--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Age puzzles me. I thought it was a quiet…" description: "\"Age puzzles me. I thought it was a quiet time. My seventies were interesting, and fairly serene, but my eighties are passionate. I grow more intense as..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/florida-scott-maxwell-16152_age_age-puzzles-me-i-thought-it-was-a-quiet_2813620.jpg" --- # Age puzzles me. I thought it was a quiet time. My… ![“Age puzzles me. I thought it was a quiet time. My seventies were interesting, and fairly serene, but my eighties are passionate. I grow more intense as I age. To my own surprise I burst out with hot conviction. Only a few years ago I enjoyed my tranquility; now I am so disturbed by the outer world…” quote by Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/florida-scott-maxwell-16152_age_age-puzzles-me-i-thought-it-was-a-quiet_2813620.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/florida-scott-maxwell-16152_age_age-puzzles-me-i-thought-it-was-a-quiet_2813620.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/florida-scott-maxwell-16152_age_age-puzzles-me-i-thought-it-was-a-quiet_2813620.jpg) > “Age puzzles me. I thought it was a quiet time. My seventies were interesting, and fairly serene, but my eighties are passionate. I grow more intense as I age. To my own surprise I burst out with hot conviction. Only a few years ago I enjoyed my tranquility; now I am so disturbed by the outer world and by human quality in general that I want to put things right, as though I still owed a debt to life. I must calm down. I am far too frail to indulge in moral fervor.” [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Aging can shift from calm to passionate activism, feeling a debt to improve the world while battling frailty. **In simple terms:** Aging fuels intense purpose despite weakness. Key Takeaway Channel passion responsibly. Themes aging activism self‑reflection Mood reflective determined Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - Volunteer work - writing - public speaking Key Concepts Existentialism moral duty Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance vigor with health? - What cause ignites your later years? A Different Perspective Physical limits may hinder activism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Age Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-surprise-3537709/) [Calm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calm/) [Calm down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calm-down/) [Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) [Debt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debt/) [Disturbed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disturbed/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Frail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frail/) [Frail Indulge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frail-indulge-3537710/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Hot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hot/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Indulge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indulge/) [Intense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intense/) [Intense Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intense-age-2593000/) [Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Passionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passionate/) [Puzzles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puzzles/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet/) [Quiet time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet-time/) [Serene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serene/) [Serene Eighties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serene-eighties-2593002/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Tranquility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tranquility/) [Tranquility Disturbed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tranquility-disturbed-3537708/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/) ## Related quotes > [Age puzzles me. I thought it was a quiet time. My seventies were interesting and fairly serene, but my eighties are passionate. I grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florida-scott-maxwell/age-puzzles-me-i-thought-it-was-a-quiet-time-my-seventies-were/) [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) > [I grow more intense as I age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florida-scott-maxwell/i-grow-more-intense-as-i-age/) [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) > [My mother had demonstrated that the best way to defeat the numbing ambivalence of middle age is to surprise yourself - by pulling off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/my-mother-had-demonstrated-that-the-best-way-to-defeat-the-numbing/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [ “If they \[Plato and Aristotle\] wrote about politics it was as if to lay down rules for a madhouse. And if they pretended to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/if-they-plato-and-aristotle-wrote-about-politics-it-was-as-if-to-lay/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [“Calm is the best revenge”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/calm-is-the-best-revenge/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [I have so much chaos in my life, it's become normal. You become used to it. You have to just relax, calm down, take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-welling/i-have-so-much-chaos-in-my-life-it-s-become-normal-you-become-used-to/) [Tom Welling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-welling/) > [I was that overachieving, annoying kid who was always trying to win some contest or win the role. I look back on it now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-was-that-overachieving-annoying-kid-who-was-always-trying-to-win/) [Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/) > [I think one thing we went through was common to a lot of people: You work your whole life to achieve something, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-easton/i-think-one-thing-we-went-through-was-common-to-a-lot-of-people-you/) [Elliot Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-easton/) > [Sooner or later you learn that you belong in the big leagues, and that makes you calm down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-eckersley/sooner-or-later-you-learn-that-you-belong-in-the-big-leagues-and-that/) [Dennis Eckersley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-eckersley/) > [Life goes by fast. Enjoy it. Calm down. It's all funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/life-goes-by-fast-enjoy-it-calm-down-it-s-all-funny/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I think music for me, it's part of my life. I like music. I think I'm very emotional, so, you know, I just try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gael-monfils/i-think-music-for-me-it-s-part-of-my-life-i-like-music-i-think-i-m/) [Gael Monfils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gael-monfils/) > [We had a very energetic floor manager and he was always jumping around all over the place. The director would send down messages like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-sutton/we-had-a-very-energetic-floor-manager-and-he-was-always-jumping/) [Sarah Sutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-sutton/) > [I keep telling myself to calm down, to take less of an interest in things and not to get so excited, but I still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-adie/i-keep-telling-myself-to-calm-down-to-take-less-of-an-interest-in/) [Kate Adie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-adie/) > [Take a deep breath. It,s just a bad day not a bad life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/take-a-deep-breath-it-s-just-a-bad-day-not-a-bad-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't get divorced after your first argument! I have a lot of friends that have one fight and that's it, they get divorced. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/don-t-get-divorced-after-your-first-argument-i-have-a-lot-of-friends/) [Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/) ## More by Florida Scott-Maxwell > [Making those we love happy sounds innocent as a dove, but it can be as destructive as a lion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florida-scott-maxwell/making-those-we-love-happy-sounds-innocent-as-a-dove-but-it-can-be-as/) [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) > [No matter how old a mother is, she watches her middle-aged children for signs of improvement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florida-scott-maxwell/no-matter-how-old-a-mother-is-she-watches-her-middle-aged-children/) [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) > [“Life does not accommodate you; it shatters you. Every seed destroys its container, or else there would be no fruition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florida-scott-maxwell/life-does-not-accommodate-you-it-shatters-you-every-seed-destroys-its/) [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) > [As I do not live in an age when rustling black skirts billow about me, and I do not carry an ebony stick to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florida-scott-maxwell/as-i-do-not-live-in-an-age-when-rustling-black-skirts-billow-about-me/) [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) > [“You need only claim the events of your life to make yourself yours. When you truly possess all you have been and done, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florida-scott-maxwell/you-need-only-claim-the-events-of-your-life-to-make-yourself-yours/) [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) > [life is a tragic mystery. We are pierced and driven by laws we only half understand, we find that the lesson we learn again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florida-scott-maxwell/life-is-a-tragic-mystery-we-are-pierced-and-driven-by-laws-we-only/) [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) > [Claim the events of your life! When you posses all you have been and done, you are fierce with reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florida-scott-maxwell/claim-the-events-of-your-life-when-you-posses-all-you-have-been-and/) [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) > [love at any age takes everything you've got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florida-scott-maxwell/love-at-any-age-takes-everything-you-ve-got/) [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) > [“You have neat, tight expectation of what life out to give you, but you won't get it. That isn't what life does. Life does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florida-scott-maxwell/you-have-neat-tight-expectation-of-what-life-out-to-give-you-but-you/) [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) > [Anger must be the energy that has not yet found its fight channel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florida-scott-maxwell/anger-must-be-the-energy-that-has-not-yet-found-its-fight-channel/) [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) > [Is life a pregnancy? That would make death a birth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florida-scott-maxwell/is-life-a-pregnancy-that-would-make-death-a-birth/) [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) > [Difference of opinion has never been sufficiently appreciated. It is the unexpected, the unknowable, the divine irrationality of life that saves us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florida-scott-maxwell/difference-of-opinion-has-never-been-sufficiently-appreciated-it-is/) [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) > [It sometimes looks as though woman would not be woman unless man insisted upon it, since she tends so markedly to be just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florida-scott-maxwell/it-sometimes-looks-as-though-woman-would-not-be-woman-unless-man/) [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) > [The enchantment of the sky, ever changing beauty almost ignored. Beyond words, without fixed form, not to be understood, or stated. It ravished away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florida-scott-maxwell/the-enchantment-of-the-sky-ever-changing-beauty-almost-ignored-beyond/) [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) > [ She \[a mother\] never outgrows the burden of love, and to the end she carries the weight of hope for those she bore. Oddly,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florida-scott-maxwell/she-a-mother-never-outgrows-the-burden-of-love-and-to-the-end-she/) [Florida Scott-Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) [Explore all 40 Florida Scott-Maxwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florida-scott-maxwell/) ## 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": "Age puzzles me. I thought it was a quiet time. My seventies were interesting, and fairly serene, but my eighties are passionate. I grow more intense as I age. To my own surprise I burst out with hot conviction. Only a few years ago I enjoyed my tranquility; now I am so disturbed by the outer world and by human quality in general that I want to put things right, as though I still owed a debt to life. I must calm down. 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