---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Aging does not need to be hidden or…"
description: "\"Aging does not need to be hidden or denied, but can be understood, affirmed and experienced as a process of growth by which the mystery of life is slow..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/henri-nouwen-600_age_aging-does-not-need-to-be-hidden-or-deni_2323045.png"
---

#  Aging does not need to be hidden or denied, but can be…

![“Aging does not need to be hidden or denied, but can be understood, affirmed and experienced as a process of growth by which the mystery of life is slowly revealed to us.” quote by Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/henri-nouwen-600_age_aging-does-not-need-to-be-hidden-or-deni_2323045.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/henri-nouwen-600_age_aging-does-not-need-to-be-hidden-or-deni_2323045.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/henri-nouwen-600_age_aging-does-not-need-to-be-hidden-or-deni_2323045.png)

> “Aging does not need to be hidden or denied, but can be understood, affirmed and experienced as a process of growth by which the mystery of life is slowly revealed to us.”

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

## About This Quote

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

Aging should be embraced as a natural, revealing process of growth, not hidden or denied.

**In simple terms:** Aging is a growth process to be accepted.

Key Takeaway

Accept aging as a growth journey.

Themes

aging acceptance spiritual growth

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

spiritual philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal health
- caregiving
- spiritual practice
- intergenerational dialogue

Key Concepts

life cycle self‑compassion wisdom

Questions to Reflect On

- What does aging teach you about yourself?
- How can you honor each life stage?

A Different Perspective

Societal pressures may still push denial.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Aging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) [Aging Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging-does-5560910/) [Denied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denied/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Growth Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth-mystery-5560909/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Life Slowly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-slowly-1170821/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Mystery of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery-of-life/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Slowly Revealed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slowly-revealed-5560908/) [Understood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understood/)

## Related quotes

> [“Aging does that; it makes you amenable to far more ambiguous feelings and opinions than the inflexible black-and-white thinking of youth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-tessaro/aging-does-that-it-makes-you-amenable-to-far-more-ambiguous-feelings/)

[Kathleen Tessaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-tessaro/)

> [Take life slowly and deliberately, making sure to acknowledge the people who have helped you succeed along the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-levine/take-life-slowly-and-deliberately-making-sure-to-acknowledge-the/)

[Ted Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-levine/)

> [“For, while previously I saw time as a stretch of terrain that had to be covered, with the future as a distant prospect, hopefully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/for-while-previously-i-saw-time-as-a-stretch-of-terrain-that-had-to/)

[Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [“It’s not that we have to quit this life one day, it’s how many things we have to quit all at once: holding hands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/it-s-not-that-we-have-to-quit-this-life-one-day-it-s-how-many-things/)

[Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/)

> [“A lot happens in our everyday life, but it always happens within the same routine, and more than anything else it has changed my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/a-lot-happens-in-our-everyday-life-but-it-always-happens-within-the/)

[Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [“When a man stops searching for faults outside and starts creating greatness inside, life slowly rewards his purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srinivas-mishra/when-a-man-stops-searching-for-faults-outside-and-starts-creating/)

[Srinivas Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srinivas-mishra/)

> [Music is life. Its slowly taking it over and I love it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/music-is-life-its-slowly-taking-it-over-and-i-love-it/)

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

> [“The free spirit again draws near to life - slowly, to be sure, almost reluctantly, almost mistrustfully. It again grows warmer about him, yellower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-free-spirit-again-draws-near-to-life-slowly-to-be-sure-almost/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [With our movies, you start off getting to know the characters in the way that you meet someone in real life, and then slowly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-boden/with-our-movies-you-start-off-getting-to-know-the-characters-in-the/)

[Anna Boden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-boden/)

> [“It’s not that we have to leave this life one day, it's how many things we have to leave all at once: holding hands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/it-s-not-that-we-have-to-leave-this-life-one-day-it-s-how-many-things/)

[Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/)

> [Relations walk lightly into our life &amp; slowly into our heart. At first, we never care who they are, Later. without them, we dont…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/relations-walk-lightly-into-our-life-slowly-into-our-heart-at-first/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [“How can I describe Peter's face, the pieces of him that stick to my heart? Peter sometimes looked aloof and distant; sometimes his face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-lynn-anderson/how-can-i-describe-peter-s-face-the-pieces-of-him-that-stick-to-my/)

[Jodi Lynn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-lynn-anderson/)

> [God grant that by my persevering labours I may bring a little stone to the frail and ill-assured edifice of our knowledge of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/god-grant-that-by-my-persevering-labours-i-may-bring-a-little-stone/)

[Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/)

> [“There are those who don’t believe in God and yet do good. There are those who believe in God and kill for that belief;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-krishnamurti/there-are-those-who-don-t-believe-in-god-and-yet-do-good-there-are/)

[J. Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-krishnamurti/)

> [“That which is of great value cannot be attained through aggression. You will be able to find the mystery of life only if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/that-which-is-of-great-value-cannot-be-attained-through-aggression/)

[Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/)

## More by Henri Nouwen

> [We are not the healers, we are not the reconcilers, we are not the givers of life. We are sinful, broken, vulnerable people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/we-are-not-the-healers-we-are-not-the-reconcilers-we-are-not-the/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [The more we touch the intimate love of God which creates, sustains, and guides us, the more we recognize the multitude of fruits that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/the-more-we-touch-the-intimate-love-of-god-which-creates-sustains-and/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [Feelings of guilt dominate our work as peacemakers we cannot last long. But when we have opened each other's eyes to the great human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/feelings-of-guilt-dominate-our-work-as-peacemakers-we-cannot-last/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [...we all want to hear stories, from the moment we are born to the moment we die. Stories connect our little lives with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/we-all-want-to-hear-stories-from-the-moment-we-are-born-to-the-moment/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [I have found it very important...to let go of my wishes and start hoping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/i-have-found-it-very-important-to-let-go-of-my-wishes-and-start-hoping/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [Simply being with someone is difficult because it asks of us that we share in the other's vulnerability, enter with him or her into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/simply-being-with-someone-is-difficult-because-it-asks-of-us-that-we/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [Somewhere we know that without silence, words lose their meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/somewhere-we-know-that-without-silence-words-lose-their-meaning/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [Jesus says, "Keep your heart on the kingdom first. Keep your heart on God's love. Keep focused on the fact that you are God's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/jesus-says-keep-your-heart-on-the-kingdom-first-keep-your-heart-on/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [This sounds very simple and maybe even trite, but very few people know that they are loved without condition or limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/this-sounds-very-simple-and-maybe-even-trite-but-very-few-people-know/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [“The more preoccupied we are with security the more visible the force of death becomes, whether in the form of a pistol beside our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/the-more-preoccupied-we-are-with-security-the-more-visible-the-force/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [If you feel a great loneliness and a deep longing for human contact, you have to be extremely discerning...and ask yourself whether this situation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/if-you-feel-a-great-loneliness-and-a-deep-longing-for-human-contact/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [I choose L'Arche; L'Arche chooses me. I would be dead if I weren't here. I need people to love me and care for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/i-choose-l-arche-l-arche-chooses-me-i-would-be-dead-if-i-weren-t-here/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [The truth, even though I cannot feel it right now, is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in God's eyes, called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/the-truth-even-though-i-cannot-feel-it-right-now-is-that-i-am-the/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [In a world so torn apart by rivalry, anger, and hatred, we have the privileged vocation to be living signs of a love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/in-a-world-so-torn-apart-by-rivalry-anger-and-hatred-we-have-the/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [Where true inner freedom is, there is God. And where God is, there we want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/where-true-inner-freedom-is-there-is-god-and-where-god-is-there-we/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

[Explore all 452 Henri Nouwen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

## 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": "Aging does not need to be hidden or denied, but can be understood, affirmed and experienced as a process of growth by which the mystery of life is slowly revealed to us.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Henri Nouwen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/aging-does-not-need-to-be-hidden-or-denied-but-can-be-understood/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/aging-does-not-need-to-be-hidden-or-denied-but-can-be-understood/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/henri-nouwen-600_age_aging-does-not-need-to-be-hidden-or-deni_2323045.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/henri-nouwen-600_age_aging-does-not-need-to-be-hidden-or-deni_2323045.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/henri-nouwen-600_age_aging-does-not-need-to-be-hidden-or-deni_2323045.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Aging does not need to be hidden or denied, but can be understood, affirmed and experienced as a process of…” — Henri Nouwen",
                "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": "Henri Nouwen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Aging does not need to be...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/aging-does-not-need-to-be-hidden-or-denied-but-can-be-understood/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/aging-does-not-need-to-be-hidden-or-denied-but-can-be-understood/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
