---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be half a century plus is wonderfully…"
description: "\"“To be half a century plus is wonderfully exciting, because I haven't lost any of my past, and I am free to stand on the rock of all that the past has ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/madeleine-l-engle-345_century_to-be-half-a-century-plus-is-wonderfully_989182.jpg"
---

#  To be half a century plus is wonderfully exciting, because…

![“To be half a century plus is wonderfully exciting, because I haven't lost any of my past, and I am free to stand on the rock of all that the past has taught me as I look to the future.” quote by Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/madeleine-l-engle-345_century_to-be-half-a-century-plus-is-wonderfully_989182.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/madeleine-l-engle-345_century_to-be-half-a-century-plus-is-wonderfully_989182.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/madeleine-l-engle-345_century_to-be-half-a-century-plus-is-wonderfully_989182.jpg)

> ““To be half a century plus is wonderfully exciting, because I haven't lost any of my past, and I am free to stand on the rock of all that the past has taught me as I look to the future.””

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Aging can be exciting when one retains past lessons while looking forward.

**In simple terms:** Aging is exciting with past wisdom.

Key Takeaway

Value experience, embrace future.

Themes

growth age wisdom future

Mood

hopeful inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- career transitions
- personal development
- retirement planning

Key Concepts

lifelong learning self-acceptance

Questions to Reflect On

- What past lessons guide your future?
- How can you stay open to new experiences?

A Different Perspective

Fear of change can hinder progress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Growing older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-older/) [Mid-life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mid-life/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [We need the rock of the past under our feet in order to spring forward into the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/we-need-the-rock-of-the-past-under-our-feet-in-order-to-spring/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [“Don't hold onto the past, free your hands to reach for the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/don-t-hold-onto-the-past-free-your-hands-to-reach-for-the-future/)

[Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/)

> [“At least if you were ignorant, you could do what you wanted, you had no idea what had been achieved in the past. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamza-wolf/at-least-if-you-were-ignorant-you-could-do-what-you-wanted-you-had-no/)

[Hamza Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamza-wolf/)

> [at least if you were ignorant you could do wat you wanted. you had no idea wat had been acheived in the past. you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/at-least-if-you-were-ignorant-you-could-do-wat-you-wanted-you-had-no/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [I've had the longest mid-life crisis ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-ifans/i-ve-had-the-longest-mid-life-crisis-ever/)

[Rhys Ifans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-ifans/)

> [I knew if I wanted to live past mid-life I would have to lose some weight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pinette/i-knew-if-i-wanted-to-live-past-mid-life-i-would-have-to-lose-some/)

[John Pinette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pinette/)

> [It was mid-life crisis time and you can't have more of a mid-life crisis than going off on a motorbike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-myers/it-was-mid-life-crisis-time-and-you-can-t-have-more-of-a-mid-life/)

[Dave Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-myers/)

> [There was a time when people had the decency to wait until they were approaching 50 to have a mid-life crisis. Now it seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-barrowcliffe/there-was-a-time-when-people-had-the-decency-to-wait-until-they-were/)

[Mark Barrowcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-barrowcliffe/)

> [I don't like the term mid-life crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-stephenson/i-don-t-like-the-term-mid-life-crisis/)

[Pamela Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-stephenson/)

> [I definitely don't think I'm going to have a mid-life crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-wu/i-definitely-don-t-think-i-m-going-to-have-a-mid-life-crisis/)

[Daniel Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-wu/)

> [I had my mid-life crisis at 29. I've got my thirties and forties into the back end of my twenties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-allen/i-had-my-mid-life-crisis-at-29-i-ve-got-my-thirties-and-forties-into/)

[Lily Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-allen/)

> [“Even during a mid-life crisis do not deviate from your goal. History remembers only those who succeed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hockson-floin/even-during-a-mid-life-crisis-do-not-deviate-from-your-goal-history/)

[Hockson Floin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hockson-floin/)

> [“Screw the mid-life crisis Go have a mid-life spa day A mid-life quickie A midlife tiramisu But whatever you do DON'T give in to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/screw-the-mid-life-crisis-go-have-a-mid-life-spa-day-a-mid-life/)

[Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/)

> [It's bad timing, but a lot of kids become teenagers just as their parents are hitting their mid-life crisis. So everybody's miserable and confused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/it-s-bad-timing-but-a-lot-of-kids-become-teenagers-just-as-their/)

[Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/)

> [You can't have a mid-life crisis in the airline industry because every day is a crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/you-can-t-have-a-mid-life-crisis-in-the-airline-industry-because/)

[Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/)

## More by Madeleine L'Engle

> [“One of the hardest lessons I have to learn is how not to be judgmental about people who are judgmental. When I see how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/one-of-the-hardest-lessons-i-have-to-learn-is-how-not-to-be/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [Inspiration more often comes during the work than before it, because the largest part of the job of an artist is to listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/inspiration-more-often-comes-during-the-work-than-before-it-because/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/you-have-to-write-the-book-that-wants-to-be-written-and-if-the-book/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [Severe illness isolates those in close contact with it, because it inevitably narrows the focus of concern. To a certain extent this can lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/severe-illness-isolates-those-in-close-contact-with-it-because-it/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [Goodness has never been a guarantee of safety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/goodness-has-never-been-a-guarantee-of-safety/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [“Faith is what makes life bearable, with all its tragedies and ambiguities and sudden, startling joys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/faith-is-what-makes-life-bearable-with-all-its-tragedies-and/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [“Instead of rejoicing in this glorious “impossible” which gives meaning and dignity to our lives, we try to domesticate God, to make his mighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/instead-of-rejoicing-in-this-glorious-impossible-which-gives-meaning/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [I have never lived before...Until this summer, I did not know what it was to be alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-have-never-lived-before-until-this-summer-i-did-not-know-what-it/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [On the other side of pain, there is still love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/on-the-other-side-of-pain-there-is-still-love/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [“To love is to be vulnerable; and it is only in vulnerability and risk—not safety and security—that we overcome darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/to-love-is-to-be-vulnerable-and-it-is-only-in-vulnerability-and-risk/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [“IT was the most horrible, the most repellent thing she had ever seen, far more nauseating then anything she had ever imagined with her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/it-was-the-most-horrible-the-most-repellent-thing-she-had-ever-seen/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [I feel as though I'm not breathing when I'm out of his presence. He's the oxygen in my air, the sun in my universe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-feel-as-though-i-m-not-breathing-when-i-m-out-of-his-presence-he-s/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [Rather than feeling lost and unimportant and meaningless, set against galaxies which go beyond the reach of the furthest telescopes, I feel that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/rather-than-feeling-lost-and-unimportant-and-meaningless-set-against/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [My husband is my most ruthless critic... sometimes he will say, 'It's been said better before.' Of course it has. It's all been said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/my-husband-is-my-most-ruthless-critic-sometimes-he-will-say-it-s-been/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [If we aren't capable of being hurt we aren't capable of feeling joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/if-we-aren-t-capable-of-being-hurt-we-aren-t-capable-of-feeling-joy/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

[Explore all 660 Madeleine L'Engle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

## More Century quotes

> [I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-always-that-i-am-an-outsider-a-stranger-in-this-century-and/)

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

> [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/)

[Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/)

> [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/)

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

> [The poetry from the eighteenth century was prose; the prose from the seventeenth century was poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/the-poetry-from-the-eighteenth-century-was-prose-the-prose-from-the/)

[David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/)

[Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/)

> [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/)

[Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/)

> [At no time in the past century has public distrust of the government been so broadly distributed across the political spectrum, as it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-zimmermann/at-no-time-in-the-past-century-has-public-distrust-of-the-government/)

[Phil Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-zimmermann/)

> [While husbands and lovers in the stories are of all kinds, ranging from sympathetic to disgusting, women are invariably deceivers: inconstant, unscrupulous, quarrelsome, querulous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/while-husbands-and-lovers-in-the-stories-are-of-all-kinds-ranging/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [The young people today are the 21st century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/the-young-people-today-are-the-21st-century/)

[Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/)

> [The wisdom of our actions in the first three years of peace will determine the course of world history for half a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/the-wisdom-of-our-actions-in-the-first-three-years-of-peace-will/)

[Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/)

> [For me, the melancholy of the late XXth Century is walking late at night by the Mont Blanc pen store and seeing these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/for-me-the-melancholy-of-the-late-xxth-century-is-walking-late-at/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [Consequently, citizen legislators, rotating back to their communities after a short period of public service—considered an indispensable and routine characteristic and design of representative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/consequently-citizen-legislators-rotating-back-to-their-communities/)

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

Browse all 5,406 Century quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“To be half a century plus is wonderfully exciting, because I haven't lost any of my past, and I am free to stand on the rock of all that the past has taught me as I look to the future.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Madeleine L'Engle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/to-be-half-a-century-plus-is-wonderfully-exciting-because-i-haven-t/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Century"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/to-be-half-a-century-plus-is-wonderfully-exciting-because-i-haven-t/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/madeleine-l-engle-345_century_to-be-half-a-century-plus-is-wonderfully_989182.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/madeleine-l-engle-345_century_to-be-half-a-century-plus-is-wonderfully_989182.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/madeleine-l-engle-345_century_to-be-half-a-century-plus-is-wonderfully_989182.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To be half a century plus is wonderfully exciting, because I haven't lost any of my past, and I am free to…” — Madeleine L'Engle",
                "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": "Madeleine L'Engle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“To be half a century plus...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/to-be-half-a-century-plus-is-wonderfully-exciting-because-i-haven-t/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/to-be-half-a-century-plus-is-wonderfully-exciting-because-i-haven-t/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
