---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In college, 29 had seemed impossibly old…"
description: "\"“In college, 29 had seemed impossibly old. By now, she'd thought she'd be married and have kids. But as each year went by, she didn't feel much differe..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b3/jennifer-close-20828_time_in-college-29-had-seemed-impossibly-old_2626280.jpg"
---

#  In college, 29 had seemed impossibly old. By now, she'd…

![“In college, 29 had seemed impossibly old. By now, she'd thought she'd be married and have kids. But as each year went by, she didn't feel much different than she had before. Time kept going by and she was just here, the same.” quote by Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b3/jennifer-close-20828_time_in-college-29-had-seemed-impossibly-old_2626280.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b3/jennifer-close-20828_time_in-college-29-had-seemed-impossibly-old_2626280.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b3/jennifer-close-20828_time_in-college-29-had-seemed-impossibly-old_2626280.jpg)

> ““In college, 29 had seemed impossibly old. By now, she'd thought she'd be married and have kids. But as each year went by, she didn't feel much different than she had before. Time kept going by and she was just here, the same.””

[Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/)

## About This Quote

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

Aging feels static, yet time persists, highlighting the illusion of progress.

**In simple terms:** Aging seems unchanged while time moves on.

Key Takeaway

Recognize growth beyond visible change.

Themes

aging time stagnation

Mood

reflective contemplative

Type

literary psychological

When to use this quote

- life coaching
- personal development

Key Concepts

midlife reflection career plateau

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you measure personal growth over years?
- What signs of change can you notice?

A Different Perspective

Progress may be imperceptible.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“In college, twenty-nine had seemed impossibly old. By now, she'd thought, she'd be married and have kids. But as each year went by, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/in-college-twenty-nine-had-seemed-impossibly-old-by-now-she-d-thought/)

[Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/)

> [Old things need not be therefore true, O brother men, nor yet the new; Ah! still awhile the old thought retain, And yet consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hugh-clough/old-things-need-not-be-therefore-true-o-brother-men-nor-yet-the-new/)

[Arthur Hugh Clough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hugh-clough/)

> [Where I grew up, in a remote village at the back of a valley, the old still thought the dead needed attending to -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/where-i-grew-up-in-a-remote-village-at-the-back-of-a-valley-the-old/)

[W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/)

> [We get stuck in old thought and behavior patterns that may have been effective when we were twelve months or twelve years old, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-strauss/we-get-stuck-in-old-thought-and-behavior-patterns-that-may-have-been/)

[Neil Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-strauss/)

> [You think about getting old, but when you get there, it's not what you thought it would be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/you-think-about-getting-old-but-when-you-get-there-it-s-not-what-you/)

[Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/)

> [I was 82 years old before Who's Who thought I was enough of a big shot to do a piece on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-barbera/i-was-82-years-old-before-who-s-who-thought-i-was-enough-of-a-big/)

[Joseph Barbera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-barbera/)

> [Up until I was eleven years old, I thought I was the only one of my kind in the world. I couldn't find anybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-hay/up-until-i-was-eleven-years-old-i-thought-i-was-the-only-one-of-my/)

[Harry Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-hay/)

> [When I was 3 years old, I thought I was very good at skiing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikaela-shiffrin/when-i-was-3-years-old-i-thought-i-was-very-good-at-skiing/)

[Mikaela Shiffrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikaela-shiffrin/)

> [“HIS chosen comrades thought at school He must grow a famous man; He thought the same and lived by rule, All his twenties crammed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-b-yeats/his-chosen-comrades-thought-at-school-he-must-grow-a-famous-man-he/)

[W.B. Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-b-yeats/)

> [Though old the thought and oft expressed, 'Tis his at last who says it best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/though-old-the-thought-and-oft-expressed-tis-his-at-last-who-says-it/)

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

> [“The very old, he thought, make our past. Once they go it seems for a moment that neither it nor we have any real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-james-2/the-very-old-he-thought-make-our-past-once-they-go-it-seems-for-a/)

[P.D. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-d-james-2/)

> [I thought it odd that the woman was over a thousand years old but thought the microwave was primitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/i-thought-it-odd-that-the-woman-was-over-a-thousand-years-old-but/)

[Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/)

> [Actually, when John died, for the first time I thought - for the first time I realized how old I was, because I'd always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/actually-when-john-died-for-the-first-time-i-thought-for-the-first/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [“I’m not going to stand for it any longer," said Mr. Flood. "I’m going to put my foot down. All I want in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mitchell/i-m-not-going-to-stand-for-it-any-longer-said-mr-flood-i-m-going-to/)

[Joseph Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mitchell/)

> [I was surprised when I started getting old. I always thought it was one of those things that would happen to someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-was-surprised-when-i-started-getting-old-i-always-thought-it-was/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

## More by Jennifer Close

> [“Isabella and Ben starting spending a lot of time together, but he never really wanted to do anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/isabella-and-ben-starting-spending-a-lot-of-time-together-but-he/)

[Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/)

> [“Sometimes she missed people before they even left her, got depressed about a vacation being over before it started.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/sometimes-she-missed-people-before-they-even-left-her-got-depressed/)

[Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/)

> [“In college, twenty-nine had seemed impossibly old. By now, she'd thought, she'd be married and have kids. But as each year went by, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/in-college-twenty-nine-had-seemed-impossibly-old-by-now-she-d-thought/)

[Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/)

> [“When Lauren hired a woman to come to the party and sell sex toys, Kristi turned to her and said, 'This seems like something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/when-lauren-hired-a-woman-to-come-to-the-party-and-sell-sex-toys/)

[Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/)

> [“Let’s give thanks that we have two legs and two arms to spin, and that we live in the greatest country in the world!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/let-s-give-thanks-that-we-have-two-legs-and-two-arms-to-spin-and-that/)

[Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/)

> [“I've never been on a date before," Isabella said to Mary as she got ready that night. "You've been on plenty of dates," Mary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/i-ve-never-been-on-a-date-before-isabella-said-to-mary-as-she-got/)

[Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/)

> [“Some friends are gossips and some are sloppy drunks. If you like them well enough, you ignore this trait and continue to be their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/some-friends-are-gossips-and-some-are-sloppy-drunks-if-you-like-them/)

[Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/)

> [“Abby watched his feathers blow in the wind, and she watched as the peahens followed with all of their strength. They followed because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/abby-watched-his-feathers-blow-in-the-wind-and-she-watched-as-the/)

[Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/)

> [“Ken was Mary's new boyfriend, a nice guy who made all their friends comments, "Oh, there he is. That's what she's been waiting for,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/ken-was-mary-s-new-boyfriend-a-nice-guy-who-made-all-their-friends/)

[Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/)

> [“It made them restless and irritable while they waited for something to start. They all knew they ought to feel different in their new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/it-made-them-restless-and-irritable-while-they-waited-for-something/)

[Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/)

> [“No one really knew what went on in her relationship with Mike. No one even really knew her. Maybe she loved Mike more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/no-one-really-knew-what-went-on-in-her-relationship-with-mike-no-one/)

[Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/)

> [“The peahens waddled round, following the peacock wherever he went. He couldn't see in the night, so he wandered around aimlessly in the pen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/the-peahens-waddled-round-following-the-peacock-wherever-he-went-he/)

[Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/)

> [“This is the first fall that I haven't gone to school. Maybe that's why I feel weird all the time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/this-is-the-first-fall-that-i-haven-t-gone-to-school-maybe-that-s-why/)

[Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/)

> [“The fights they had now were much worse. Isabella had never fought like this with anyone before. With Ben, she had all-out, drunken marathon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/the-fights-they-had-now-were-much-worse-isabella-had-never-fought/)

[Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/)

> [“The thing is that you don't meet someone until you do ... and the older we get, the harder it is. And maybe not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/the-thing-is-that-you-don-t-meet-someone-until-you-do-and-the-older/)

[Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/)

[Explore all 30 Jennifer Close quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/)

## More Time quotes

> ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/)

[Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/)

> [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/)

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

> [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/)

[Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/)

> [Intel has a very complete process that I go through any time I want to sell that ensures I have no insider information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krzanich/intel-has-a-very-complete-process-that-i-go-through-any-time-i-want/)

[Brian Krzanich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krzanich/)

> [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/)

[John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

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

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/)

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

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/)

Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974

> [“You put together two things that have not been put together before. And the world is changed. People may not notice at the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-put-together-two-things-that-have-not-been-put-together-before/)

[Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/)

> [“It was about damn time something happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/it-was-about-damn-time-something-happened/)

[Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/)

[Browse all 215,255 Time quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“In college, 29 had seemed impossibly old. By now, she'd thought she'd be married and have kids. But as each year went by, she didn't feel much different than she had before. Time kept going by and she was just here, the same.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jennifer Close"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/in-college-29-had-seemed-impossibly-old-by-now-she-d-thought-she-d-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Time"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/in-college-29-had-seemed-impossibly-old-by-now-she-d-thought-she-d-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b3/jennifer-close-20828_time_in-college-29-had-seemed-impossibly-old_2626280.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b3/jennifer-close-20828_time_in-college-29-had-seemed-impossibly-old_2626280.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b3/jennifer-close-20828_time_in-college-29-had-seemed-impossibly-old_2626280.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In college, 29 had seemed impossibly old. By now, she'd thought she'd be married and have kids. But as each…” — Jennifer Close",
                "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": "Jennifer Close",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“In college, 29 had seemed impossibly...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/in-college-29-had-seemed-impossibly-old-by-now-she-d-thought-she-d-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/in-college-29-had-seemed-impossibly-old-by-now-she-d-thought-she-d-be/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
