---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Old age treats freelance writers pretty…"
description: "\"Old age treats freelance writers pretty gently.\" — John Updike"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca7/john-updike-396_age_old-age-treats-freelance-writers-pretty_1465314.png"
---

#  Old age treats freelance writers pretty gently.

![“Old age treats freelance writers pretty gently.” quote by John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca7/john-updike-396_age_old-age-treats-freelance-writers-pretty_1465314.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca7/john-updike-396_age_old-age-treats-freelance-writers-pretty_1465314.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca7/john-updike-396_age_old-age-treats-freelance-writers-pretty_1465314.png)

> “Old age treats freelance writers pretty gently.”

[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 writers find their work becomes less demanding, allowing a gentler pace and more ease.

**In simple terms:** Old writers work more gently.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the slower pace of later years.

Themes

aging writing career life rhythm gentle transition

Mood

nostalgic thoughtful

Type

literary reflective

When to use this quote

- retirement planning
- creative projects
- mentorship
- personal health

Key Concepts

career lifespan creative maturity work-life balance

Questions to Reflect On

- How can older writers stay vibrant?
- What supports a gentle creative transition?

A Different Perspective

Gentle treatment may mask underlying challenges like relevance decline.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Freelance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freelance/) [Old age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-age/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/)

## Related quotes

> [“The evolutionary curve obviously sloped pretty gently where Six came from.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-connolly/the-evolutionary-curve-obviously-sloped-pretty-gently-where-six-came/)

[John Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-connolly/)

> [We try to make the comedy situations more natural and organic .You don't want to be cutesy for cutesy's sake but the writers have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-shahi/we-try-to-make-the-comedy-situations-more-natural-and-organic-you-don/)

[Sarah Shahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-shahi/)

> [“It's not Jane Austen, it's not Henry James. But this writer, or writers, well, they're pretty damn good too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-curtis/it-s-not-jane-austen-it-s-not-henry-james-but-this-writer-or-writers/)

[Richard Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-curtis/)

> [Billy Collins writes lovely poems. Limpid, gently and consistently startling, more serious than they seem, they describe all the worlds that are and were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/billy-collins-writes-lovely-poems-limpid-gently-and-consistently/)

[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/)

> [I went back to bumming around New York, writing freelance stuff for Car & Driver and such.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-went-back-to-bumming-around-new-york-writing-freelance-stuff-for/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [Freelance isn't for everyone - you've got to be aggressive and enjoy working alone. But you could make more money than you ever imagined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/freelance-isn-t-for-everyone-you-ve-got-to-be-aggressive-and-enjoy/)

[Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/)

> [I'm pretty freelance. A freelance meditator. I float from one thing to the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ebert/i-m-pretty-freelance-a-freelance-meditator-i-float-from-one-thing-to/)

[Alex Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ebert/)

> [I wanted to work strictly as a freelance actor, and that's the way it turned out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pernell-roberts/i-wanted-to-work-strictly-as-a-freelance-actor-and-that-s-the-way-it/)

[Pernell Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pernell-roberts/)

> [If you're looking to freelance, just get as many gigs going as you can, and you can make it work... It's about getting as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/if-you-re-looking-to-freelance-just-get-as-many-gigs-going-as-you-can/)

[Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/)

> [I have certain rules that I've established for myself that took a while post-day job to figure out. Everyone says people who freelance or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-have-certain-rules-that-i-ve-established-for-myself-that-took-a/)

[Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/)

> [“Choose and create a circle of proper advisors around you. Do not discuss your project with your relatives, neighbor, grandmother, friends’ friends, pastor, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmytro-zaporozhtsev/choose-and-create-a-circle-of-proper-advisors-around-you-do-not/)

Dmytro Zaporozhtsev

> [The dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he’s given the freedom to starve anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-dubious-privilege-of-a-freelance-writer-is-he-s-given-the-freedom/)

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

> [I'm only a freelance TV presenter and, in many ways, it's all just been a massive fluke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-may/i-m-only-a-freelance-tv-presenter-and-in-many-ways-it-s-all-just-been/)

[James May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-may/)

> [My father started his own business, and before that was a freelance lecturer, and my friends are artists and musicians; they don't have real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-friend/my-father-started-his-own-business-and-before-that-was-a-freelance/)

[Rupert Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-friend/)

## 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 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": "Old age treats freelance writers pretty gently.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Updike"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/old-age-treats-freelance-writers-pretty-gently/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/old-age-treats-freelance-writers-pretty-gently/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca7/john-updike-396_age_old-age-treats-freelance-writers-pretty_1465314.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca7/john-updike-396_age_old-age-treats-freelance-writers-pretty_1465314.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca7/john-updike-396_age_old-age-treats-freelance-writers-pretty_1465314.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Old age treats freelance writers pretty gently.” — 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": "Old age treats freelance writers pretty...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/old-age-treats-freelance-writers-pretty-gently/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/old-age-treats-freelance-writers-pretty-gently/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```