--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At forty, a man wears the face he’s earned." description: "\"“At forty, a man wears the face he’s earned.”\" — Gillian Flynn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/gillian-flynn-316_earned_at-forty-a-man-wears-the-face-he-s-earne_768717.jpg" --- # At forty, a man wears the face he’s earned. ![“At forty, a man wears the face he’s earned.” quote by Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/gillian-flynn-316_earned_at-forty-a-man-wears-the-face-he-s-earne_768717.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/gillian-flynn-316_earned_at-forty-a-man-wears-the-face-he-s-earne_768717.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/gillian-flynn-316_earned_at-forty-a-man-wears-the-face-he-s-earne_768717.jpg) > ““At forty, a man wears the face he’s earned.”” [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Age reflects the reputation and experiences one has accumulated. **In simple terms:** Your face shows what you’ve earned. Key Takeaway Cultivate a good reputation. Themes identity age reputation Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career advancement - public speaking - online presence - dating - leadership Key Concepts self-concept social perception Questions to Reflect On - How does your reputation affect opportunities? - Can you reinvent yourself at any age? A Different Perspective People can change over time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“I’m going to let you keep that smug look on your face. You earned it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-young/i-m-going-to-let-you-keep-that-smug-look-on-your-face-you-earned-it/) [Samantha Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-young/) > [A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. Intelligence is like underwear, everyone has it, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/a-ship-in-the-harbor-is-safe-but-that-is-not-what-ships-are-built-for/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [“The expression one wears on one's face is far more important than the clothes one wears on one's back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/the-expression-one-wears-on-one-s-face-is-far-more-important-than-the/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [The expression a woman wears on her face is far more important than the clothes she wears on her back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/the-expression-a-woman-wears-on-her-face-is-far-more-important-than/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [At 20 everyone has the face that God gave them, at 40 the face that life gave them, and at 60 the face they earned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/at-20-everyone-has-the-face-that-god-gave-them-at-40-the-face-that/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [The face you have at age 25 is the face God gave you, but the face you have after 50 is the face you earned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-crawford/the-face-you-have-at-age-25-is-the-face-god-gave-you-but-the-face-you/) [Cindy Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-crawford/) > [“The cliché goes that at twenty a person has the face that God gave him, but at forty he has the face he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davidson/the-clich-goes-that-at-twenty-a-person-has-the-face-that-god-gave-him/) [Andrew Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davidson/) > [I'm very happy with what the gods have given me. I take life as she presents herself to me, and whatever you see in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eartha-kitt/i-m-very-happy-with-what-the-gods-have-given-me-i-take-life-as-she/) [Eartha Kitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eartha-kitt/) > [This is how a real man wears his pants :p](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-is-how-a-real-man-wears-his-pants-p/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It is impossible to be angry for very long with a man who wears a wig.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/it-is-impossible-to-be-angry-for-very-long-with-a-man-who-wears-a-wig/) [Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) > [Well yes, the man wears the pants in the relationship. But remember, the woman controls the zipper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/well-yes-the-man-wears-the-pants-in-the-relationship-but-remember-the/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“The Candor man wears a black suit with a white tie—Candor standard uniform. Their faction values honesty and sees the truth as black and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/the-candor-man-wears-a-black-suit-with-a-white-tie-candor-standard/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“People will rather appreciate a man who wears one suit out of the several he has got and refuse to validate the man who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/people-will-rather-appreciate-a-man-who-wears-one-suit-out-of-the/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“I’m a man who wears many hats. Some of them are furry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-m-a-man-who-wears-many-hats-some-of-them-are-furry/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“I don't have anything else to add. I just wanted to make sure I had the last word. I think I've earned that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/i-don-t-have-anything-else-to-add-i-just-wanted-to-make-sure-i-had/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) ## More by Gillian Flynn > [“Our kind of love can go into remission, but it's always waiting to return. Like the world sweetest cancer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/our-kind-of-love-can-go-into-remission-but-it-s-always-waiting-to/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [The midwest is great because it hasn't been entirely claimed. There's more room to write about it; it's harder to write about New York,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/the-midwest-is-great-because-it-hasn-t-been-entirely-claimed-there-s/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“Sometimes it is all too loud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/sometimes-it-is-all-too-loud/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“My thank-yous always come out rather labored. I often don't give them at all. People do what they're supposed to do and then wait…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-thank-yous-always-come-out-rather-labored-i-often-don-t-give-them/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [There’s something disturbing about recalling a warm memory and feeling utterly cold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/there-s-something-disturbing-about-recalling-a-warm-memory-and/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“My life has begun to feel like an epilogue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-life-has-begun-to-feel-like-an-epilogue/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“The Victorians, especially southern Victorians, needed a lot of room to stray away from each other, to duck tuberculosis and flu, to avoid rapacious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/the-victorians-especially-southern-victorians-needed-a-lot-of-room-to/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“You think: Oh, here is the rest of my life. It’s finally arrived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/you-think-oh-here-is-the-rest-of-my-life-it-s-finally-arrived/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [What a generous thing that is, I realize, for a husband to try to make his wife laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/what-a-generous-thing-that-is-i-realize-for-a-husband-to-try-to-make/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [I am a great believer in jobs for teens. They teach important life lessons, build character, and inflict just the right amount of humiliation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/i-am-a-great-believer-in-jobs-for-teens-they-teach-important-life/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“you'd literally lie, cheat, and steal -hell, kill- to convince people you are a good guy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/you-d-literally-lie-cheat-and-steal-hell-kill-to-convince-people-you/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [My imagination is more tweaked by imagining the lives of the people who were there before us. I don't need to give myself the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-imagination-is-more-tweaked-by-imagining-the-lives-of-the-people/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“Given my druthers now, I’d prefer a snapshot of Warren Harding’s wife, “the Duchess,” who recorded the smallest offenses in a little red notebook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/given-my-druthers-now-i-d-prefer-a-snapshot-of-warren-harding-s-wife/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [A town so suffocating and small, you tripped over people you hated every day. People who knew things about you. It's the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/a-town-so-suffocating-and-small-you-tripped-over-people-you-hated/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“For a long time Cool Girl offended me. I used to see men - friends, coworkers, strangers - giddy over these awful pretender women,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/for-a-long-time-cool-girl-offended-me-i-used-to-see-men-friends/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) [Explore all 668 Gillian Flynn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) ## More Earned quotes > [We earned any fans with the way we play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-white/we-earned-any-fans-with-the-way-we-play/) [Jimmy White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-white/) > [Any time someone achieves success before they've earned it, it always comes back to haunt them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/any-time-someone-achieves-success-before-they-ve-earned-it-it-always/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/) > [I began with small roles in successful movies like 'No Country For Old Men' by the Coen brothers; but it was 'The Last Exorcism'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-landry-jones/i-began-with-small-roles-in-successful-movies-like-no-country-for-old/) [Caleb Landry Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-landry-jones/) > [At Inter, I earned my wages based on the results on the field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-mancini/at-inter-i-earned-my-wages-based-on-the-results-on-the-field/) [Roberto Mancini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-mancini/) > [I have earned every cent. And in all of my years of public life I have never obstructed justice,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/i-have-earned-every-cent-and-in-all-of-my-years-of-public-life-i-have/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [I moved to New York aged 16, and worked part-time in a Korean store in South Bronx selling groceries, bread and confectionery. I earned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/i-moved-to-new-york-aged-16-and-worked-part-time-in-a-korean-store-in/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) > [I could have earned lots of crores by doing hundreds of more 'Rangeela' that came my way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/urmila-matondkar/i-could-have-earned-lots-of-crores-by-doing-hundreds-of-more-rangeela/) [Urmila Matondkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/urmila-matondkar/) > [We often learn the hard way that our world is ruled by external factors. We don't always get what is rightfully ours, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/we-often-learn-the-hard-way-that-our-world-is-ruled-by-external/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“As far as I could tell, he earned his hundred thousand a year by wandering the hallway with a Styrofoam cup of coffee, smiling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/as-far-as-i-could-tell-he-earned-his-hundred-thousand-a-year-by/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [It took me nine years to get my first release. I have worked for it. I have earned it. I couldn't have asked for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shweta-tripathi/it-took-me-nine-years-to-get-my-first-release-i-have-worked-for-it-i/) [Shweta Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shweta-tripathi/) > [“President Trump has earned the title of ‘The Lying President’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/president-trump-has-earned-the-title-of-the-lying-president/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Trust is earned, Never bought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-wagner/trust-is-earned-never-bought/) [Jacob Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-wagner/) > [There is a legitimate concern about wealth distribution in the United States, but the answer is not to scapegoat any individual who makes over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-black/there-is-a-legitimate-concern-about-wealth-distribution-in-the-united/) [Conrad Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-black/) > [Women have shown their skills and that's why they have been accepted in the industry. It's through their skill that they have managed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shoojit-sircar/women-have-shown-their-skills-and-that-s-why-they-have-been-accepted/) [Shoojit Sircar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shoojit-sircar/) > [“They can take me as they find me,' says Ron. 'I've earned this face, it tells a story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-osman/they-can-take-me-as-they-find-me-says-ron-i-ve-earned-this-face-it/) [Richard Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-osman/) Browse all 350 Earned quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“At forty, a man wears the face he’s earned.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gillian Flynn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/at-forty-a-man-wears-the-face-he-s-earned/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Earned" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/at-forty-a-man-wears-the-face-he-s-earned/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/gillian-flynn-316_earned_at-forty-a-man-wears-the-face-he-s-earne_768717.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/gillian-flynn-316_earned_at-forty-a-man-wears-the-face-he-s-earne_768717.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/gillian-flynn-316_earned_at-forty-a-man-wears-the-face-he-s-earne_768717.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At forty, a man wears the face he’s earned.” — Gillian Flynn", "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": "Gillian Flynn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“At forty, a man wears the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/at-forty-a-man-wears-the-face-he-s-earned/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/at-forty-a-man-wears-the-face-he-s-earned/#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 } } ] } ```