--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I turned 30 as a janitor. I was thinking…" description: "\"I turned 30 as a janitor. I was thinking at the time that Hank Williams died when he was 29. All my peers were at least 10 years younger than I was. I ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/kris-kristofferson-4931_felt_i-turned-30-as-a-janitor-i-was-thinking_133688.jpg" --- # I turned 30 as a janitor. I was thinking at the time that… ![“I turned 30 as a janitor. I was thinking at the time that Hank Williams died when he was 29. All my peers were at least 10 years younger than I was. I felt like an old has-been at the time.” quote by Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/kris-kristofferson-4931_felt_i-turned-30-as-a-janitor-i-was-thinking_133688.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/kris-kristofferson-4931_felt_i-turned-30-as-a-janitor-i-was-thinking_133688.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/kris-kristofferson-4931_felt_i-turned-30-as-a-janitor-i-was-thinking_133688.jpg) > “I turned 30 as a janitor. I was thinking at the time that Hank Williams died when he was 29. All my peers were at least 10 years younger than I was. I felt like an old has-been at the time.” [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Feeling out of sync with peers due to age can cause self‑doubt, yet age also brings experience that can be valuable. **In simple terms:** Age can feel like a disadvantage. Key Takeaway Value experience over age. Themes self‑esteem age career identity comparison Mood reflective hopeful Type motivational personal growth When to use this quote - job hunting - creative pursuits - social networking Key Concepts psychology lifespan development career transition Questions to Reflect On - How can you leverage your experience? - What steps can you take to feel more connected? A Different Perspective Ageism can limit opportunities despite competence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Died 29](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/died-29-1526281/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Hank williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hank-williams/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old/) [Old time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-time/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Hank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-hank-1526282/) [Turned 30](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turned-30-829418/) ## Related quotes > [I grew up listening to Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, so arriving in Nashville in the '60s was really exciting for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/i-grew-up-listening-to-hank-williams-and-johnny-cash-so-arriving-in/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [As long as I have the talent and there's a demand for the old Chinese man - whether he's a philosopher, or a master,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hong/as-long-as-i-have-the-talent-and-there-s-a-demand-for-the-old-chinese/) [James Hong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hong/) > [I've turned 30 now and, although there will always be a bit of the rock chick in me, I'm trying to embrace my softer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-harding/i-ve-turned-30-now-and-although-there-will-always-be-a-bit-of-the/) [Sarah Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-harding/) > [When I turned 30, I realized how ignorant I really was. I always thought I had a very accomplished life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-kruger/when-i-turned-30-i-realized-how-ignorant-i-really-was-i-always/) [Diane Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-kruger/) > [I've been in this business for a long time at my age, I've just turned 30, and I feel like my wife's career is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-phillippe/i-ve-been-in-this-business-for-a-long-time-at-my-age-i-ve-just-turned/) [Ryan Phillippe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-phillippe/) > [I have friends who hide in their bedroom for three days every time they have another birthday. That's what brings the wrinkles! I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-conchita-alonso/i-have-friends-who-hide-in-their-bedroom-for-three-days-every-time/) [Maria Conchita Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-conchita-alonso/) > [I had a terrible bout of acne after I turned 30.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-had-a-terrible-bout-of-acne-after-i-turned-30/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [I've worked really hard to build up a career on my own. I turned 30 recently and it took me a long time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/i-ve-worked-really-hard-to-build-up-a-career-on-my-own-i-turned-30/) [Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/) > [The good thing about having a kid is you don't think about that as much. Like when I turned 30, for instance, that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-byrne/the-good-thing-about-having-a-kid-is-you-don-t-think-about-that-as/) [Rose Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-byrne/) > [“When I turned 30, I was done with Thousand Island dressing. I have moved on to Island Number 1001.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/when-i-turned-30-i-was-done-with-thousand-island-dressing-i-have/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I know this sounds strange, but when I turned 30, it was a turning point in my life. I wanted to push myself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-lofaso/i-know-this-sounds-strange-but-when-i-turned-30-it-was-a-turning/) [Antonia Lofaso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonia-lofaso/) > [When I turned 30, I realised the value of time and with it, the other important things in life. That's when I did up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rani-mukerji/when-i-turned-30-i-realised-the-value-of-time-and-with-it-the-other/) [Rani Mukerji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rani-mukerji/) > [I just turned 30 so I got really introspective as you do, questioning my life. And when I stopped and sort of looked back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-lee/i-just-turned-30-so-i-got-really-introspective-as-you-do-questioning/) [Sheryl Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-lee/) > [Around the time I turned 30, I wanted to publish a novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/around-the-time-i-turned-30-i-wanted-to-publish-a-novel/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [I remember when I turned 30 and I started doing sit-ups, I split with my girlfriend and stopped drinking and all sorts of things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-skinner/i-remember-when-i-turned-30-and-i-started-doing-sit-ups-i-split-with/) [Frank Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-skinner/) ## More by Kris Kristofferson > [I'll probably be writing as long as I'm breathing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/i-ll-probably-be-writing-as-long-as-i-m-breathing/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [That's who I wanted to be like was Bob Dylan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/that-s-who-i-wanted-to-be-like-was-bob-dylan/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [Just remember that William Blake wasn't even published in his lifetime. Ya gotta keep creating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/just-remember-that-william-blake-wasn-t-even-published-in-his/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [Peter Cooper looks at the world with an artist's eye and a human heart and soul. His songs are the work of an original,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/peter-cooper-looks-at-the-world-with-an-artist-s-eye-and-a-human/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [Freedom is just another word: It seems to get truer the older I get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/freedom-is-just-another-word-it-seems-to-get-truer-the-older-i-get/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [What really makes me happy now is my home. I know that I have that to lose. But I don't see losing it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/what-really-makes-me-happy-now-is-my-home-i-know-that-i-have-that-to/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [There are points in your life, especially if you have creative ambitions, where selfishness is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/there-are-points-in-your-life-especially-if-you-have-creative/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [I always had to wait until something hit me, and I could write it. But when I would cut an album, to me it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/i-always-had-to-wait-until-something-hit-me-and-i-could-write-it-but/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [The older I get, the less conservative I become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/the-older-i-get-the-less-conservative-i-become/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [I wish my memory weren't so bad. They tell me it's from all the football and boxing and the concussions that I got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/i-wish-my-memory-weren-t-so-bad-they-tell-me-it-s-from-all-the/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [Never's just the echo of forever, lonesome as a love that might have been. Let me go on lovin' and believin' 'til it's over.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/never-s-just-the-echo-of-forever-lonesome-as-a-love-that-might-have/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [I feel like an old boxer. The brain's gone, but I can still move around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/i-feel-like-an-old-boxer-the-brain-s-gone-but-i-can-still-move-around/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [Being in love with a lot of people is incompatible with a stable family life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/being-in-love-with-a-lot-of-people-is-incompatible-with-a-stable/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [The closest Ive come to knowing myself is in losing myself. Thats why I loved football before I loved music. I could lose myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/the-closest-ive-come-to-knowing-myself-is-in-losing-myself-thats-why/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [Bombing people for economic reasons is as horrible as killing a pregnant woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/bombing-people-for-economic-reasons-is-as-horrible-as-killing-a/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) [Explore all 105 Kris Kristofferson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) ## More Felt quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [Hackney gets a bit of a bad rap, but it's the only place I've ever lived that felt like a community. I know my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-horgan/hackney-gets-a-bit-of-a-bad-rap-but-it-s-the-only-place-i-ve-ever/) [Sharon Horgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-horgan/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [The more I read about feeding times, sleep times and waking-up times, the more inadequate and miserable I felt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-porter/the-more-i-read-about-feeding-times-sleep-times-and-waking-up-times/) [Gail Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-porter/) > [I have touched with a sense of art some people-they felt the love and the life. Can you offer me anything to compare to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-cassatt/i-have-touched-with-a-sense-of-art-some-people-they-felt-the-love-and/) [Mary Cassatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-cassatt/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [When I made it, I still didn't wave the flag and say, Yeah go Asian people. I do want people to know that about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hugo/when-i-made-it-i-still-didn-t-wave-the-flag-and-say-yeah-go-asian/) [Chad Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hugo/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [My life was incoherent to me. I felt it quivering, spitting out broken teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-fox/my-life-was-incoherent-to-me-i-felt-it-quivering-spitting-out-broken/) [Paula Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-fox/) > [I felt pretty good growing up. I didnt feel a lot of prejudice or racism. 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