--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The older we get the more we seem to…" description: "\"The older we get the more we seem to think that everything was better in the past.\" — Junichiro Tanizaki" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4f/junichiro-tanizaki-29320_older_the-older-we-get-the-more-we-seem-to-thi_2201624.png" --- # The older we get the more we seem to think that everything… ![“The older we get the more we seem to think that everything was better in the past.” quote by Junichiro Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4f/junichiro-tanizaki-29320_older_the-older-we-get-the-more-we-seem-to-thi_2201624.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4f/junichiro-tanizaki-29320_older_the-older-we-get-the-more-we-seem-to-thi_2201624.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4f/junichiro-tanizaki-29320_older_the-older-we-get-the-more-we-seem-to-thi_2201624.png) > “The older we get the more we seem to think that everything was better in the past.” [Junichiro Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nostalgia makes us view the past as superior, often overlooking present flaws. **In simple terms:** We idealize the past. Key Takeaway Recognize present value. Themes nostalgia memory perception Mood melancholic contemplative Type cultural reflective When to use this quote - family stories - political debates - media consumption Key Concepts sociology cultural studies Questions to Reflect On - What past aspects are truly better? - How does nostalgia shape decisions? A Different Perspective Romanticizing history can hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I know what I want at least, and the older I get I think I'm better at getting it out of players and singers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-maxwell-davies/i-know-what-i-want-at-least-and-the-older-i-get-i-think-i-m-better-at/) [Peter Maxwell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-maxwell-davies/) > [The older I become, the more I think about my mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingmar-bergman/the-older-i-become-the-more-i-think-about-my-mother/) [Ingmar Bergman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingmar-bergman/) > [I love getting older. I think it has to do with always being the kid on set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-love-getting-older-i-think-it-has-to-do-with-always-being-the-kid/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [It doesn't mean old or younger. I've learned a lot from people much younger than me as well as people much older than me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-branagh/it-doesn-t-mean-old-or-younger-i-ve-learned-a-lot-from-people-much/) [Kenneth Branagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-branagh/) > [To show the potentialities of a brighter future we must first resuscitate the visions of a better past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-bernstein/to-show-the-potentialities-of-a-brighter-future-we-must-first/) [Josh Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-bernstein/) > [I think you get better as you get older.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-jewison/i-think-you-get-better-as-you-get-older/) [Norman Jewison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-jewison/) > [It would be no reproach to a philosopher, that he knew the future better than the past, or even than the present. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-would-be-no-reproach-to-a-philosopher-that-he-knew-the-future/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“We can’t ever make it right, but we can make better choices going forward,” Dex says in a soothing voice. “Try to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebel-farris/we-can-t-ever-make-it-right-but-we-can-make-better-choices-going/) [Rebel Farris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebel-farris/) > [“Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/forgiveness-means-giving-up-all-hope-for-a-better-past/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [Make everyday better than your LAST because you should always strive to do better than your PAST...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/make-everyday-better-than-your-last-because-you-should-always-strive/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think people feel everything was better in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marsh/i-think-people-feel-everything-was-better-in-the-past/) [Jean Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marsh/) > [“Dear Daughter, Do more than enough to become better than you were in the past. Do not deprive yourself of a fruitful life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-gugu-mona/dear-daughter-do-more-than-enough-to-become-better-than-you-were-in/) [Gift Gugu Mona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gift-gugu-mona/) > [“I know that my future will be better than my past 'cos I believe & will act on my belief. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gladys-lawson/i-know-that-my-future-will-be-better-than-my-past-cos-i-believe-will/) [Gladys Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gladys-lawson/) > [“There is only "now". The better we make now the better our past and future "nows" will be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-agon/there-is-only-now-the-better-we-make-now-the-better-our-past-and/) [Ted Agon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-agon/) > [We make the future better than the past. We don't hide from history. We make history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/we-make-the-future-better-than-the-past-we-don-t-hide-from-history-we/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) ## More by Junichiro Tanizaki > [Find beauty not only in the thing itself but in the pattern of the shadows, the light and dark which that thing provides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/find-beauty-not-only-in-the-thing-itself-but-in-the-pattern-of-the/) [Junichiro Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/) > [“Whenever I see the alcove of a tastefully built Japanese room, I marvel at our comprehension of the secrets of shadows, our sensitive use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/whenever-i-see-the-alcove-of-a-tastefully-built-japanese-room-i/) [Junichiro Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/) > [And isn't it better really to leave things only hinted at?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/and-isn-t-it-better-really-to-leave-things-only-hinted-at/) [Junichiro Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/) > [Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/were-it-not-for-shadows-there-would-be-no-beauty/) [Junichiro Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/) > [Whenever I sit with a bowl of soup before me, listening to the murmur that penetrates like the distant song of an insect, lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/whenever-i-sit-with-a-bowl-of-soup-before-me-listening-to-the-murmur/) [Junichiro Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/) > [Each worm to his taste; some prefer to eat nettles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/each-worm-to-his-taste-some-prefer-to-eat-nettles/) [Junichiro Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/) > [For a woman who lived in the dark it was enough if she had a faint, white face -a full body was unnecessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/for-a-woman-who-lived-in-the-dark-it-was-enough-if-she-had-a-faint/) [Junichiro Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/) > [There are those who say that when civilization progresses a bit further transportation facilities will move into the skies and under the ground, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/there-are-those-who-say-that-when-civilization-progresses-a-bit/) [Junichiro Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/) > [“It is hard for one who has not had a similar experience to imagine the terror that still gripped Taeko and Mrs. Tamaki and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/it-is-hard-for-one-who-has-not-had-a-similar-experience-to-imagine/) [Junichiro Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/) > [Yet for better or worse we love things that bear the marks of grime, soot, and weather, and we love the colors and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/yet-for-better-or-worse-we-love-things-that-bear-the-marks-of-grime/) [Junichiro Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/) > [We delight in the mere sight of the delicate glow of fading rays clinging to the surface of a dusky wall, there to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/we-delight-in-the-mere-sight-of-the-delicate-glow-of-fading-rays/) [Junichiro Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/) > [We Orientals find beauty not only in the thing itself but in the pattern of the shadows, the light and darkness which that thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/we-orientals-find-beauty-not-only-in-the-thing-itself-but-in-the/) [Junichiro Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/) > [The ancients waited for cherry blossoms, grieved when they were gone, and lamented their passing in countless poems. How very ordinary the poems had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/the-ancients-waited-for-cherry-blossoms-grieved-when-they-were-gone/) [Junichiro Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/) > [The heart of mine is only one, it cannot be known by anybody but myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/the-heart-of-mine-is-only-one-it-cannot-be-known-by-anybody-but-myself/) [Junichiro Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/) > [I would call back at least for literature this world of shadows we are losing. In the mansion called literature I would have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/i-would-call-back-at-least-for-literature-this-world-of-shadows-we/) [Junichiro Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/) [Explore all 18 Junichiro Tanizaki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/) ## More Older quotes > [Clearly, I'm way older than everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/clearly-i-m-way-older-than-everyone/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [There are definite reference points to older Depeche Mode records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gore/there-are-definite-reference-points-to-older-depeche-mode-records/) [Martin Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gore/) > [I'd love to talk to myself at 40 and see what I've achieved and what I feel... but I will just be the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-d-love-to-talk-to-myself-at-40-and-see-what-i-ve-achieved-and-what/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. As I got older, my family is really hardcore into academics. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-doubleday/growing-up-i-did-commercials-and-things-like-that-but-nothing-serious/) [Portia Doubleday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-doubleday/) > [Getting older doesn't help you in the fact that you might have covered some of this ground before. So you're listening to a song…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-brooks/getting-older-doesn-t-help-you-in-the-fact-that-you-might-have/) [Garth Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-brooks/) > [This is me and my older brother alasandro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brother/this-is-me-and-my-older-brother-alasandro/) Brother > [The older I get, the more I'm saving the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-millsap/the-older-i-get-the-more-i-m-saving-the-day/) [Paul Millsap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-millsap/) > [When I hear that I realize how quickly time passes and how everybody goes on their journeys and they're always unbelievable and they never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/when-i-hear-that-i-realize-how-quickly-time-passes-and-how-everybody/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [I may be forty, but every morning when I get up, I feel like a twenty-year-old. Unfortunately, there's never one around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/i-may-be-forty-but-every-morning-when-i-get-up-i-feel-like-a-twenty/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [As I get older I realize how short & sometimes difficult life is & if you are not adding to my joy I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/as-i-get-older-i-realize-how-short-sometimes-difficult-life-is-if-you/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [I just want to be Patty McCormack. I want to spend every year aging the way she has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-varney/i-just-want-to-be-patty-mccormack-i-want-to-spend-every-year-aging/) [Janet Varney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-varney/) > [I'm 25, but I look like I'm 16 so I don't really don't consider age personally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-barden/i-m-25-but-i-look-like-i-m-16-so-i-don-t-really-don-t-consider-age/) [Jessica Barden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-barden/) > [The older I get, the more I look like my favorite shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/the-older-i-get-the-more-i-look-like-my-favorite-shoes/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [I’m 59 and people call me middle aged. How many 118 year old men do you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-cryer/i-m-59-and-people-call-me-middle-aged-how-many-118-year-old-men-do/) [Barry Cryer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-cryer/) > [I like to think I'm a very mature person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-courtney/i-like-to-think-i-m-a-very-mature-person/) [Joel Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-courtney/) Browse all 3,706 Older quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The older we get the more we seem to think that everything was better in the past.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Junichiro Tanizaki" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/the-older-we-get-the-more-we-seem-to-think-that-everything-was-better/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Older" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/the-older-we-get-the-more-we-seem-to-think-that-everything-was-better/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4f/junichiro-tanizaki-29320_older_the-older-we-get-the-more-we-seem-to-thi_2201624.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4f/junichiro-tanizaki-29320_older_the-older-we-get-the-more-we-seem-to-thi_2201624.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4f/junichiro-tanizaki-29320_older_the-older-we-get-the-more-we-seem-to-thi_2201624.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The older we get the more we seem to think that everything was better in the past.” — Junichiro Tanizaki", "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": "Junichiro Tanizaki", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The older we get the more...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/the-older-we-get-the-more-we-seem-to-think-that-everything-was-better/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/the-older-we-get-the-more-we-seem-to-think-that-everything-was-better/#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 } } ] } ```