--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We never are too old for this, my dear…" description: "\"“We never are too old for this, my dear, because it is a play we are playing all the time in one way or another. Out burdens are here, our road is befo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aab/louisa-may-alcott-318_happiness_we-never-are-too-old-for-this-my-dear-be_3134478.jpg" --- # We never are too old for this, my dear, because it is a… ![“We never are too old for this, my dear, because it is a play we are playing all the time in one way or another. Out burdens are here, our road is before us, and the longing for goodness and happiness is the guide that leads us through many troubles and mistakes to the peace which is a true…” quote by Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aab/louisa-may-alcott-318_happiness_we-never-are-too-old-for-this-my-dear-be_3134478.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aab/louisa-may-alcott-318_happiness_we-never-are-too-old-for-this-my-dear-be_3134478.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aab/louisa-may-alcott-318_happiness_we-never-are-too-old-for-this-my-dear-be_3134478.jpg) > ““We never are too old for this, my dear, because it is a play we are playing all the time in one way or another. Out burdens are here, our road is before us, and the longing for goodness and happiness is the guide that leads us through many troubles and mistakes to the peace which is a true Celestial City. Now, my little pilgrims, suppose you begin again, not in play, but in earnest, and see how far on you can get before Father comes home.”” [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is a continual play where we seek happiness and goodness, guiding us through hardships toward a heavenly peace. **In simple terms:** Life is a play seeking happiness and peace. Key Takeaway Embrace each day as a meaningful stage. Themes growth purpose spirituality Mood hopeful reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - spiritual practice - overcoming adversity - seeking meaning Key Concepts existentialism optimism Questions to Reflect On - How does viewing life as a play affect your resilience? - What does “Celestial City” symbolize for you? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Pilgrims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pilgrims/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“..Well, old dear, I guess love is the real suspension of disbelief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-banks/well-old-dear-i-guess-love-is-the-real-suspension-of-disbelief/) [Melissa Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-banks/) > [ “Dear 25 year old \[note: not “Dear 25-year-old me” or “Dear 25-year-old self,” just “Dear 25 year old”\],” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allie-brosh/dear-25-year-old-note-not-dear-25-year-old-me-or-dear-25-year-old/) [Allie Brosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allie-brosh/) > [We are all pilgrims on an elusive and endless road... Despite our attempts to build lives on stone foundations, our spirits continuously flow. Endless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lawlor/we-are-all-pilgrims-on-an-elusive-and-endless-road-despite-our/) [Anthony Lawlor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lawlor/) > [“Overcome and sobbing, the young woman sank down before the cross at the side of the road, where thousands of pilgrims had lain and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigrid-undset/overcome-and-sobbing-the-young-woman-sank-down-before-the-cross-at/) [Sigrid Undset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigrid-undset/) > [Pilgrims travel to Jerusalem to see the Holy Land, and the foundations of their faith. People go to Washington, D.C. to see the workings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-paisley/pilgrims-travel-to-jerusalem-to-see-the-holy-land-and-the-foundations/) [Brad Paisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-paisley/) > [In dreams we stand in this great democracy of the possible and there we are right pilgrims indeed. There we go forth to meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/in-dreams-we-stand-in-this-great-democracy-of-the-possible-and-there/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [Next to of course god America i / love you land of the pilgrims and so forth oh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/next-to-of-course-god-america-i-love-you-land-of-the-pilgrims-and-so/) [e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/) > [The Pilgrims came to America not to accumulate riches but to worship God, and the greatest wealth they left unborn generations was their heroic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-moyle-tippett/the-pilgrims-came-to-america-not-to-accumulate-riches-but-to-worship/) Harry Moyle Tippett > [Politics is like navigation in a sea without charts, and wise men live the lives of pilgrims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-cary/politics-is-like-navigation-in-a-sea-without-charts-and-wise-men-live/) [Joyce Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-cary/) > [“Far out on the desert to the north dustspouts rose wobbling and augered the earth and some said they'd heard of pilgrims borne aloft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/far-out-on-the-desert-to-the-north-dustspouts-rose-wobbling-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The pilgrims continue to come. Only God knows what each one of us brings, and with what kind of heart. We come mystically to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-basil-pennington/the-pilgrims-continue-to-come-only-god-knows-what-each-one-of-us/) M. Basil Pennington > [“Many members of that early band of twentieth-century pilgrims must have yearned for the honesty of Southern landscapes where even if they were the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/many-members-of-that-early-band-of-twentieth-century-pilgrims-must/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“In the truest sense, Christian pilgrims have the best of both worlds. We have joy whenever this world reminds us of the next, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/in-the-truest-sense-christian-pilgrims-have-the-best-of-both-worlds/) [Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/) > [It is imperative that the past of the pilgrims' progress be intentionally carried forward into the present as we work into our future. Without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-richard-niebuhr/it-is-imperative-that-the-past-of-the-pilgrims-progress-be/) [H. Richard Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-richard-niebuhr/) > [“Pilgrims were people glad to take off their clothing, which was on fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/pilgrims-were-people-glad-to-take-off-their-clothing-which-was-on-fire/) [Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/) ## More by Louisa May Alcott > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“At three o'clock in the afternoon, all the fashionable world at Nice may be seen on the Promenade des Anglais—a charming place, for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/at-three-o-clock-in-the-afternoon-all-the-fashionable-world-at-nice/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“Please could I say one word?" was the question three times repeated before a rough head boobed out from the grotto of books in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/please-could-i-say-one-word-was-the-question-three-times-repeated/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Elegance has a bad effect on my constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/elegance-has-a-bad-effect-on-my-constitution/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“…the child's heart bled when it was broken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/the-child-s-heart-bled-when-it-was-broken/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“She would make a man of me. She puts strength and courage into me as no one else can. She is unlike any girl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/she-would-make-a-man-of-me-she-puts-strength-and-courage-into-me-as/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“I read somewhere that every inch of rope used in the British Navy has a strand of red in it, so that wherever a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-read-somewhere-that-every-inch-of-rope-used-in-the-british-navy-has/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“Chance words spoken in kindness often help amazingly; and that's what old people are here for -- else their experience is of little use.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/chance-words-spoken-in-kindness-often-help-amazingly-and-that-s-what/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“Tired of my own company, I suppose, now I've seen so much better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/tired-of-my-own-company-i-suppose-now-i-ve-seen-so-much-better/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Oft in the silence of the night, When the lonely moon rides high, When wintry winds are whistling, And we hear the owl's shrill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/oft-in-the-silence-of-the-night-when-the-lonely-moon-rides-high-when/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [But buds will be roses, and kittens, cats - more's the pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/but-buds-will-be-roses-and-kittens-cats-more-s-the-pity/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“I'll try and be what he loves to call me, 'a little woman' and not be rough and wild, but do my duty here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-ll-try-and-be-what-he-loves-to-call-me-a-little-woman-and-not-be/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“If you feel your value lies in being merely decorative, I fear that someday you might find yourself believing that’s all that you really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/if-you-feel-your-value-lies-in-being-merely-decorative-i-fear-that/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“ "I do not ask for any crown But that which all may win; Nor try to conquer any world Except the world within." ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-do-not-ask-for-any-crown-but-that-which-all-may-win-nor-try-to/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Some books are so familiar that reading them is like being home again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/some-books-are-so-familiar-that-reading-them-is-like-being-home-again/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) [Explore all 681 Louisa May Alcott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) ## More Happiness quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/) [Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I've got nothing to do today but smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-got-nothing-to-do-today-but-smile/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Positive thinking evokes more energy, more initiative, more happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/positive-thinking-evokes-more-energy-more-initiative-more-happiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) Pancho Barnes [Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We never are too old for this, my dear, because it is a play we are playing all the time in one way or another. 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