---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When people say, 'Doesn't Gloria…"
description: "\"When people say, 'Doesn't Gloria [Vanderbilt] look great? She's 85.' I say, 'Yes, she was a raving beauty when she was 20,' that's the key. Very helpfu..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/fran-lebowitz-690_beauty_when-people-say-doesn-t-gloria-vanderbil_2139223.png"
---

#  When people say, 'Doesn't Gloria \[Vanderbilt\] look great?…

![“When people say, 'Doesn't Gloria &#91;Vanderbilt&#93; look great? She's 85.' I say, 'Yes, she was a raving beauty when she was 20,' that's the key. Very helpful.” quote by Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/fran-lebowitz-690_beauty_when-people-say-doesn-t-gloria-vanderbil_2139223.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/fran-lebowitz-690_beauty_when-people-say-doesn-t-gloria-vanderbil_2139223.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/fran-lebowitz-690_beauty_when-people-say-doesn-t-gloria-vanderbil_2139223.png)

> “When people say, 'Doesn't Gloria \[Vanderbilt\] look great? She's 85.' I say, 'Yes, she was a raving beauty when she was 20,' that's the key. Very helpful.”

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

## About This Quote

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

Aging reveals that youthful beauty fades, but the truth remains that past allure was real.

**In simple terms:** Youthful beauty fades, yet was real.

Key Takeaway

Accept aging while honoring past beauty.

Themes

aging beauty truth

Mood

reflective humorous

Type

philosophical satirical

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- social commentary
- media critique

Key Concepts

nostalgia self-acceptance societal standards

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you value inner qualities over looks?
- What does beauty mean at different ages?

A Different Perspective

It may trivialize aging by focusing on appearance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Vanderbilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanderbilt/)

## Related quotes

> [Calvin Klein and Gloria Vanderbilt don't wear clothes with your name on it, so why should you wear their name?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-t/calvin-klein-and-gloria-vanderbilt-don-t-wear-clothes-with-your-name/)

[Mr. T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-t/)

> [I completely trust Gloria Vanderbilt. I have always found her very honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lindsay-hogg/i-completely-trust-gloria-vanderbilt-i-have-always-found-her-very/)

[Michael Lindsay-Hogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lindsay-hogg/)

> [A lot of people know the name Gloria Vanderbilt, but they don't really know the whole story behind her, the real person that she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anderson-cooper/a-lot-of-people-know-the-name-gloria-vanderbilt-but-they-don-t-really/)

[Anderson Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anderson-cooper/)

> [I never looked at magazines before I started modeling. I was 13 or 14 and none of my friends were into magazines. We were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-turlington/i-never-looked-at-magazines-before-i-started-modeling-i-was-13-or-14/)

[Christy Turlington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-turlington/)

> [I'd love to study in the U.S. I visited Vanderbilt in Nashville, and I've been told to check out Ole Miss. There are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-adornetto/i-d-love-to-study-in-the-u-s-i-visited-vanderbilt-in-nashville-and-i/)

[Alexandra Adornetto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-adornetto/)

> [“The urban spread became Vanderbilt University, a sedate greenness signaled they had arrived. Taylor had always relished the dichotomy that was Nashville; there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-ellison/the-urban-spread-became-vanderbilt-university-a-sedate-greenness/)

[J.T. Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-ellison/)

> [It's very much related to the American tycoon. To William Randolph Hearst, Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, that whole stratum of American acquisitive evil. Monopolistic, acquisitive evil.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-ginsberg/it-s-very-much-related-to-the-american-tycoon-to-william-randolph/)

[Allen Ginsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-ginsberg/)

> [My charitable donations go to educational efforts, such as Teach for America, Vanderbilt University, Berkshire School.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-peterffy/my-charitable-donations-go-to-educational-efforts-such-as-teach-for/)

[Thomas Peterffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-peterffy/)

> [“Vanderbilt,” Kenton pronounces,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aurora-rose-reynolds/vanderbilt-kenton-pronounces/)

[Aurora Rose Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aurora-rose-reynolds/)

> [It is with government paper, and bank paper, as it is with the paper of private persons; that is, it is worth just what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/it-is-with-government-paper-and-bank-paper-as-it-is-with-the-paper-of/)

[Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/)

> [Even then, Vanderbilt was the premiere place for clinical pharmacology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-wood/even-then-vanderbilt-was-the-premiere-place-for-clinical-pharmacology/)

[Alastair Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-wood/)

> [“Not Carnegie, Vanderbilt, and Astor together could have raised money enough to buy a quarter share in my little dog.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-thompson-seton/not-carnegie-vanderbilt-and-astor-together-could-have-raised-money/)

[Ernest Thompson Seton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-thompson-seton/)

> [The bell of public opinion is today making the Morgan-Rockefeller-Vanderbilt class jump. Nor are the strongest of our corporations immune. The railroads have had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/the-bell-of-public-opinion-is-today-making-the-morgan-rockefeller/)

[B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/)

> [When you delve deep enough, you find that practically every great fortune and great enterprise in America have sprung from the courageous enterprise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/when-you-delve-deep-enough-you-find-that-practically-every-great/)

[B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/)

> [Going to Vanderbilt did a lot of things for me, and one of the things it cured me of was the need to follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/going-to-vanderbilt-did-a-lot-of-things-for-me-and-one-of-the-things/)

[Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/)

## More by Fran Lebowitz

> [Why not have your first baby at sixty, when your husband is already dead and your career is over? Then you can really devote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/why-not-have-your-first-baby-at-sixty-when-your-husband-is-already/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I've never had the experience of being edited and never will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-ve-never-had-the-experience-of-being-edited-and-never-will/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I think humor is warmer, and wit is colder. Wit is judgment, whereas humor invites some sort of response.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-think-humor-is-warmer-and-wit-is-colder-wit-is-judgment-whereas/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Communists all seem to wear small caps, a look I consider better suited to tubes of toothpaste than to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/communists-all-seem-to-wear-small-caps-a-look-i-consider-better/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [“lack, or loutish and crass kollective is a program dedicated to the proposition that vulgarity and bad taste are an inalienable right. the lackies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/lack-or-loutish-and-crass-kollective-is-a-program-dedicated-to-the/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I figure you have the same chance of winning the lottery whether you play or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-figure-you-have-the-same-chance-of-winning-the-lottery-whether-you/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [ \[Friendships\] are easy to get out of compared to love affairs, but they are not easy to get out of compared to, say, jail. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/friendships-are-easy-to-get-out-of-compared-to-love-affairs-but-they/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Smoking is, as far as I'm concerned, the entire point of being an adult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/smoking-is-as-far-as-i-m-concerned-the-entire-point-of-being-an-adult/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [If you want to get ahead in this world get a lawyer -- not a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/if-you-want-to-get-ahead-in-this-world-get-a-lawyer-not-a-book/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [When it comes to sports I am not particularly interested. Generally speaking, I look upon them as dangerous and tiring activities performed by people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-it-comes-to-sports-i-am-not-particularly-interested-generally/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [The first time I ever saw platform shoes in the '70s, I knew they'd been revived from the '40s, and I felt sickened. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/the-first-time-i-ever-saw-platform-shoes-in-the-70s-i-knew-they-d/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Children ask better questions than adults. "May I have a cookie?" "Why is the sky blue?" and "What does a cow say?" are far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/children-ask-better-questions-than-adults-may-i-have-a-cookie-why-is/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [ I do not think everyone is created equal. In fact, I know they're not. \[The Constitution\] means that everyone should have the same laws… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-do-not-think-everyone-is-created-equal-in-fact-i-know-they-re-not/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [When I fly, I'm never afraid the plane is going to crash. But there have often been times when I was afraid it wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-i-fly-i-m-never-afraid-the-plane-is-going-to-crash-but-there/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Smoking is, if not my life, then at least my hobby. I love to smoke. Smoking is fun. Smoking is cool. Smoking is, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/smoking-is-if-not-my-life-then-at-least-my-hobby-i-love-to-smoke/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

[Explore all 408 Fran Lebowitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

## More Beauty quotes

> [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/)

[John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/)

> [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/)

[Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/)

> [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/)

[Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/)

> [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

> [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/)

[Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/)

> [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/)

[Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/)

> [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/)

Tumblr

> [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/)

[Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/)

> [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/)

[Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/)

[Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When people say, 'Doesn't Gloria [Vanderbilt] look great? She's 85.' I say, 'Yes, she was a raving beauty when she was 20,' that's the key. Very helpful.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Fran Lebowitz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-people-say-doesn-t-gloria-vanderbilt-look-great-she-s-85-i-say/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beauty"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-people-say-doesn-t-gloria-vanderbilt-look-great-she-s-85-i-say/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/fran-lebowitz-690_beauty_when-people-say-doesn-t-gloria-vanderbil_2139223.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/fran-lebowitz-690_beauty_when-people-say-doesn-t-gloria-vanderbil_2139223.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/fran-lebowitz-690_beauty_when-people-say-doesn-t-gloria-vanderbil_2139223.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When people say, 'Doesn't Gloria [Vanderbilt] look great? She's 85.' I say, 'Yes, she was a raving beauty…” — Fran Lebowitz",
                "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": "Fran Lebowitz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When people say, 'Doesn't Gloria [Vanderbilt]...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-people-say-doesn-t-gloria-vanderbilt-look-great-she-s-85-i-say/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-people-say-doesn-t-gloria-vanderbilt-look-great-she-s-85-i-say/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
