---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man is old when he can pass an apple…"
description: "\"A man is old when he can pass an apple orchard and not remember the stomachache.\" — James Russell Lowell"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/james-russell-lowell-561_apples_a-man-is-old-when-he-can-pass-an-apple-o_209903.png"
---

#  A man is old when he can pass an apple orchard and not…

![“A man is old when he can pass an apple orchard and not remember the stomachache.” quote by James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/james-russell-lowell-561_apples_a-man-is-old-when-he-can-pass-an-apple-o_209903.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/james-russell-lowell-561_apples_a-man-is-old-when-he-can-pass-an-apple-o_209903.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/james-russell-lowell-561_apples_a-man-is-old-when-he-can-pass-an-apple-o_209903.png)

> “A man is old when he can pass an apple orchard and not remember the stomachache.”

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

## About This Quote

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

Age can erode memory, making once‑familiar places feel alien, highlighting the fragility of recollection.

**In simple terms:** Memory fades with age.

Key Takeaway

Cherish memories now.

Themes

aging memory loss

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

poetic philosophical

When to use this quote

- elder care
- family gatherings
- historical tours
- personal memoirs

Key Concepts

nostalgia cognitive decline identity

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you preserve important memories?
- What triggers your recollection?

A Different Perspective

Memory loss can be mitigated with documentation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Apple Orchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apple-orchard-392762/) [Apples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apples/) [Birthday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birthday/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Orchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchard/) [Orchard Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchard-remember-2169057/) [Pass Apple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pass-apple-2169058/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Remember Stomachache](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember-stomachache-2169059/)

## Related quotes

> [Everybody's twelve years old in an apple orchard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-ray/everybody-s-twelve-years-old-in-an-apple-orchard/)

[Rachael Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-ray/)

> [You would not go into an apple orchard and eat the weeds so why would you go into your day and feast on worries?.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-mcbride/you-would-not-go-into-an-apple-orchard-and-eat-the-weeds-so-why-would/)

[Pat McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-mcbride/)

> [You have to be fruitful, just like an apple with perfect color receiving good sunlight. When the people come to know about this apple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/you-have-to-be-fruitful-just-like-an-apple-with-perfect-color/)

[Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/)

> [“Five girls sat beside, and upon the branches of, the oldest apple tree in the orchard, its huge trunk making a fine seat and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/five-girls-sat-beside-and-upon-the-branches-of-the-oldest-apple-tree/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/a-seed-hidden-in-the-heart-of-an-apple-is-an-orchard-invisible/)

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

> [My grandparents owned an apple orchard when I was growing up - a lot of apples, cherries... now, actually, a lot of grapes, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-harris/my-grandparents-owned-an-apple-orchard-when-i-was-growing-up-a-lot-of/)

[Joe Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-harris/)

> [I grew up on an apple orchard with a lot of surrounding wooded area, and I ran everywhere. I was outside all the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/i-grew-up-on-an-apple-orchard-with-a-lot-of-surrounding-wooded-area/)

[Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

> [I don't know what rituals my kids will carry into adulthood, whether they'll grow up attached to homemade pizza on Friday nights, or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-don-t-know-what-rituals-my-kids-will-carry-into-adulthood-whether/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“My troubles are all over, and I am at home; and often before I am quite awake, I fancy I am still in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-sewell/my-troubles-are-all-over-and-i-am-at-home-and-often-before-i-am-quite/)

[Anna Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-sewell/)

> [The summer has seized you, as when, last month in Amalfi, I saw lemons as large as your desk-side globe-that miniature map of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/the-summer-has-seized-you-as-when-last-month-in-amalfi-i-saw-lemons/)

[Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/)

> [But she still had that something which fires the imagination, could still stop one's breath for a moment by a look or gesture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/but-she-still-had-that-something-which-fires-the-imagination-could/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [She had only to stand in the orchard, to put her hand on a little crab tree and look up at the apples, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/she-had-only-to-stand-in-the-orchard-to-put-her-hand-on-a-little-crab/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [No one lives on the top of the mountain. It's fine to go there occasionally -for inspiration, for new perspectives. But you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-gordon-webster/no-one-lives-on-the-top-of-the-mountain-it-s-fine-to-go-there/)

[Arthur Gordon Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-gordon-webster/)

> [And some days, he went on, were days of hearing every trump and trill of the universe. Some days were good for tasting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/and-some-days-he-went-on-were-days-of-hearing-every-trump-and-trill/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [One June evening, when the orchards were pink-blossomed again, when the frogs were singing silverly sweet in the marshes about the head of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-june-evening-when-the-orchards-were-pink-blossomed-again-when-the/)

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

## More by James Russell Lowell

> [We kind o' thought Christ went agin war an' pillage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/we-kind-o-thought-christ-went-agin-war-an-pillage/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [He gives only the worthless gold who gives from a sense of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/he-gives-only-the-worthless-gold-who-gives-from-a-sense-of-duty/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [As life runs on, the road grows strange with faces new - and near the end. The milestones into headstones change, Neath every one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/as-life-runs-on-the-road-grows-strange-with-faces-new-and-near-the/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Where one person shapes their life by precept and example, there are a thousand who have shaped it by impulse and circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/where-one-person-shapes-their-life-by-precept-and-example-there-are-a/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Granting our wish is one of Fate's saddest jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/granting-our-wish-is-one-of-fate-s-saddest-jokes/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Most religion-mongers have bated their paradises with a bit of toasted cheese. They have tempted the body with large promises of possessions in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/most-religion-mongers-have-bated-their-paradises-with-a-bit-of/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [The thing we long for, that we are For one transcendent moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-thing-we-long-for-that-we-are-for-one-transcendent-moment/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [O reputation! dearer far than life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/o-reputation-dearer-far-than-life/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Keats longed for fame, but longed above all to deserve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/keats-longed-for-fame-but-longed-above-all-to-deserve-it/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [It is beginning to be doubtful whether Parliament and Congress sit in Westminster and Washington, or in the editorial rooms of the leading journals,--so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-is-beginning-to-be-doubtful-whether-parliament-and-congress-sit-in/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [ \[B\]ut in literature, it should be remembered, a thing always becomes his at last who says it best, and thus makes it his own. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/b-ut-in-literature-it-should-be-remembered-a-thing-always-becomes-his/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [It may be glorious to write Thoughts that shall glad the two or three High souls, like those far stars that come in sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-may-be-glorious-to-write-thoughts-that-shall-glad-the-two-or-three/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [It is the vain endeavor to make ourselves what we are not that has strewn history with so many broken purposes and lives left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-is-the-vain-endeavor-to-make-ourselves-what-we-are-not-that-has/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Take winter as you find him, and he turns out to be a thoroughly honest fellow; with no nonsense in him, which is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/take-winter-as-you-find-him-and-he-turns-out-to-be-a-thoroughly/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [The intellect has only one failing, which, to be sure, is a very considerable one. It has no conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-intellect-has-only-one-failing-which-to-be-sure-is-a-very/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

[Explore all 471 James Russell Lowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

## More Apples quotes

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [I named my son Noah for the same reason Chris Martin named his apple: we're asses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-named-my-son-noah-for-the-same-reason-chris-martin-named-his-apple/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

> [I think, however, that Astaire's coordination is better than Kelly's... his sense of rhythm is uncanny. Kelly, on the other hand, is the stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyd-charisse/i-think-however-that-astaire-s-coordination-is-better-than-kelly-s/)

[Cyd Charisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyd-charisse/)

> [“In the back of the fridge I checked out some stewed apples destined to fester. I examined them closely and reckoned they had only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-brown/in-the-back-of-the-fridge-i-checked-out-some-stewed-apples-destined/)

[Helen Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-brown/)

> [Fortunately, like most children, I had learned what is most valuable, most indispensable for life before school years began, taught by apple trees, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/fortunately-like-most-children-i-had-learned-what-is-most-valuable/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [I'm not only a fan of Apple products, I have stock in the company. I think Steve Jobs has started one of the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-rock/i-m-not-only-a-fan-of-apple-products-i-have-stock-in-the-company-i/)

[Kid Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-rock/)

> [I love to eat an apple after a meal, just to cleanse my teeth - they always look polished afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-zeta-jones/i-love-to-eat-an-apple-after-a-meal-just-to-cleanse-my-teeth-they/)

[Catherine Zeta-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-zeta-jones/)

> [I have a friend who is a juggler. If I'm at his house, I don't like to take food from him, if it's in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-have-a-friend-who-is-a-juggler-if-i-m-at-his-house-i-don-t-like-to/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [A comely sight indeed it is to see, a world of blossoms on an apple tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/a-comely-sight-indeed-it-is-to-see-a-world-of-blossoms-on-an-apple/)

[John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/)

> [Like a satellite in orbit, Apple is perpetually falling. It just happens to miss Earth every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-dediu/like-a-satellite-in-orbit-apple-is-perpetually-falling-it-just/)

[Horace Dediu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-dediu/)

> [I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-have-always-said-if-there-ever-came-a-day-when-i-could-no-longer/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [Positive thinking is so firmly enshrined in our culture that knocking it is a little like attacking motherhood or apple pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srikumar-rao/positive-thinking-is-so-firmly-enshrined-in-our-culture-that-knocking/)

[Srikumar Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srikumar-rao/)

> [Therein lies the rub of a place like Berkeley Bowl. You get seduced by an 11-pound apple that turns out to be a fake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jad-abumrad/therein-lies-the-rub-of-a-place-like-berkeley-bowl-you-get-seduced-by/)

[Jad Abumrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jad-abumrad/)

> [Now it is autumn and the falling fruit and the long journey towards oblivion. The apples falling like great drops of dew to bruise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/now-it-is-autumn-and-the-falling-fruit-and-the-long-journey-towards/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [The next time you're looking at a charity, don't ask about the rate of their overhead; ask about the scale of their dreams -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pallotta/the-next-time-you-re-looking-at-a-charity-don-t-ask-about-the-rate-of-2/)

[Dan Pallotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pallotta/)

[Browse all 1,262 Apples quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apples/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A man is old when he can pass an apple orchard and not remember the stomachache.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James Russell Lowell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/a-man-is-old-when-he-can-pass-an-apple-orchard-and-not-remember-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Apples"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/a-man-is-old-when-he-can-pass-an-apple-orchard-and-not-remember-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/james-russell-lowell-561_apples_a-man-is-old-when-he-can-pass-an-apple-o_209903.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/james-russell-lowell-561_apples_a-man-is-old-when-he-can-pass-an-apple-o_209903.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/james-russell-lowell-561_apples_a-man-is-old-when-he-can-pass-an-apple-o_209903.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A man is old when he can pass an apple orchard and not remember the stomachache.” — James Russell Lowell",
                "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": "James Russell Lowell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A man is old when he...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/a-man-is-old-when-he-can-pass-an-apple-orchard-and-not-remember-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/a-man-is-old-when-he-can-pass-an-apple-orchard-and-not-remember-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
