---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is my feeling that as we grow older we…"
description: "\"It is my feeling that as we grow older we should become not less radical but more so. I do not, of course, mean this in any political-party sense, but ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b9/margaret-laurence-15867_activism_it-is-my-feeling-that-as-we-grow-older-w_1211584.jpg"
---

#  It is my feeling that as we grow older we should become…

![“It is my feeling that as we grow older we should become not less radical but more so. I do not, of course, mean this in any political-party sense, but rather in a willingness to struggle for those things in which we passionately believe. Social activism and the struggle for social justice are…” quote by Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b9/margaret-laurence-15867_activism_it-is-my-feeling-that-as-we-grow-older-w_1211584.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b9/margaret-laurence-15867_activism_it-is-my-feeling-that-as-we-grow-older-w_1211584.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b9/margaret-laurence-15867_activism_it-is-my-feeling-that-as-we-grow-older-w_1211584.jpg)

> “It is my feeling that as we grow older we should become not less radical but more so. I do not, of course, mean this in any political-party sense, but rather in a willingness to struggle for those things in which we passionately believe. Social activism and the struggle for social justice are often thought of as the natural activities of the young but not of the middle-aged or the elderly. In fact, I don't think this was ever true.”

[Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

## About This Quote

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

Aging should deepen commitment to causes, not diminish it; activism is a lifelong passion.

**In simple terms:** Age should deepen activism, not lessen it.

Key Takeaway

Stay passionately engaged.

Themes

age activism passion justice

Mood

inspirational thoughtful

Type

motivational reflective

When to use this quote

- community organizing
- volunteering
- policy advocacy
- mentoring

Key Concepts

lifelong commitment social responsibility

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you adapt activism as you age?
- What causes ignite your passion now?

A Different Perspective

Physical stamina may limit certain actions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Activism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activism/) [Activism Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activism-struggle-3674633/) [Activity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activity/) [Aging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Elderly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elderly/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Middle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle/) [Middle aged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-aged/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Older Radical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/older-radical-3674632/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political parties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-parties/) [Radical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social activism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-activism/) [Social justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-justice/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Struggle Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle-social-310376/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Willingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willingness/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/)

## Related quotes

> [As we grow older we should become not less radical but more so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/as-we-grow-older-we-should-become-not-less-radical-but-more-so/)

[Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

> [Many folks have asked me, 'How do you do it and why have you sacrificed so much to do this work?' The answer comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lateefah-simon/many-folks-have-asked-me-how-do-you-do-it-and-why-have-you-sacrificed/)

[Lateefah Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lateefah-simon/)

> [As you know, I have been very open about my struggle with social anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-walker/as-you-know-i-have-been-very-open-about-my-struggle-with-social/)

[Summer Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-walker/)

> [If you want peace then you must struggle for social justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hani/if-you-want-peace-then-you-must-struggle-for-social-justice/)

[Chris Hani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hani/)

> [If religious feeling is put in opposition to social change, then it does become an opium, but if it is joined to the struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fidel-castro/if-religious-feeling-is-put-in-opposition-to-social-change-then-it/)

[Fidel Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fidel-castro/)

> [I love gay Mardi Gras in Sydney, which is a big parade, a big march that thousands and thousands of people participate in. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacki-weaver/i-love-gay-mardi-gras-in-sydney-which-is-a-big-parade-a-big-march/)

[Jacki Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacki-weaver/)

> [I want to learn something from my atheistic brothers and sisters, even though I'm a Christian. I want to learn something from my right-wing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-want-to-learn-something-from-my-atheistic-brothers-and-sisters-even/)

[Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/)

> [Elderly parents tend to think their relationship with their middle-aged children is smoother than the children do. Adult grandchildren, who have little stake in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-marantz-henig/elderly-parents-tend-to-think-their-relationship-with-their-middle/)

[Robin Marantz Henig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-marantz-henig/)

> [As we grow older we become more conscious of the complexity, incoherence, and unreasonableness of human beings; this indeed is the only excuse that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/as-we-grow-older-we-become-more-conscious-of-the-complexity-2/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [Young people...have more compassion and tenderness toward the elderly than most middle-aged adults. Nothing--not avarice, not pride, not scrupulousness, not impulsiveness--so disillusions a youth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-j-kaplan/young-people-have-more-compassion-and-tenderness-toward-the-elderly/)

[Louise J. Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-j-kaplan/)

> [As we grow older we become more conscious of the complexity, incoherence, and unreasonableness of human beings; this indeed is the only excuse that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/as-we-grow-older-we-become-more-conscious-of-the-complexity/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [as all women know, there are really no men at all. There are grown-up boys, and middle-aged boys, and elderly boys, and even sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/as-all-women-know-there-are-really-no-men-at-all-there-are-grown-up/)

[Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/)

> [Almost all my middle-aged and elderly acquaintances, including me, feel about 25, unless we haven't had our coffee, in which case we feel 107.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/almost-all-my-middle-aged-and-elderly-acquaintances-including-me-feel/)

[Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/)

> [“I do what I can,' I said. 'When I can do more, I will. You know that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/i-do-what-i-can-i-said-when-i-can-do-more-i-will-you-know-that/)

[Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/)

> [For the progressive left, social activism grounded in faith and theology crested in the 1960s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccurry/for-the-progressive-left-social-activism-grounded-in-faith-and/)

[Mike McCurry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccurry/)

## More by Margaret Laurence

> [“So, if this were indeed my Final Hour, these would be my words to you. I would not claim to pass on any secret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/so-if-this-were-indeed-my-final-hour-these-would-be-my-words-to-you-i/)

[Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

> [“Who wants tea and sympathy? Let's have coffee and sex, Stacey, eh?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/who-wants-tea-and-sympathy-let-s-have-coffee-and-sex-stacey-eh/)

[Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

> [“To move to a new place -- that's the greatest excitement. For a while you believe you carry nothing with you -- all is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/to-move-to-a-new-place-that-s-the-greatest-excitement-for-a-while-you/)

[Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

> [When I say work I only mean writing. Everything else is just odd jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/when-i-say-work-i-only-mean-writing-everything-else-is-just-odd-jobs/)

[Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

> [In some families, please is described as the magic word. In our house, however, it was sorry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/in-some-families-please-is-described-as-the-magic-word-in-our-house/)

[Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

> [Follow your heart, and you perish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/follow-your-heart-and-you-perish/)

[Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

> [“Too bad to deprive them, but if a person doesn't look after herself in this world, no one else is likely to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/too-bad-to-deprive-them-but-if-a-person-doesn-t-look-after-herself-in/)

[Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

> [Women, as well as men, in all ages and in all places, have danced on the earth, danced the life dance, danced joy, danced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/women-as-well-as-men-in-all-ages-and-in-all-places-have-danced-on-the/)

[Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

> [Will we ever reach a point when it is no longer necessary to say Them and Us? I believe we must reach that point,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/will-we-ever-reach-a-point-when-it-is-no-longer-necessary-to-say-them/)

[Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

> [I can't change what's happened to me in my life, or make what's not occurred take place. But I can't say I like it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/i-can-t-change-what-s-happened-to-me-in-my-life-or-make-what-s-not/)

[Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

> [Pride was my wilderness, and the demon that led me there was fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/pride-was-my-wilderness-and-the-demon-that-led-me-there-was-fear/)

[Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

> [“Must've been off my head, wandering around the harbour so long. Didn't even get the nightgowns. Are the kids okay? Damn, I wish I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/must-ve-been-off-my-head-wandering-around-the-harbour-so-long-didn-t/)

[Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

> [“Nothing is clear now. Something must be the matter with my way of viewing things. I have no middle view. Either I fix on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/nothing-is-clear-now-something-must-be-the-matter-with-my-way-of/)

[Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

> [Holidays are enticing only for the first week or so. After that, it is no longer such a novelty to rise late and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/holidays-are-enticing-only-for-the-first-week-or-so-after-that-it-is/)

[Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

> [“And yet, for a writer of fiction, part of the heart remains that of a stranger, for what we are trying to do is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/and-yet-for-a-writer-of-fiction-part-of-the-heart-remains-that-of-a/)

[Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

[Explore all 41 Margaret Laurence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

## More Activism quotes

> [“God has a way of picking a “nobody” and turning their world upside down, in order to create a “somebody” that will remove the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/god-has-a-way-of-picking-a-nobody-and-turning-their-world-upside-down/)

[Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/)

> [“All struggles against oppression in the modern woeld begin by redefining what had previously been consideered private, non-public and non-political issues as matters of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyla-benhabib/all-struggles-against-oppression-in-the-modern-woeld-begin-by/)

[Seyla Benhabib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyla-benhabib/)

> [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/joy-doesn-t-betray-but-sustains-activism-and-when-you-face-a-politics/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

> [“It takes a female to have a baby, It takes a woman to raise a child, It takes a mother to raise them correctly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/it-takes-a-female-to-have-a-baby-it-takes-a-woman-to-raise-a-child-it/)

[Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/)

> [Paul Revere earned his living as a silversmith. But what do we remember him for? His volunteer work. All activism is volunteering in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-j-ellis/paul-revere-earned-his-living-as-a-silversmith-but-what-do-we/)

[Susan J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-j-ellis/)

> [Being in service and being involved in something that is greater than you is what makes a person complete and whole. The very first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/being-in-service-and-being-involved-in-something-that-is-greater-than/)

[Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/)

> [“The times do not call for grassroots political activism, as if the next election might be enough to reverse a massive cultural earthquake. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-d-miller/the-times-do-not-call-for-grassroots-political-activism-as-if-the/)

[Paul D. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-d-miller/)

> [He went to Paris looking for answers to questions that bothered him so. He was impressive, young and aggressive, saving the world on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/he-went-to-paris-looking-for-answers-to-questions-that-bothered-him/)

[Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/)

> [Poetry is a lousy form of activism; it doesn't really change much. And maybe we can point to one or two historical times when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-gottlieb/poetry-is-a-lousy-form-of-activism-it-doesn-t-really-change-much-and/)

[Daphne Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-gottlieb/)

> [There's a lot of activism that doesn't deal with empowerment, and you have to empower yourself in order to be relevant to any type…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/there-s-a-lot-of-activism-that-doesn-t-deal-with-empowerment-and-you/)

[Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/)

> [“Until you find a cause you can die for, you are not worthy to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/until-you-find-a-cause-you-can-die-for-you-are-not-worthy-to-live/)

[Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/)

> [Ya'll know what you need to do? Get together, make a We Are The World record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-jackson/ya-ll-know-what-you-need-to-do-get-together-make-a-we-are-the-world/)

[Curtis Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-jackson/)

> [“There is no way to tell if we are the pioneers of a visionary new age, whisking humanity into the high vibrations of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-talat-phillips/there-is-no-way-to-tell-if-we-are-the-pioneers-of-a-visionary-new-age/)

[Jonathan Talat Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-talat-phillips/)

> [Terence McKenna says, "The culture is not your friend." I am not sure we can change this culture. But I think we can rise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/terence-mckenna-says-the-culture-is-not-your-friend-i-am-not-sure-we/)

[Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/)

> [“A spirituality that is only private and self-absorbed, one devoid of an authentic political and social consciousness, does little to halt the suicidal juggernaut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-harvey/a-spirituality-that-is-only-private-and-self-absorbed-one-devoid-of/)

[Andrew Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-harvey/)

[Browse all 820 Activism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is my feeling that as we grow older we should become not less radical but more so. I do not, of course, mean this in any political-party sense, but rather in a willingness to struggle for those things in which we passionately believe. Social activism and the struggle for social justice are often thought of as the natural activities of the young but not of the middle-aged or the elderly. In fact, I don't think this was ever true.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Margaret Laurence"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/it-is-my-feeling-that-as-we-grow-older-we-should-become-not-less/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Activism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/it-is-my-feeling-that-as-we-grow-older-we-should-become-not-less/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b9/margaret-laurence-15867_activism_it-is-my-feeling-that-as-we-grow-older-w_1211584.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b9/margaret-laurence-15867_activism_it-is-my-feeling-that-as-we-grow-older-w_1211584.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b9/margaret-laurence-15867_activism_it-is-my-feeling-that-as-we-grow-older-w_1211584.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is my feeling that as we grow older we should become not less radical but more so. I do not, of course…” — Margaret Laurence",
                "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": "Margaret Laurence",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is my feeling that as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/it-is-my-feeling-that-as-we-grow-older-we-should-become-not-less/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/it-is-my-feeling-that-as-we-grow-older-we-should-become-not-less/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
