--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Am struck by paradoxical thought that…" description: "\"“Am struck by paradoxical thought that youth is by no means the happiest time of life, but that most of the rest of life is tinged by regret for its pa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26c/e-m-delafield-2-53371_age_am-struck-by-paradoxical-thought-that-yo_1718785.jpg" --- # Am struck by paradoxical thought that youth is by no means… ![“Am struck by paradoxical thought that youth is by no means the happiest time of life, but that most of the rest of life is tinged by regret for its passing, and wonder what old age will feel like, in this respect. (Shall no doubt discover very shortly.)” quote by E.M. Delafield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26c/e-m-delafield-2-53371_age_am-struck-by-paradoxical-thought-that-yo_1718785.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26c/e-m-delafield-2-53371_age_am-struck-by-paradoxical-thought-that-yo_1718785.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26c/e-m-delafield-2-53371_age_am-struck-by-paradoxical-thought-that-yo_1718785.jpg) > ““Am struck by paradoxical thought that youth is by no means the happiest time of life, but that most of the rest of life is tinged by regret for its passing, and wonder what old age will feel like, in this respect. (Shall no doubt discover very shortly.)”” [E.M. Delafield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-delafield-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Youth can be less joyful than later years, which are often haunted by regret and curiosity about aging. **In simple terms:** Youth isn’t always happiest; later life brings regret and wonder about old age. Key Takeaway Cherish each stage, aware of its unique challenges. Themes youth regret aging reflection Mood melancholic contemplative Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - career planning - family milestones - health decisions - personal growth Key Concepts existentialism temporal perspective Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance present joy with future reflection? - What actions now reduce later regret? A Different Perspective Regret may be mitigated by proactive life choices, but cannot be fully avoided. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Old age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-age/) [Paradoxical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradoxical/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Rest of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rest-of-life/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [My worryingly paradoxical thought process could be summarized thus: Thank God I don't believe in the secret rulers of the world. Imagine what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/my-worryingly-paradoxical-thought-process-could-be-summarized-thus/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [A boy's will is the wind's will, and the thought's of youth are long, long thoughhts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/a-boy-s-will-is-the-wind-s-will-and-the-thought-s-of-youth-are-long/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [“Je pensais de meme que notre jeunesse etait finie et le bonheur manqué. I thought too that our youth was over and we had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-fournier/je-pensais-de-meme-que-notre-jeunesse-etait-finie-et-le-bonheur-manqu/) [Alain-Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-fournier/) > [“...I always thought youth were idealists - now, I'm not so sure - I'm more idealistic now then at 17...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/i-always-thought-youth-were-idealists-now-i-m-not-so-sure-i-m-more/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“They thought our youth could help us overcome anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/they-thought-our-youth-could-help-us-overcome-anything/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [To be rejected on account of old age may or may not feel the same as being rejected on the basis of race or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-cohen/to-be-rejected-on-account-of-old-age-may-or-may-not-feel-the-same-as/) [Adam Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-cohen/) > [I feel like I spent so much time trying to understand my identity and my identity as an artist. 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And I'll go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/we-are-as-old-as-we-feel-and-while-i-never-feel-my-calendar-age-i/) [Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/) > [I can retire at a good age and still feel like I've done something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yung-lean/i-can-retire-at-a-good-age-and-still-feel-like-i-ve-done-something/) [Yung Lean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yung-lean/) > [“Please don't tell her i told you. I know how much you love her, Hardy, and i know the reason she didn't want you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-leighton/please-don-t-tell-her-i-told-you-i-know-how-much-you-love-her-hardy/) [M. Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-leighton/) > [What is age, anyway? I feel young because I'm beginning a new chapter in my life, which is so exciting!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-burke/what-is-age-anyway-i-feel-young-because-i-m-beginning-a-new-chapter/) [Brooke Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-burke/) > [I'm definitely going to bounce back, I don't doubt that one bit. The thing about this is you have to expect that when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-martin/i-m-definitely-going-to-bounce-back-i-don-t-doubt-that-one-bit-the/) [Curtis Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-martin/) > [Part of the reason I sort of shot out like a cannon out of Michigan and left home at such an early age is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/part-of-the-reason-i-sort-of-shot-out-like-a-cannon-out-of-michigan/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) ## More by E.M. Delafield > [“(Note: Extreme sensibility of the French sometimes makes them difficult to deal with.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-delafield-2/note-extreme-sensibility-of-the-french-sometimes-makes-them-difficult/) [E.M. Delafield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-delafield-2/) > [“...Alex found herself reading of emotions and experiences of which her own seemed so feeble a mockery, that she was conscious of a physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-delafield-2/alex-found-herself-reading-of-emotions-and-experiences-of-which-her/) [E.M. Delafield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-delafield-2/) > [“This suggests Query: Does Robert, perhaps, take in what I say even when he makes no reply?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-delafield-2/this-suggests-query-does-robert-perhaps-take-in-what-i-say-even-when/) [E.M. Delafield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-delafield-2/) > [“(Query: Is it possible to cultivate the art of conversation when living in the country all the year round?)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-delafield-2/query-is-it-possible-to-cultivate-the-art-of-conversation-when-living/) [E.M. Delafield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-delafield-2/) [Explore all 5 E.M. Delafield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-delafield-2/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. 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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. 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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": "“Am struck by paradoxical thought that youth is by no means the happiest time of life, but that most of the rest of life is tinged by regret for its passing, and wonder what old age will feel like, in this respect. (Shall no doubt discover very shortly.)”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "E.M. 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