--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am a very old man. How old I do not…" description: "\"“I am a very old man. How old I do not know. It is possible I am a hundred, maybe more. I cannot tell because I have never aged as other men do.”\" — Ed..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/edgar-rice-burroughs-2892_aged_i-am-a-very-old-man-how-old-i-do-not-kno_78846.png" --- # I am a very old man. How old I do not know. It is possible… ![“I am a very old man. How old I do not know. It is possible I am a hundred, maybe more. I cannot tell because I have never aged as other men do.” quote by Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/edgar-rice-burroughs-2892_aged_i-am-a-very-old-man-how-old-i-do-not-kno_78846.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/edgar-rice-burroughs-2892_aged_i-am-a-very-old-man-how-old-i-do-not-kno_78846.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/edgar-rice-burroughs-2892_aged_i-am-a-very-old-man-how-old-i-do-not-kno_78846.png) > ““I am a very old man. How old I do not know. It is possible I am a hundred, maybe more. I cannot tell because I have never aged as other men do.”” [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on an ageless existence, suggesting a timeless perspective that transcends ordinary human aging. **In simple terms:** Timeless self‑perception Key Takeaway Age is a construct Themes mortality identity timelessness self‑perception philosophy Mood reflective mysterious Type philosophical narrative When to use this quote - contemplating longevity - narrating mythic characters - discussing immortality - examining existential themes Key Concepts age time self existence Practical Applications - creative writing - philosophical essays Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to be ageless? - How does timelessness affect identity? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aged/) [Aged Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aged-men-1011435/) [Old man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-man/) [Possible Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possible-maybe-281288/) [Tell Aged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-aged-1011436/) ## Related quotes > [Thus aged men, full loth and slow, The vanities of life forego, And count their youthful follies o'er, Till Memory lends her light no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/thus-aged-men-full-loth-and-slow-the-vanities-of-life-forego-and/) [Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/) > [“Do you think it's possible for us to maybe...to maybe be friends someday?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-ann-walker/do-you-think-it-s-possible-for-us-to-maybe-to-maybe-be-friends-someday/) [Julie Ann Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-ann-walker/) > [In the multitude of middle-aged men who go about their vocations in a daily course determined for them much in the same way as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/in-the-multitude-of-middle-aged-men-who-go-about-their-vocations-in-a/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Boys will be boys, and so will a lot of middle-aged men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kin-hubbard/boys-will-be-boys-and-so-will-a-lot-of-middle-aged-men/) [Kin Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kin-hubbard/) > [The errors of young men are the ruin of business, but the errors of aged men amount to this, that more might have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-errors-of-young-men-are-the-ruin-of-business-but-the-errors-of/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [The years of old age are stalls in the cathedral of life in which for aged men to sit and listen and meditate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mountford/the-years-of-old-age-are-stalls-in-the-cathedral-of-life-in-which-for/) [William Mountford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mountford/) > [“There is nothing which for my part I like better, Cephalus, than conversing with aged men; for I regard them as travellers who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/there-is-nothing-which-for-my-part-i-like-better-cephalus-than/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“For in the multitude of middle-aged men who go about their vocations in a daily course determined for them much in the same way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/for-in-the-multitude-of-middle-aged-men-who-go-about-their-vocations/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [I seem to fancy middle-aged men, weirdly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-toffolo/i-seem-to-fancy-middle-aged-men-weirdly/) [Georgia Toffolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-toffolo/) > [I’m 59 and people call me middle aged. How many 118 year old men do you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-cryer/i-m-59-and-people-call-me-middle-aged-how-many-118-year-old-men-do/) [Barry Cryer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-cryer/) > [I'm not someone who had to worry about aging on camera. I was already aged when I got there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/i-m-not-someone-who-had-to-worry-about-aging-on-camera-i-was-already/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [I said 'No, I've aged, but grown up? No'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-lloyd/i-said-no-i-ve-aged-but-grown-up-no/) [Jake Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-lloyd/) > [If we didn't live venturously, plucking the wild goat by the beard, and trembling over precipices, we should never be depressed, I've no doubt;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/if-we-didn-t-live-venturously-plucking-the-wild-goat-by-the-beard-and/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“She would not say of anyone in the world now that they were this or were that. She felt very young; at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/she-would-not-say-of-anyone-in-the-world-now-that-they-were-this-or/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Relish love in your old age! Aged love is like aged wine; it becomes more satisfying, more refreshing, more valuable, more appreciated and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/relish-love-in-your-old-age-aged-love-is-like-aged-wine-it-becomes/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) ## More by Edgar Rice Burroughs > [It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/it-must-be-that-i-am-dreaming-and-that-i-shall-awaken-in-a-moment-to/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“If man spoke only when he had something worth while to say and said that as quickly as possible, ninety-eight per cent of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/if-man-spoke-only-when-he-had-something-worth-while-to-say-and-said/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [For a time Jack was angry; but when he had been without the jacket for a short while he began to realize that being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/for-a-time-jack-was-angry-but-when-he-had-been-without-the-jacket-for/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [Even brave men, and D'Arnot was a brave man, are sometimes frightened by solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/even-brave-men-and-d-arnot-was-a-brave-man-are-sometimes-frightened/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“Mine own people do not care for me, John Carter; I am too unlike them. It is a sad fate, since I must live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/mine-own-people-do-not-care-for-me-john-carter-i-am-too-unlike-them/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“Imagine, if you can, a huge grizzly with ten legs armed with mighty talons and an enormous froglike mouth splitting his head from ear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/imagine-if-you-can-a-huge-grizzly-with-ten-legs-armed-with-mighty/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [This was life! Ah, how he loved it! Civilization held nothing like this in its narrow and circumscribed sphere, hemmed in by restrictions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/this-was-life-ah-how-he-loved-it-civilization-held-nothing-like-this/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“The path of the mighty beast was guided telepathically by the two people who sat in a huge saddle that was cinched to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/the-path-of-the-mighty-beast-was-guided-telepathically-by-the-two/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“The whole fabric of our religion is based on superstitious belief in lies that have been foisted upon us for ages by those directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/the-whole-fabric-of-our-religion-is-based-on-superstitious-belief-in/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“There was but a single forlorn hope, and I took it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/there-was-but-a-single-forlorn-hope-and-i-took-it/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“A thousand times rather face the wild hordes of the dead sea bottoms than meet the eyes of this beautiful young girl and tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/a-thousand-times-rather-face-the-wild-hordes-of-the-dead-sea-bottoms/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“P33- the wail of the living had answered the call of universal motherhood within her wild beast which the dead could not still.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/p33-the-wail-of-the-living-had-answered-the-call-of-universal/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [It never seems to occur to some people, that, like beauty, a sense of humor may sometimes be fatal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/it-never-seems-to-occur-to-some-people-that-like-beauty-a-sense-of/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“He was a splendid specimen of manhood, standing a good two inches over six feet, broad of shoulder and narrow of hip, with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/he-was-a-splendid-specimen-of-manhood-standing-a-good-two-inches-over/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“I am glad," he said, "that I do not dwell in your country among such savage peoples. Here, in Caspak, men fight with men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/i-am-glad-he-said-that-i-do-not-dwell-in-your-country-among-such/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) [Explore all 140 Edgar Rice Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) ## More Aged quotes > [Relish love in your old age! Aged love is like aged wine; it becomes more satisfying, more refreshing, more valuable, more appreciated and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/relish-love-in-your-old-age-aged-love-is-like-aged-wine-it-becomes/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [I’m 59 and people call me middle aged. How many 118 year old men do you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-cryer/i-m-59-and-people-call-me-middle-aged-how-many-118-year-old-men-do/) [Barry Cryer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-cryer/) > [“She would not say of anyone in the world now that they were this or were that. She felt very young; at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/she-would-not-say-of-anyone-in-the-world-now-that-they-were-this-or/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [If we didn't live venturously, plucking the wild goat by the beard, and trembling over precipices, we should never be depressed, I've no doubt;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/if-we-didn-t-live-venturously-plucking-the-wild-goat-by-the-beard-and/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [I said 'No, I've aged, but grown up? No'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-lloyd/i-said-no-i-ve-aged-but-grown-up-no/) [Jake Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-lloyd/) > [I'm not someone who had to worry about aging on camera. I was already aged when I got there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/i-m-not-someone-who-had-to-worry-about-aging-on-camera-i-was-already/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [I first picked up a violin aged five - I just assumed everyone played.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-rieu/i-first-picked-up-a-violin-aged-five-i-just-assumed-everyone-played/) [Andre Rieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-rieu/) > [I'm partial to a nice Parmesan that has aged well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-part/i-m-partial-to-a-nice-parmesan-that-has-aged-well/) [John Part](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-part/) > [I've been cycling ever since I was a kid. I remember taking my cycling proficiency test aged seven - I got to school at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-o-connor/i-ve-been-cycling-ever-since-i-was-a-kid-i-remember-taking-my-cycling/) [Erin O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-o-connor/) > [I do feel like I've gotten younger as I've aged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-danes/i-do-feel-like-i-ve-gotten-younger-as-i-ve-aged/) [Claire Danes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-danes/) > [When we're young, everyone over the age of thirty looks middle-aged, everyone over fifty antique. And time, as it goes by, confirms that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/when-we-re-young-everyone-over-the-age-of-thirty-looks-middle-aged/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [I've aged. 'Patagonia' has robbed me of a decade of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-rhys/i-ve-aged-patagonia-has-robbed-me-of-a-decade-of-my-life/) [Matthew Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-rhys/) > [I like my dry-aged steaks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malik-jackson/i-like-my-dry-aged-steaks/) [Malik Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malik-jackson/) > [“She felt very young, at the same time unspeakably aged. She sliced like a knife through everything, at the same time was outside, looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/she-felt-very-young-at-the-same-time-unspeakably-aged-she-sliced-like/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Either 'Deuce Coupe' has aged badly, or I have. I suspect it's the latter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/either-deuce-coupe-has-aged-badly-or-i-have-i-suspect-it-s-the-latter/) [Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/) [Browse all 137 Aged quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aged/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I am a very old man. How old I do not know. It is possible I am a hundred, maybe more. I cannot tell because I have never aged as other men do.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edgar Rice Burroughs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/i-am-a-very-old-man-how-old-i-do-not-know-it-is-possible-i-am-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aged" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/i-am-a-very-old-man-how-old-i-do-not-know-it-is-possible-i-am-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/edgar-rice-burroughs-2892_aged_i-am-a-very-old-man-how-old-i-do-not-kno_78846.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/edgar-rice-burroughs-2892_aged_i-am-a-very-old-man-how-old-i-do-not-kno_78846.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/edgar-rice-burroughs-2892_aged_i-am-a-very-old-man-how-old-i-do-not-kno_78846.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am a very old man. How old I do not know. It is possible I am a hundred, maybe more. I cannot tell because…” — Edgar Rice Burroughs", "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": "Edgar Rice Burroughs", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I am a very old man....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/i-am-a-very-old-man-how-old-i-do-not-know-it-is-possible-i-am-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/i-am-a-very-old-man-how-old-i-do-not-know-it-is-possible-i-am-a/#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 } } ] } ```