--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All through my sixties I felt I was still…" description: "\"“All through my sixties I felt I was still within hailing distance of middle age, not safe on its shores, perhaps, but navigating its coastal waters. M..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/diana-athill-33371_middle-age_all-through-my-sixties-i-felt-i-was-stil_1869616.png" --- # All through my sixties I felt I was still within hailing… ![“All through my sixties I felt I was still within hailing distance of middle age, not safe on its shores, perhaps, but navigating its coastal waters. My seventieth birthday failed to change this because I managed scarcely to notice it, but my seventy-first did change it. Being 'over seventy' is…” quote by Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/diana-athill-33371_middle-age_all-through-my-sixties-i-felt-i-was-stil_1869616.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/diana-athill-33371_middle-age_all-through-my-sixties-i-felt-i-was-stil_1869616.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/diana-athill-33371_middle-age_all-through-my-sixties-i-felt-i-was-stil_1869616.png) > ““All through my sixties I felt I was still within hailing distance of middle age, not safe on its shores, perhaps, but navigating its coastal waters. My seventieth birthday failed to change this because I managed scarcely to notice it, but my seventy-first did change it. Being 'over seventy' is being old: suddenly I was aground on that fact and saw that the time had come to size it up.”” [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She reflects on how reaching her seventies forced her to confront aging as a concrete reality rather than an abstract idea. **In simple terms:** Aging becomes real when you notice it. Key Takeaway Accept and assess your age honestly. Themes aging self‑awareness life stages Mood reflective thoughtful Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - retirement planning - health check‑ups - intergenerational conversations - legacy projects Key Concepts existential reflection personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing age change your priorities? - What does “size it up” mean for you? A Different Perspective Aging perception varies culturally, so personal experience may differ. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Middle age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-age/) ## Related quotes > [Seventy is old enough. After that there is too much risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/seventy-is-old-enough-after-that-there-is-too-much-risk/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [It's frightening how much things change in seventy-one years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-carter/it-s-frightening-how-much-things-change-in-seventy-one-years/) [Aimee Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-carter/) > [It is a very wonderful experience indeed, when, at fifty years old, you suddenly discover that for the first time in your life, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-baldwin/it-is-a-very-wonderful-experience-indeed-when-at-fifty-years-old-you/) [Monica Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-baldwin/) > [“He loved me the way only a nineteen-year old can- suddenly and deliriously.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-corrigan/he-loved-me-the-way-only-a-nineteen-year-old-can-suddenly-and/) [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) > [Of course, I was 19 years old, and I suddenly lost my legs. It was extremely traumatic at the time, but I'm so beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-purdy/of-course-i-was-19-years-old-and-i-suddenly-lost-my-legs-it-was/) [Amy Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-purdy/) > [The thing is, when you see your old friends, you come face to face with yourself. I run into someone I've known for 40…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-bergen/the-thing-is-when-you-see-your-old-friends-you-come-face-to-face-with/) [Polly Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-bergen/) > [It is not quite the same when we are seventy-two as when we are twenty-seven; still I am glad of what is left, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-stone/it-is-not-quite-the-same-when-we-are-seventy-two-as-when-we-are/) [Lucy Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-stone/) > [I died last night. Seventy years too young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-thompson/i-died-last-night-seventy-years-too-young/) [Colin Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-thompson/) > [Jose DeLeon on his career has seventy-three wins and one-hundred and five RBIs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-kiner/jose-deleon-on-his-career-has-seventy-three-wins-and-one-hundred-and/) [Ralph Kiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-kiner/) > [Top football is tough nowadays, 60 games a year in club football, 10 international games. Seventy games means that every third or fourth day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-ten-hag/top-football-is-tough-nowadays-60-games-a-year-in-club-football-10/) [Erik ten Hag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-ten-hag/) > [“because the driving kept him going stay under seventy; God, my heart racing; I hate the taste of coffee; so wired though; okay, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/because-the-driving-kept-him-going-stay-under-seventy-god-my-heart/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Being seventy is not a sin. It's not a joy, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/golda-meir/being-seventy-is-not-a-sin-it-s-not-a-joy-either/) [Golda Meir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/golda-meir/) > [The hardest years in life are those between ten and seventy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hayes/the-hardest-years-in-life-are-those-between-ten-and-seventy/) [Helen Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hayes/) > [I sometimes lie awake at night and try to imagine what would be the best period in history to spend one's seventy-odd years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/i-sometimes-lie-awake-at-night-and-try-to-imagine-what-would-be-the/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [At seventy-three I learned a little about the real structure of animals, plants, birds, fishes and insects. Consequently when I am eighty I'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hokusai/at-seventy-three-i-learned-a-little-about-the-real-structure-of/) [Hokusai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hokusai/) ## More by Diana Athill > [An important aspect of the ebbing of sex was that other things became interesting. Sex obliterates the individuality of young women more often than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/an-important-aspect-of-the-ebbing-of-sex-was-that-other-things-became/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [“I am not sure that digging in our past guilts is a useful occupation for the very old, given that one can do so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/i-am-not-sure-that-digging-in-our-past-guilts-is-a-useful-occupation/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [“We must always remember that we are only midwives—if we want praise for progeny we must give birth to our own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/we-must-always-remember-that-we-are-only-midwives-if-we-want-praise/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [“To me it was plain silly. It is so obvious that life works in terms of species rather than individuals. The individual just has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/to-me-it-was-plain-silly-it-is-so-obvious-that-life-works-in-terms-of/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [“She was an object lesson on the essential luck, whatever hardships may come their way, of those born able to make things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/she-was-an-object-lesson-on-the-essential-luck-whatever-hardships-may/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [“Dwindling energy is one of the most boring things about being old. From time to time you get a day when it seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/dwindling-energy-is-one-of-the-most-boring-things-about-being-old/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [The extension of power offered by a pony, the ease and speed of movement, the tapping of unsuspected courage, the satisfaction of collaboration with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/the-extension-of-power-offered-by-a-pony-the-ease-and-speed-of/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [“Generally office and home were far apart, and home was much more important than office. I was not ashamed of valuing my private life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/generally-office-and-home-were-far-apart-and-home-was-much-more/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [You don't always have to go so far as to murder your darlings – those turns of phrase or images of which you felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/you-don-t-always-have-to-go-so-far-as-to-murder-your-darlings-those/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [“I have heard people bewailing man's landing on the moon, as though before it was touched by an astronaut's foot it was made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/i-have-heard-people-bewailing-man-s-landing-on-the-moon-as-though/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [“How, then, does the written word work? What part of a reader absorbs it - or should that be a double question: what part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/how-then-does-the-written-word-work-what-part-of-a-reader-absorbs-it/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [Writing shouldn't come between the reader and what's being described. It should be as transparent as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/writing-shouldn-t-come-between-the-reader-and-what-s-being-described/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [Read it aloud to yourself because that's the only way to be sure the rhythms of the sentences are OK.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/read-it-aloud-to-yourself-because-that-s-the-only-way-to-be-sure-the/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [“It was like removing layers of crumpled brown paper from an awkwardly shaped parcel, and revealing the attractive present which it contained.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/it-was-like-removing-layers-of-crumpled-brown-paper-from-an-awkwardly/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) [Explore all 15 Diana Athill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) ## More Middle age quotes > [Well, He had known what love was-a sharp pang, a fierce experience, in the midst of whose flames he was struggling! but, through that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/well-he-had-known-what-love-was-a-sharp-pang-a-fierce-experience-in/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [None of my own experiences ever finds its way into my work. However, the stages of my life - motherhood, middle age, etc. -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/none-of-my-own-experiences-ever-finds-its-way-into-my-work-however/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [As a precocious teen I dreamed of being Graham Greene. Well, as it turned out, I never wrote a great novel, sadly, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-burchill/as-a-precocious-teen-i-dreamed-of-being-graham-greene-well-as-it/) [Julie Burchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-burchill/) > [“No matter how you tell yourself It's what we all go through Those lines are pretty hard to take When they're staring back at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-raitt/no-matter-how-you-tell-yourself-it-s-what-we-all-go-through-those/) [Bonnie Raitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-raitt/) > [“They are not brave, the days when we are twenty-one. They are full of little cowardices, little fears without foundation, and one is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/they-are-not-brave-the-days-when-we-are-twenty-one-they-are-full-of/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [What folly made young people, even those in middle age, think they were immortal? How much better, their lives, if they could remember the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohinton-mistry/what-folly-made-young-people-even-those-in-middle-age-think-they-were/) [Rohinton Mistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohinton-mistry/) > [A man's diary is a record in youth of his sentiments, in middle age of his actions, in old age of his reflections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/a-man-s-diary-is-a-record-in-youth-of-his-sentiments-in-middle-age-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [“Marriage can be made to work if both the partners can see beyond themselves and understand the limitations,needs and abilities of the other person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitralekha-paul/marriage-can-be-made-to-work-if-both-the-partners-can-see-beyond/) [Chitralekha Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitralekha-paul/) > [“When a man gets to middle age shouldn’t he look for a peaceful and stable existence, find a not-too-demanding sort of a job, stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/when-a-man-gets-to-middle-age-shouldn-t-he-look-for-a-peaceful-and/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) > [“It's that in between time Nothing really growing And nothing really dying”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-l-ratliff/it-s-that-in-between-time-nothing-really-growing-and-nothing-really/) [Richard L. Ratliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-l-ratliff/) > [After sixty, the self-questioning of middle age is obsolete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/after-sixty-the-self-questioning-of-middle-age-is-obsolete/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Middle Age is that perplexing time of life when we hear two voices calling us, one saying, 'Why not?' and the other, 'Why bother?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/middle-age-is-that-perplexing-time-of-life-when-we-hear-two-voices/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [“In good truth he had started in London with some vague idea that as his life in it would not be of long continuance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-riddell/in-good-truth-he-had-started-in-london-with-some-vague-idea-that-as/) [Charlotte Riddell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-riddell/) > [“Senescence begins And middle-age ends The day your descendants Outnumber your friends”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/senescence-begins-and-middle-age-ends-the-day-your-descendants/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [The world is always full of brilliant youth which fades into grey and embittered middle age: the first flowering takes everything. The great men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-world-is-always-full-of-brilliant-youth-which-fades-into-grey-and/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) [Browse all 394 Middle age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“All through my sixties I felt I was still within hailing distance of middle age, not safe on its shores, perhaps, but navigating its coastal waters. My seventieth birthday failed to change this because I managed scarcely to notice it, but my seventy-first did change it. 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