--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know more about what it's like to be…" description: "\"I know more about what it's like to be elderly and infirm and kind of stupid, the way you get forgetful, but on the other hand I'm a littler, wiser, da..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/john-updike-396_about_i-know-more-about-what-it-s-like-to-be-e_268257.png" --- # I know more about what it's like to be elderly and infirm… ![“I know more about what it's like to be elderly and infirm and kind of stupid, the way you get forgetful, but on the other hand I'm a littler, wiser, dare we say? The word 'wisdom' has kind of faded out of our vocabulary, but yeah, I'm a little wiser.” quote by John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/john-updike-396_about_i-know-more-about-what-it-s-like-to-be-e_268257.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/john-updike-396_about_i-know-more-about-what-it-s-like-to-be-e_268257.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/john-updike-396_about_i-know-more-about-what-it-s-like-to-be-e_268257.png) > “I know more about what it's like to be elderly and infirm and kind of stupid, the way you get forgetful, but on the other hand I'm a littler, wiser, dare we say? The word 'wisdom' has kind of faded out of our vocabulary, but yeah, I'm a little wiser.” [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Aging brings forgetfulness and perceived decline, yet also brings wisdom, suggesting a complex view of aging. **In simple terms:** Aging mixes loss and gained insight. Key Takeaway Embrace wisdom, accept limits. Themes aging wisdom self‑reflection Mood reflective empathetic Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - elder care - personal memoir - mentoring - creative writing Key Concepts memory life experience Questions to Reflect On - What wisdom have you gained with age? - How do you stay mentally active? A Different Perspective Physical decline may limit activity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dare/) [Elderly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elderly/) [Faded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faded/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hand/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Like Elderly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-elderly-811641/) [Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [Our](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say/) [Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid/) [Vocabulary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocabulary/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wisdom Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom-kind-668897/) [Wiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wiser/) [Word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word/) [Word Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-wisdom-2335670/) [Yeah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yeah/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [Hollywood does not write parts for people like me, an elderly gentleman, and when they find out you're crippled, forget about it. No, I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-montalban/hollywood-does-not-write-parts-for-people-like-me-an-elderly/) [Ricardo Montalban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardo-montalban/) > [“Small children will talk to anyone, once the guard of shyness has fallen, and they have, like the elderly, a sense of immediacy, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-hill/small-children-will-talk-to-anyone-once-the-guard-of-shyness-has/) [Susan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-hill/) > [I like it when I see an elderly couple walking together, hand in hand. Because that proves to me that true love can last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-like-it-when-i-see-an-elderly-couple-walking-together-hand-in-hand/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“..." like many elderly people, she has developed a selective sense of hearing. She ignores me and continues on her own track...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/like-many-elderly-people-she-has-developed-a-selective-sense-of/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [“the same time, a relationship with a narcissist is also a cataclysmic rude awakening into the fact that people are rarely who they portray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahida-arabi/the-same-time-a-relationship-with-a-narcissist-is-also-a-cataclysmic/) [Shahida Arabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahida-arabi/) > [Proverbs save us the trouble of thinking. What we call folk wisdom is often no more than a kind of expedient stupidity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/proverbs-save-us-the-trouble-of-thinking-what-we-call-folk-wisdom-is/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Wisdom is a kind of knowledge. It is knowledge of the nature, career, and consequences of human values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-hook/wisdom-is-a-kind-of-knowledge-it-is-knowledge-of-the-nature-career/) [Sidney Hook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-hook/) > [We need science, more and better science, not for its technology, not for leisure, not even for health or longevity, but for the hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-need-science-more-and-better-science-not-for-its-technology-not/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [It doesn't matter how bad things are, something good could happen always. And it doesn't matter how many excuses you have for behaving in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viggo-mortensen/it-doesn-t-matter-how-bad-things-are-something-good-could-happen/) [Viggo Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viggo-mortensen/) > [Everyone recognizes a distinction between knowledge and wisdom. . . Wisdom is a kind of knowledge. It is knowledge of the nature, career, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-hook/everyone-recognizes-a-distinction-between-knowledge-and-wisdom-wisdom/) [Sidney Hook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-hook/) > [One word of wisdom is as good as a hundred ordinary words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/one-word-of-wisdom-is-as-good-as-a-hundred-ordinary-words/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [I am sure of this, that by going much alone a man will get more of a noble courage in thought and word than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-am-sure-of-this-that-by-going-much-alone-a-man-will-get-more-of-a/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Honest heart always entails word of wisdom & tuth.Be honest & enjoy fearless life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/honest-heart-always-entails-word-of-wisdom-tuth-be-honest-enjoy/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [“To me, the word wisdom means ancient knowledge. It’s the kind of knowledge you not only see but feel when you look into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-friedenfeld/to-me-the-word-wisdom-means-ancient-knowledge-it-s-the-kind-of/) [Molly Friedenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-friedenfeld/) > [“What I heard and saw was a charge to declare his Holy Word in all the wisdom of its counsel and wonder of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-bevere/what-i-heard-and-saw-was-a-charge-to-declare-his-holy-word-in-all-the/) [Lisa Bevere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-bevere/) ## More by John Updike > [Life is a roller coaster, you have your ups and downs unless you fall off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/life-is-a-roller-coaster-you-have-your-ups-and-downs-unless-you-fall/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Children are not a zoo of entertainingly exotic creatures, but an array of mirrors in which the human predicament leaps out at us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/children-are-not-a-zoo-of-entertainingly-exotic-creatures-but-an/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I assume my stance, and take back the club, low, slowly; at the top, my eyes fog over, and my joints dip and swirl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-assume-my-stance-and-take-back-the-club-low-slowly-at-the-top-my/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The New England spirit does not seek solutions in a crowd; raw light and solitariness are less dreaded than welcomed as enhancers of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-new-england-spirit-does-not-seek-solutions-in-a-crowd-raw-light/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I imagine most of that stuff on the information highway is roadkill anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-imagine-most-of-that-stuff-on-the-information-highway-is-roadkill/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Families, doing everything for each other out of imagined obligation and always getting in each other's way, what a tangle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/families-doing-everything-for-each-other-out-of-imagined-obligation/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The fucking world is running out of gas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-fucking-world-is-running-out-of-gas/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The theme of old age doesn't seem to fascinate Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-theme-of-old-age-doesn-t-seem-to-fascinate-hollywood/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The mind cannot fall asleep as long as it watches itself. Only when the mind moves unwatched and becomes absorbed in images that tug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-mind-cannot-fall-asleep-as-long-as-it-watches-itself-only-when/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“it was somehow wonderful of her to be, in every detail, herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/it-was-somehow-wonderful-of-her-to-be-in-every-detail-herself/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [In fiction, imaginary people become realer to us than any named celebrity glimpsed in a series of rumored events, whose causes and subtler ramifications…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/in-fiction-imaginary-people-become-realer-to-us-than-any-named/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Her hair had been going gray as long as he could remember; she bundled it behind in a bun held with hairpins that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/her-hair-had-been-going-gray-as-long-as-he-could-remember-she-bundled/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Possession diminishes perception of value, immediately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/possession-diminishes-perception-of-value-immediately/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I can't bear to finish things, beyond a certain point they get heavy. There's something so dead about a finished painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-can-t-bear-to-finish-things-beyond-a-certain-point-they-get-heavy/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Some people find fall depressing, others hate spring. I've always been a spring person myself. All that growth, you can feel Nature groaning, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/some-people-find-fall-depressing-others-hate-spring-i-ve-always-been/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) [Explore all 592 John Updike quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) [Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I know more about what it's like to be elderly and infirm and kind of stupid, the way you get forgetful, but on the other hand I'm a littler, wiser, dare we say? The word 'wisdom' has kind of faded out of our vocabulary, but yeah, I'm a little wiser.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Updike" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-know-more-about-what-it-s-like-to-be-elderly-and-infirm-and-kind-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-know-more-about-what-it-s-like-to-be-elderly-and-infirm-and-kind-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/john-updike-396_about_i-know-more-about-what-it-s-like-to-be-e_268257.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/john-updike-396_about_i-know-more-about-what-it-s-like-to-be-e_268257.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/john-updike-396_about_i-know-more-about-what-it-s-like-to-be-e_268257.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I know more about what it's like to be elderly and infirm and kind of stupid, the way you get forgetful, but…” — John Updike", "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": "John Updike", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I know more about what it's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-know-more-about-what-it-s-like-to-be-elderly-and-infirm-and-kind-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-know-more-about-what-it-s-like-to-be-elderly-and-infirm-and-kind-of/#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 } } ] } ```