--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At thirty a man suspects himself a fool…" description: "\"“At thirty a man suspects himself a fool; Knows it at forty, and reforms his plan; At fifty chides his infamous delay, Pushes his prudent purpose to re..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/edward-young-1446_age_at-thirty-a-man-suspects-himself-a-fool_2594980.png" --- # At thirty a man suspects himself a fool; Knows it at… ![“At thirty a man suspects himself a fool; Knows it at forty, and reforms his plan; At fifty chides his infamous delay, Pushes his prudent purpose to resolve; In all the magnanimity of thought Resolves; and re-resolves; then dies the same.” quote by Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/edward-young-1446_age_at-thirty-a-man-suspects-himself-a-fool_2594980.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/edward-young-1446_age_at-thirty-a-man-suspects-himself-a-fool_2594980.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/edward-young-1446_age_at-thirty-a-man-suspects-himself-a-fool_2594980.png) > ““At thirty a man suspects himself a fool; Knows it at forty, and reforms his plan; At fifty chides his infamous delay, Pushes his prudent purpose to resolve; In all the magnanimity of thought Resolves; and re-resolves; then dies the same.”” [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A man reflects on aging, realizing past foolishness, adjusting plans, and confronting mortality with renewed resolve. **In simple terms:** Aging brings self‑awareness and the urge to correct past mistakes. Key Takeaway Embrace reflection and act on wiser goals. Themes aging self‑reflection mortality redemption Mood reflective determined hopeful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career planning - personal relationships - health decisions - legacy building Key Concepts existentialism personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How have your priorities shifted with age? - What can you do now to align actions with values? A Different Perspective Self‑awareness may be too late to change deep‑seated habits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Maturity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maturity/) [Procrastination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/procrastination/) [Self knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-knowledge/) ## Related quotes > [At thirty, man suspects himself a fool; Knows it at forty, and reforms his plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/at-thirty-man-suspects-himself-a-fool-knows-it-at-forty-and-reforms/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [After thirty-five a man begins to have thoughts about women; before that he has feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-o-malley/after-thirty-five-a-man-begins-to-have-thoughts-about-women-before/) [Austin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-o-malley/) > [There is no greater fool than the man who thinks himself wise; no one is wiser than he who suspects he is a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-of-valois/there-is-no-greater-fool-than-the-man-who-thinks-himself-wise-no-one/) [Margaret of Valois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-of-valois/) > [“A lot of good arguments are spoiled by some fool who knows what they're talking about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/a-lot-of-good-arguments-are-spoiled-by-some-fool-who-knows-what-they/) [Miguel De Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [He who sometimes can't answer that question not because only he's fool but he knows the exact answer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tivea/he-who-sometimes-can-t-answer-that-question-not-because-only-he-s/) [Tivea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tivea/) > [The fool knows after he's suffered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/the-fool-knows-after-he-s-suffered/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [“The wise man sees the fool & laughs & the fool never knows why”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jovie-sumner/the-wise-man-sees-the-fool-laughs-the-fool-never-knows-why/) Jovie Sumner > [“The wise man sees the fool & laughs, yet the fool never knows why”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jovie-sumner/the-wise-man-sees-the-fool-laughs-yet-the-fool-never-knows-why/) Jovie Sumner > [“A fool is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-fool-is-someone-who-knows-the-price-of-everything-and-the-value-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When the fool knows when to be silent, he would be sitting among the wise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/when-the-fool-knows-when-to-be-silent-he-would-be-sitting-among-the/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [He who knows he is a fool is not the biggest fool; He who knows he is confused is not in the worst confusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/he-who-knows-he-is-a-fool-is-not-the-biggest-fool-he-who-knows-he-is/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [You can't fool someone that knows you too well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/you-can-t-fool-someone-that-knows-you-too-well/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [The fool who thinks he is wise is just a fool. The fool who knows he is a fool is wise indeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/the-fool-who-thinks-he-is-wise-is-just-a-fool-the-fool-who-knows-he/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [A lot of good arguments are spoiled by some fool who knows what he is talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/a-lot-of-good-arguments-are-spoiled-by-some-fool-who-knows-what-he-is/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [Even a fool knows you can't touch the stars, but it won't keep the wise from trying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-anderson/even-a-fool-knows-you-can-t-touch-the-stars-but-it-won-t-keep-the/) [Harry Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-anderson/) ## More by Edward Young > [Give me, indulgent gods with mind serene, And guiltless heart, to range the sylvan scene, No splendid poverty, no smiling care, No well-bred hate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/give-me-indulgent-gods-with-mind-serene-and-guiltless-heart-to-range/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [The spirit walks of every day deceased.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/the-spirit-walks-of-every-day-deceased/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [Tomorrow is a satire on today, And shows its weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/tomorrow-is-a-satire-on-today-and-shows-its-weakness/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [Be wise with speed; a fool at forty is a fool indeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/be-wise-with-speed-a-fool-at-forty-is-a-fool-indeed/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [Procrastination is the thief of time: Year after year it steals, till all are fled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/procrastination-is-the-thief-of-time-year-after-year-it-steals-till/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [ \[The\] public path of life Is dirty. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/the-public-path-of-life-is-dirty/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [He mourns the dead who lives as they desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/he-mourns-the-dead-who-lives-as-they-desire/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [Too low they build who build below the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/too-low-they-build-who-build-below-the-skies/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [We are all born originals, why is it so many of us die copies?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/we-are-all-born-originals-why-is-it-so-many-of-us-die-copies/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [“By night an atheist half believes in God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/by-night-an-atheist-half-believes-in-god/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [Britannia's shame! There took her gloomy flight, On wing impetuous, a black sullen soul . Less base the fear of death than fear of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/britannia-s-shame-there-took-her-gloomy-flight-on-wing-impetuous-a/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [The chamber where the good man meets his fate Is privileg'd beyond the common walk Of virtuous life, quite in the verge of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/the-chamber-where-the-good-man-meets-his-fate-is-privileg-d-beyond/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [Some go to Church, proud humbly to repent, And come back much more guilty than they went: One way they look, another way they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/some-go-to-church-proud-humbly-to-repent-and-come-back-much-more/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [He that is ungrateful has no guilt but one; all other crimes may pass for virtues in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/he-that-is-ungrateful-has-no-guilt-but-one-all-other-crimes-may-pass/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [The maid that loves goes out to sea upon a shattered plank, and puts her trust in miracles for safety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/the-maid-that-loves-goes-out-to-sea-upon-a-shattered-plank-and-puts/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) [Explore all 238 Edward Young quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) ## 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": "“At thirty a man suspects himself a fool; Knows it at forty, and reforms his plan; At fifty chides his infamous delay, Pushes his prudent purpose to resolve; In all the magnanimity of thought Resolves; and re-resolves; then dies the same.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Young" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/at-thirty-a-man-suspects-himself-a-fool-knows-it-at-forty-and-reforms/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/at-thirty-a-man-suspects-himself-a-fool-knows-it-at-forty-and-reforms/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/edward-young-1446_age_at-thirty-a-man-suspects-himself-a-fool_2594980.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/edward-young-1446_age_at-thirty-a-man-suspects-himself-a-fool_2594980.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/edward-young-1446_age_at-thirty-a-man-suspects-himself-a-fool_2594980.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At thirty a man suspects himself a fool; Knows it at forty, and reforms his plan; At fifty chides his…” — Edward Young", "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": "Edward Young", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“At thirty a man suspects himself...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/at-thirty-a-man-suspects-himself-a-fool-knows-it-at-forty-and-reforms/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/at-thirty-a-man-suspects-himself-a-fool-knows-it-at-forty-and-reforms/#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 } } ] } ```