--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man has more character in his face at…" description: "\"A man has more character in his face at forty than at twenty - he has suffered longer.\" — Mae West" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/mae-west-1200_character_a-man-has-more-character-in-his-face-at_3048488.jpg" --- # A man has more character in his face at forty than at… ![“A man has more character in his face at forty than at twenty - he has suffered longer.” quote by Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/mae-west-1200_character_a-man-has-more-character-in-his-face-at_3048488.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/mae-west-1200_character_a-man-has-more-character-in-his-face-at_3048488.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/mae-west-1200_character_a-man-has-more-character-in-his-face-at_3048488.jpg) > “A man has more character in his face at forty than at twenty - he has suffered longer.” [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A comment that age brings deeper character, implying that suffering over time builds a stronger persona. **In simple terms:** Age and suffering deepen character. Key Takeaway Embrace life’s challenges for growth. Themes aging character experience Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - midlife crisis - career development - personal reflection Key Concepts resilience wisdom Questions to Reflect On - What experiences have shaped your character? - Can growth occur without suffering? A Different Perspective It may romanticize hardship. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character Face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-face-1330335/) [Face Suffered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face-suffered-1486690/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Forty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forty/) [Man Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-character/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Suffered Longer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffered-longer-2811720/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) ## Related quotes > [“Lillian Meecham was a stunningly beautiful woman of thirty-seven. Time had encircled her softly, enriched and deepened her beauty as the years tiptoed past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/lillian-meecham-was-a-stunningly-beautiful-woman-of-thirty-seven-time/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“She had not had the relief of amnesia. She had suffered longer, and she had suffered more. Each second was agony in the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/she-had-not-had-the-relief-of-amnesia-she-had-suffered-longer-and-she/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“She had suffered longer, and she had suffered more. Each second was agony in the first weeks. She was like an amputee in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/she-had-suffered-longer-and-she-had-suffered-more-each-second-was/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [You know it's said that you make your own face. So you don't really have a face until you are 30 or your mid-20s.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/you-know-it-s-said-that-you-make-your-own-face-so-you-don-t-really/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [Give challenges to those who have the character to face them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/give-challenges-to-those-who-have-the-character-to-face-them/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [I can't wait til I get the chance to be a character and how my face looks isn't the first consideration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-lynch/i-can-t-wait-til-i-get-the-chance-to-be-a-character-and-how-my-face/) [Kelly Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-lynch/) > [I’m not good-looking. I used to be, but not anymore. Not like Robert Taylor. What I have got is I have character in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/i-m-not-good-looking-i-used-to-be-but-not-anymore-not-like-robert/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [I think the best acting is when you just see the thoughts on a character's face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-walter-hauser/i-think-the-best-acting-is-when-you-just-see-the-thoughts-on-a/) [Paul Walter Hauser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-walter-hauser/) > [The way I write is that, every time I reintroduced a character, I'd have to face some kind of inner demon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/the-way-i-write-is-that-every-time-i-reintroduced-a-character-i-d/) [Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/) > [How do you hold on to the idea that you are good and kind and deserving of love when the whole world thinks you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-calloway/how-do-you-hold-on-to-the-idea-that-you-are-good-and-kind-and/) [Caroline Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-calloway/) > [I have so many girlfriends in their twenties who live in a white box apartment, having mediocre meals with mediocre friends, waiting for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-oz/i-have-so-many-girlfriends-in-their-twenties-who-live-in-a-white-box/) [Daphne Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-oz/) > [Two times two is twenty-two, four times four is forty-four. When numbers get serious, they leave a mark on your door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/two-times-two-is-twenty-two-four-times-four-is-forty-four-when/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I drink twenty forties, smoke forty blunts, Say a hundred rhymes, and not sound like you once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dres/i-drink-twenty-forties-smoke-forty-blunts-say-a-hundred-rhymes-and/) [Dres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dres/) > [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/) > [Whether one is twenty, forty, or sixty; whether one has succeeded, failed or just muddled along; whether yesterday was full of sun or storm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-mitchell-hodges/whether-one-is-twenty-forty-or-sixty-whether-one-has-succeeded-failed/) [Leigh Mitchell Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-mitchell-hodges/) ## More by Mae West > [Reason was nowhere, time was an immovable object nailed high on the wall, except where the world kept shop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/reason-was-nowhere-time-was-an-immovable-object-nailed-high-on-the/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [I've been in 'Who's Who' and I know what's what, but it'll be the first time I ever made the dictionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/i-ve-been-in-who-s-who-and-i-know-what-s-what-but-it-ll-be-the-first/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Look your best - who said love is blind?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/look-your-best-who-said-love-is-blind/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Don't let a man put anything over on you except an umbrella.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/don-t-let-a-man-put-anything-over-on-you-except-an-umbrella/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [In my long and colorful career, one thing stands out: I have been misunderstood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/in-my-long-and-colorful-career-one-thing-stands-out-i-have-been/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [The finest woman that ever walked the streets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/the-finest-woman-that-ever-walked-the-streets/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [The best way to hold a man is in your arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/the-best-way-to-hold-a-man-is-in-your-arms/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Live close, visit often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/live-close-visit-often/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [A real farmer. He spent his childhood in the wheat, and his marriage in the hay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/a-real-farmer-he-spent-his-childhood-in-the-wheat-and-his-marriage-in/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Marriage? I ain't got time for a husband or child. All my life I've looked after myself as if I was my own child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/marriage-i-ain-t-got-time-for-a-husband-or-child-all-my-life-i-ve/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [“If I can't a man with a million dollars, I'll a million men with one dollar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/if-i-can-t-a-man-with-a-million-dollars-i-ll-a-million-men-with-one/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Sometimes I don't drink so the next day I can remember having fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/sometimes-i-don-t-drink-so-the-next-day-i-can-remember-having-fun/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Positive thoughts generate positive feelings and attract positive life experiences. You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/positive-thoughts-generate-positive-feelings-and-attract-positive/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [I believe in the single standard -- for men and women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/i-believe-in-the-single-standard-for-men-and-women/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [“Goodness had nothing to do with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/goodness-had-nothing-to-do-with-it/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) [Explore all 271 Mae West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) [David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A man has more character in his face at forty than at twenty - he has suffered longer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mae West" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/a-man-has-more-character-in-his-face-at-forty-than-at-twenty-he-has/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/a-man-has-more-character-in-his-face-at-forty-than-at-twenty-he-has/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/mae-west-1200_character_a-man-has-more-character-in-his-face-at_3048488.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/mae-west-1200_character_a-man-has-more-character-in-his-face-at_3048488.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/mae-west-1200_character_a-man-has-more-character-in-his-face-at_3048488.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A man has more character in his face at forty than at twenty - he has suffered longer.” — Mae West", "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": "Mae West", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A man has more character in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/a-man-has-more-character-in-his-face-at-forty-than-at-twenty-he-has/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/a-man-has-more-character-in-his-face-at-forty-than-at-twenty-he-has/#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 } } ] } ```