell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/old-age-is-not-as-honorable-as-death-but-most-people-seek-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/old-age-is-not-as-honorable-as-death-but-most-people-seek-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/david-gemmell-1821_age_old-age-is-not-as-honorable-as-death-but_1313042.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/david-gemmell-1821_age_old-age-is-not-as-honorable-as-death-but_1313042.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/david-gemmell-1821_age_old-age-is-not-as-honorable-as-death-but_1313042.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Old age is not as honorable as death, but most people seek it.” — David Gemmell", "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": "David Gemmell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Old age is not as honorable...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/old-age-is-not-as-honorable-as-death-but-most-people-seek-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/old-age-is-not-as-honorable-as-death-but-most-people-seek-it/#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 } } ] } ```