--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Old people only say that life happens…" description: "\"“Old people only say that life happens quickly to make themselves feel better. The truth is that it all happens in tiny increments like now now now now..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e09/joe-dunthorne-14534_fair-play_old-people-only-say-that-life-happens-qu_2724043.png" --- # Old people only say that life happens quickly to make… ![“Old people only say that life happens quickly to make themselves feel better. The truth is that it all happens in tiny increments like now now now now now now and it only takes twenty to thirty consecutive nows to realize that you’re aimed straight at a bench in Singleton Park. Fair play though…” quote by Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e09/joe-dunthorne-14534_fair-play_old-people-only-say-that-life-happens-qu_2724043.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e09/joe-dunthorne-14534_fair-play_old-people-only-say-that-life-happens-qu_2724043.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e09/joe-dunthorne-14534_fair-play_old-people-only-say-that-life-happens-qu_2724043.png) > ““Old people only say that life happens quickly to make themselves feel better. The truth is that it all happens in tiny increments like now now now now now now and it only takes twenty to thirty consecutive nows to realize that you’re aimed straight at a bench in Singleton Park. Fair play though, if I was old and had forgotten to do something worthwhile with my life, I would spend those final few years on a bench in the botanical gardens, convincing myself that time is so quick that even plants – who have no responsibilities whatsoever – hardly get a chance to do anything decent with their lives except, perhaps, produce one or two red or yellow flowers and, with a bit of luck and insects, reproduce. If the old man manages to get the words father and husband on his bench plaque then he thinks he can be reasonably proud of himself.”” [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life feels rapid when we view it in large strokes, but it actually unfolds in countless tiny moments; recognizing these moments reveals our true progress and legacy. **In simple terms:** Life is made of many small moments, not just big events. Key Takeaway Notice and value each present moment. Themes time reflection legacy aging meaning Mood reflective wistful humorous Type philosophical observational narrative When to use this quote - daily routines - career planning - relationships - creative projects - end‑of‑life reflections Key Concepts incremental change self‑assessment mortality purpose humor Questions to Reflect On - How do you measure progress in your daily life? - What small moments have shaped your identity? A Different Perspective The quote may over‑generalize aging experiences and ignore systemic factors affecting life satisfaction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fair play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fair-play/) [Father And Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-and-husband/) [Happens Quickly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens-quickly-809353/) [Humour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humour/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-happens/) [Old man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-man/) [Old people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-people/) [Oliver-tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oliver-tate-135644/) [Play Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-old-739647/) [Reproduce Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reproduce-old-2905140/) [Teen-angst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teen-angst/) [Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welsh/) [Yellow flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yellow-flower/) ## Related quotes > [“Jordana is in the umpire's highchair. I walk under the rugby posts and on to the tennis courts, stopping a few metres in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/jordana-is-in-the-umpire-s-highchair-i-walk-under-the-rugby-posts-and/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [I was a small business owner, father, and husband just living out in the suburbs. I kind of had a boring life until Post…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-warren/i-was-a-small-business-owner-father-and-husband-just-living-out-in/) [Frank Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-warren/) > [“I believe in political equality. But there are two opposite reasons for being a democrat. You may think all men so good that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/i-believe-in-political-equality-but-there-are-two-opposite-reasons/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [I'm the type of person who is always going to be somewhat dissatisfied with myself. I'm never going to be smart enough. I'm never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/i-m-the-type-of-person-who-is-always-going-to-be-somewhat/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [“In spite of Stepan Arkadyevitch's efforts to be an attentive father and husband, he never could keep in his mind that he had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/in-spite-of-stepan-arkadyevitch-s-efforts-to-be-an-attentive-father/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [At the risk of damaging the 'First Take' ratings, the God's truth is I do not hate LeBron James. I actually like the man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skip-bayless/at-the-risk-of-damaging-the-first-take-ratings-the-god-s-truth-is-i/) [Skip Bayless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skip-bayless/) > [There are no expectations other than those I place on myself to be a great father and husband.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sturgill-simpson/there-are-no-expectations-other-than-those-i-place-on-myself-to-be-a/) [Sturgill Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sturgill-simpson/) > [ \[I want to be remembered\] as a great servant of God who tried to give back as much as possible, and as a great… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/i-want-to-be-remembered-as-a-great-servant-of-god-who-tried-to-give/) [Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/) > [Even my going back to school was to inspire young people that it's never too late to education. That's all I can do, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/even-my-going-back-to-school-was-to-inspire-young-people-that-it-s/) [Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/) > [I believe that the worst thing the liberals did in this country was the Lyndon Johnson welfare system, which broke up millions of marriages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-schlafly/i-believe-that-the-worst-thing-the-liberals-did-in-this-country-was/) [Phyllis Schlafly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-schlafly/) > [“One of the most beautifully disturbing questions we can ask, is whether a given story we tell about our lives is actually true, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/one-of-the-most-beautifully-disturbing-questions-we-can-ask-is/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [My dream is having my own family and being a good father and husband, thats all I want in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-dream-is-having-my-own-family-and-being-a-good-father-and-husband/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being a father and husband is my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cael-sanderson/being-a-father-and-husband-is-my-life/) [Cael Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cael-sanderson/) > [I am a much better father and husband than I ever was a sniper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/i-am-a-much-better-father-and-husband-than-i-ever-was-a-sniper/) [Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/) > [“As I sit today, I am a genuine, often pleasant person. I am able to imitate a human being for long spurts of time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-carr/as-i-sit-today-i-am-a-genuine-often-pleasant-person-i-am-able-to/) [David Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-carr/) ## More by Joe Dunthorne > [“Our Welsh teacher thinks he is young. He tells us that the Welsh for skiving in town is ‘mitchio yn y dre’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/our-welsh-teacher-thinks-he-is-young-he-tells-us-that-the-welsh-for/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [I don't know if I've come of age, but I'm certainly older now. I feel shrunken, as if there's a tiny ancient Oliver Tate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-don-t-know-if-i-ve-come-of-age-but-i-m-certainly-older-now-i-feel/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [“One more word that may be useful in the heat of passion: dong. Dong sounds like someone very important has just arrived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/one-more-word-that-may-be-useful-in-the-heat-of-passion-dong-dong/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [My mother tells me I do not chew my food enough; she says I am making it harder for my body to get the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/my-mother-tells-me-i-do-not-chew-my-food-enough-she-says-i-am-making/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [“I tell my parents I'm going out for pudding. They think this might be a nickname for heroin.Mum makes the international face for 'is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-tell-my-parents-i-m-going-out-for-pudding-they-think-this-might-be/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [“I authorize an air strike that reduces my street to rubble; I fold Swansea Bay like an enormous omelette and scoff it all”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-authorize-an-air-strike-that-reduces-my-street-to-rubble-i-fold/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [I spin around on the swivel chair and look up at the ceiling; Oliver being Oliver being Oliver being Oliver. I am suddenly aware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-spin-around-on-the-swivel-chair-and-look-up-at-the-ceiling-oliver/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [“I want the evening upon which we lose our collective virginities to be special. I'm no parthenologist but I suspect that Jordana's virginity is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-want-the-evening-upon-which-we-lose-our-collective-virginities-to/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [“Oliver, we’ve got something to tell you,” Dad says, dumping a cardboard box full of garden waste into a toad green mangler. Unlike the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/oliver-we-ve-got-something-to-tell-you-dad-says-dumping-a-cardboard/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [To us and a wonderful evening of love making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/to-us-and-a-wonderful-evening-of-love-making/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [“I am running low on solutions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-am-running-low-on-solutions/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [For my last birthday, Dad bought me a pocket-sized Collins English Dictionary. It would only fit in a pocket that had been specially designed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/for-my-last-birthday-dad-bought-me-a-pocket-sized-collins-english/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [...I want to grab her collarbones as if they were handlebars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-want-to-grab-her-collarbones-as-if-they-were-handlebars/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [“Seducing Jordana was solid – she's got such high standards – but when I finally got the snogs in it was all worth it."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/seducing-jordana-was-solid-she-s-got-such-high-standards-but-when-i/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [I find that the only way to get through life is to picture myself in an entirely disconnected reality. I often imagine how people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-find-that-the-only-way-to-get-through-life-is-to-picture-myself-in/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) [Explore all 45 Joe Dunthorne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) ## More Fair play quotes > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [“Sports have nothing to do with fair play. They are bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/sports-have-nothing-to-do-with-fair-play-they-are-bound-up-with/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Sportsmanship is the ethical and moral dimension of sports. It is demonstrated by a number of attributes and attitudes such as fair play, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-josephson/sportsmanship-is-the-ethical-and-moral-dimension-of-sports-it-is/) [Michael Josephson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-josephson/) > [We need to elect leaders who have a strong moral compass. Leaders who are honest, straightforward, and tough - with a love of justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-o-neill/we-need-to-elect-leaders-who-have-a-strong-moral-compass-leaders-who/) [Ed O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-o-neill/) > [“Whether Maycomb knows it or not, we're paying the highest tribute we can pay a man. We trust him to do right. It's that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/whether-maycomb-knows-it-or-not-we-re-paying-the-highest-tribute-we/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [Lifes hard, don't play it fair but I play it right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lifes-hard-don-t-play-it-fair-but-i-play-it-right/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is impossible to struggle for civil rights, equal rights for blacks, without including whites. Because equal rights, fair play, justice, are all like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/it-is-impossible-to-struggle-for-civil-rights-equal-rights-for-blacks/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [In our view the Olympic idea involves a strong physical culture supplemented on the one hand by mobility, what is so aptly called 'fair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-de-coubertin/in-our-view-the-olympic-idea-involves-a-strong-physical-culture/) [Pierre de Coubertin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-de-coubertin/) > [The "Lucifer Effect" describes the point in time when an ordinary, normal person first crosses the boundary between good and evil to engage in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/the-lucifer-effect-describes-the-point-in-time-when-an-ordinary/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) > [The Party System was founded on one national notion of fair play. It was the notion that folly and futility should be fairly divided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-party-system-was-founded-on-one-national-notion-of-fair-play-it/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [“It is interesting to me to note that those who most frequently call for fair play are those who are advantaged by the play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-gomes/it-is-interesting-to-me-to-note-that-those-who-most-frequently-call/) [Peter J. Gomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-gomes/) > [Never flinch, never weary, never despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/never-flinch-never-weary-never-despair/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Civilizations die from philosophical calm, irony, and a sense of fair play quite as surely as they die of debauchery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/civilizations-die-from-philosophical-calm-irony-and-a-sense-of-fair/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) > [Who could doubt that sport is a crucial window for the propagation of fair play and justice? After all, fair play is a value…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/who-could-doubt-that-sport-is-a-crucial-window-for-the-propagation-of/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Let common sense and common honesty have fair play, and they will soon set things to rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/let-common-sense-and-common-honesty-have-fair-play-and-they-will-soon/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) [Browse all 148 Fair play quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fair-play/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Old people only say that life happens quickly to make themselves feel better. The truth is that it all happens in tiny increments like now now now now now now and it only takes twenty to thirty consecutive nows to realize that you’re aimed straight at a bench in Singleton Park. Fair play though, if I was old and had forgotten to do something worthwhile with my life, I would spend those final few years on a bench in the botanical gardens, convincing myself that time is so quick that even plants – who have no responsibilities whatsoever – hardly get a chance to do anything decent with their lives except, perhaps, produce one or two red or yellow flowers and, with a bit of luck and insects, reproduce. If the old man manages to get the words father and husband on his bench plaque then he thinks he can be reasonably proud of himself.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joe Dunthorne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/old-people-only-say-that-life-happens-quickly-to-make-themselves-feel/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fair play" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/old-people-only-say-that-life-happens-quickly-to-make-themselves-feel/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e09/joe-dunthorne-14534_fair-play_old-people-only-say-that-life-happens-qu_2724043.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e09/joe-dunthorne-14534_fair-play_old-people-only-say-that-life-happens-qu_2724043.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e09/joe-dunthorne-14534_fair-play_old-people-only-say-that-life-happens-qu_2724043.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Old people only say that life happens quickly to make themselves feel better. The truth is that it all…” — Joe Dunthorne", "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": "Joe Dunthorne", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Old people only say that life...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/old-people-only-say-that-life-happens-quickly-to-make-themselves-feel/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/old-people-only-say-that-life-happens-quickly-to-make-themselves-feel/#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 } } ] } ```