---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There should be an age limit for…"
description: "\"“There should be an age limit for patients, he thinks as he takes off his shoes. You just have to say to them, \"You lived long enough. From now on, thi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d36/etgar-keret-2656_aging_there-should-be-an-age-limit-for-patient_27797.jpg"
---

#  There should be an age limit for patients, he thinks as he…

![“There should be an age limit for patients, he thinks as he takes off his shoes. You just have to say to them, &quot;You lived long enough. From now on, think of what's left as a bonus, a gift without an exchange slip. It hurts? Stay in bed. It still hurts? Wait: Either you'll die or it'll pass.” quote by Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d36/etgar-keret-2656_aging_there-should-be-an-age-limit-for-patient_27797.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d36/etgar-keret-2656_aging_there-should-be-an-age-limit-for-patient_27797.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d36/etgar-keret-2656_aging_there-should-be-an-age-limit-for-patient_27797.jpg)

> ““There should be an age limit for patients, he thinks as he takes off his shoes. You just have to say to them, "You lived long enough. From now on, think of what's left as a bonus, a gift without an exchange slip. It hurts? Stay in bed. It still hurts? Wait: Either you'll die or it'll pass.””

[Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A stark view that aging and illness should be met with acceptance, treating remaining time as a gift rather than a burden.

**In simple terms:** Accept aging as a gift.

Key Takeaway

Embrace remaining life as a bonus.

Themes

mortality acceptance aging palliative care existentialism

Mood

somber reflective candid

Type

philosophical clinical provocative

When to use this quote

- elderly patients facing chronic illness
- individuals confronting terminal diagnosis
- caregivers discussing end‑of‑life options

Key Concepts

life expectancy pain management psychological resilience

Practical Applications

- palliative counseling
- patient education on acceptance

Questions to Reflect On

- How does framing remaining time as a 'gift' affect coping?
- What ethical concerns arise from suggesting an 'age limit' for care?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age Limit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-limit-253446/) [Aging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Hurts Stay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurts-stay-417252/) [Illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Limit Patients](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limit-patients-417249/) [Long life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-life/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Patients Thinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patients-thinks-417250/) [Sickness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sickness/) [Takes Shoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/takes-shoes-417251/)

## Related quotes

> [“Earth's crammed with heaven... But only he who sees, takes off his shoes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/earth-s-crammed-with-heaven-but-only-he-who-sees-takes-off-his-shoes/)

[Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/)

> [Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God: But only he who sees takes off his shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/earth-s-crammed-with-heaven-and-every-common-bush-afire-with-god-but/)

[Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/)

> [Love hurts ,stay away from it until your totally ready to get hurt .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trippynation/love-hurts-stay-away-from-it-until-your-totally-ready-to-get-hurt/)

[\#trippynation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trippynation/)

> [You know it's time to let go when it hurts much more to stay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-it-s-time-to-let-go-when-it-hurts-much-more-to-stay/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [This Love Hurts But I Stay Just For The Pain And The Killing Sight Of You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raven-grant/this-love-hurts-but-i-stay-just-for-the-pain-and-the-killing-sight-of/)

[Raven Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raven-grant/)

> [If someone hurts you, stay the fuck away, no matter how hard it is, stay the fuck away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-someone-hurts-you-stay-the-fuck-away-no-matter-how-hard-it-is-stay/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Don't date out your age limit ,if your a kid stay with kids your age ,a older person does nothing but race your mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenchqueen/don-t-date-out-your-age-limit-if-your-a-kid-stay-with-kids-your-age-a/)

[Frenchqueen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frenchqueen/)

> [Being in love doesn't have an age limit, so I don't know why people always say your to young. I might be young but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-in-love-doesn-t-have-an-age-limit-so-i-don-t-know-why-people/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I think things are gonna change. I'm gonna take the age limit off of hip hop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/i-think-things-are-gonna-change-i-m-gonna-take-the-age-limit-off-of/)

[Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/)

> [I don't think you should let your age stop anything you want to do. Don't put an age limit on your dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-torres/i-don-t-think-you-should-let-your-age-stop-anything-you-want-to-do/)

[Dara Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-torres/)

> [For a nonviolent struggle, there is no age limit. The blind, the maimed and the bed-ridden may serve, and not only men but women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/for-a-nonviolent-struggle-there-is-no-age-limit-the-blind-the-maimed/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [In a very short time I have not only increased the age limit in the government service in Chandigarh from 25 to 37 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirron-kher/in-a-very-short-time-i-have-not-only-increased-the-age-limit-in-the/)

[Kirron Kher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirron-kher/)

> [Dear McDonalds cashier, Don't give me that look, there's no age limit on a happy meal. Sincerely, Don't forget the toy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dear-mcdonalds-cashier-don-t-give-me-that-look-there-s-no-age-limit/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I just want to understand better why an age limit is coming up. That's all. I'm not playing the race card, I'm not calling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jermaine-o-neal/i-just-want-to-understand-better-why-an-age-limit-is-coming-up-that-s/)

[Jermaine O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jermaine-o-neal/)

> [It doesn't matter if you're 4 or 84; there's no age limit to what you can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsai-martin/it-doesn-t-matter-if-you-re-4-or-84-there-s-no-age-limit-to-what-you/)

[Marsai Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsai-martin/)

## More by Etgar Keret

> [I usually start writing stories from tone and not from content - kind of like people who create music and invent the lyrics later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/i-usually-start-writing-stories-from-tone-and-not-from-content-kind/)

[Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

> [Rabbits are played. Nowadays it's all about the turtles. Tell them it's a ninja, they'll freak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/rabbits-are-played-nowadays-it-s-all-about-the-turtles-tell-them-it-s/)

[Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

> [“She said I should pick the hall and the date and whatever I want, because it really doesn’t matter to her. That isn’t the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/she-said-i-should-pick-the-hall-and-the-date-and-whatever-i-want/)

[Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

> [I like smoking pot, but I'm not the kind of guy who smokes every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/i-like-smoking-pot-but-i-m-not-the-kind-of-guy-who-smokes-every-day/)

[Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

> [Often in writing programs, articulation and clarity are more important than what you actually say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/often-in-writing-programs-articulation-and-clarity-are-more-important/)

[Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

> [I write in a slangy colloquial speech that has not been common in the Israeli tradition of writing, and that is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/i-write-in-a-slangy-colloquial-speech-that-has-not-been-common-in-the/)

[Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

> [I write what needs to be written the way that seems genuinely right. If what comes out of it are stories, then it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/i-write-what-needs-to-be-written-the-way-that-seems-genuinely-right/)

[Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

> [Collaborating with your wife is amazing because you are doing something together with a person you truly love and know and discover things about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/collaborating-with-your-wife-is-amazing-because-you-are-doing/)

[Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

> [Sometimes, when you are in a really constrained situation, it makes you more focused about what you want to say and where you're heading.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/sometimes-when-you-are-in-a-really-constrained-situation-it-makes-you/)

[Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

> [Being published in Arabic is a strong and consistent wish I have. I live in the Middle East and want to be in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/being-published-in-arabic-is-a-strong-and-consistent-wish-i-have-i/)

[Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

> [“And suddenly the driver remembered how he'd once promised himself that if he became God in the end, he'd be merciful and kind, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/and-suddenly-the-driver-remembered-how-he-d-once-promised-himself/)

[Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

> [If we're a family and your brother wishes you death, it's not a very happy family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/if-we-re-a-family-and-your-brother-wishes-you-death-it-s-not-a-very/)

[Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

> [“I think she cried at my funeral. It's not that I'm conceited or anything, but I'm pretty sure. Sometimes I can actually picture her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/i-think-she-cried-at-my-funeral-it-s-not-that-i-m-conceited-or/)

[Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

> [“Dice que no la amo de verdad. Que digo que la quiero, que creo que la quiero, pero que no. He oído a más…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/dice-que-no-la-amo-de-verdad-que-digo-que-la-quiero-que-creo-que-la/)

[Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

> [“Three a.m. is prime time for the soul. Programming should start any minute, and it's hard to tell what'll be on this time, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/three-a-m-is-prime-time-for-the-soul-programming-should-start-any/)

[Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

[Explore all 150 Etgar Keret quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

## More Aging quotes

> [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/)

> [In the past 40 years, the United States lost more than a million farmers and ranchers. Many of our farmers are aging. Today, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/in-the-past-40-years-the-united-states-lost-more-than-a-million/)

[Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/)

> [We'll never be as young as we are tonight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-ll-never-be-as-young-as-we-are-tonight/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [“Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess: Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prayer-of-an-anonymous-abbess-lord-thou-knowest-better-than-myself/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [So often do you see collegians enter life with high resolve and lofty purpose and then watch them shrink and shrink to sordid, selfish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/so-often-do-you-see-collegians-enter-life-with-high-resolve-and-lofty/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/)

[Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/)

> [All the dangers in our world are like a blessed wake up call. They tell us to live life NOW... not tomorrow, not when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/all-the-dangers-in-our-world-are-like-a-blessed-wake-up-call-they/)

[Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/)

> [“You could see the signs of female aging as diseased, especially if you had a vested interest in making women too see them your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/you-could-see-the-signs-of-female-aging-as-diseased-especially-if-you/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [“It takes maturity to be able to laugh like a child again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moffat-machingura/it-takes-maturity-to-be-able-to-laugh-like-a-child-again/)

[Moffat Machingura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moffat-machingura/)

> [Seek ye counsel of the aged for their eyes have looked on the faces of the years and their ears have hardened to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/seek-ye-counsel-of-the-aged-for-their-eyes-have-looked-on-the-faces/)

[Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/)

> [Growing old-it's not nice, but it's interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/growing-old-it-s-not-nice-but-it-s-interesting/)

[August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/)

> [Anything is possible in the life of a man if he lives long enough. Even maturity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howell-raines/anything-is-possible-in-the-life-of-a-man-if-he-lives-long-enough/)

[Howell Raines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howell-raines/)

> [I just want to be Patty McCormack. I want to spend every year aging the way she has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-varney/i-just-want-to-be-patty-mccormack-i-want-to-spend-every-year-aging/)

[Janet Varney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-varney/)

> [Maturity is reached the day we don't need to be lied to about anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-yerby/maturity-is-reached-the-day-we-don-t-need-to-be-lied-to-about-anything/)

[Frank Yerby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-yerby/)

[Browse all 2,792 Aging quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“There should be an age limit for patients, he thinks as he takes off his shoes. You just have to say to them, \"You lived long enough. From now on, think of what's left as a bonus, a gift without an exchange slip. It hurts? Stay in bed. It still hurts? Wait: Either you'll die or it'll pass.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Etgar Keret"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/there-should-be-an-age-limit-for-patients-he-thinks-as-he-takes-off/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Aging"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/there-should-be-an-age-limit-for-patients-he-thinks-as-he-takes-off/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d36/etgar-keret-2656_aging_there-should-be-an-age-limit-for-patient_27797.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d36/etgar-keret-2656_aging_there-should-be-an-age-limit-for-patient_27797.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d36/etgar-keret-2656_aging_there-should-be-an-age-limit-for-patient_27797.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There should be an age limit for patients, he thinks as he takes off his shoes. You just have to say to…” — Etgar Keret",
                "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": "Etgar Keret",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“There should be an age limit...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/there-should-be-an-age-limit-for-patients-he-thinks-as-he-takes-off/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/there-should-be-an-age-limit-for-patients-he-thinks-as-he-takes-off/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
