--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Unfortunately, there are mental invalids…" description: "\"Unfortunately, there are mental invalids of every age who exist on other people's terms. It's lazy for older persons to let others make up their minds ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/marian-seldes-19701_age_unfortunately-there-are-mental-invalids_2417330.png" --- # Unfortunately, there are mental invalids of every age who… ![“Unfortunately, there are mental invalids of every age who exist on other people's terms. It's lazy for older persons to let others make up their minds for them. People have to overcome that.” quote by Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/marian-seldes-19701_age_unfortunately-there-are-mental-invalids_2417330.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/marian-seldes-19701_age_unfortunately-there-are-mental-invalids_2417330.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/marian-seldes-19701_age_unfortunately-there-are-mental-invalids_2417330.png) > “Unfortunately, there are mental invalids of every age who exist on other people's terms. It's lazy for older persons to let others make up their minds for them. People have to overcome that.” [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Older individuals often let others dictate their lives, which is a lazy and disempowering habit that must be overcome. **In simple terms:** Don't let others decide for you. Key Takeaway Take control of your own decisions. Themes autonomy age self‑determination Mood determined serious Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - career choices - relationships - health decisions - political views Key Concepts psychology social expectations Questions to Reflect On - What decisions have you surrendered? - How can you reclaim agency? A Different Perspective Changing long‑standing habits is difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [It is with great satisfaction that I have signed into law the Social Security Amendments of 1961. They represent an additional step toward eliminating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/it-is-with-great-satisfaction-that-i-have-signed-into-law-the-social/) [John F. 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But I can tell you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-baker/look-i-can-t-get-into-the-minds-of-people-who-made-decisions-to/) [Charlie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-baker/) > [Peace does not rest in charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/peace-does-not-rest-in-charters-and-covenants-alone-it-lies-in-the/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [There's nothing quite like being able to get into the minds of other people, and figure out how they work, and what makes other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/there-s-nothing-quite-like-being-able-to-get-into-the-minds-of-other/) [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) > [It's great to express yourself and tell other people's stories and get into the minds of people who aren't like you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-thomas/it-s-great-to-express-yourself-and-tell-other-people-s-stories-and/) [Antonia Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonia-thomas/) > [It is not your duty or responsibility to change the minds of other people. The nature of their thinking is advanced or limited by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/it-is-not-your-duty-or-responsibility-to-change-the-minds-of-other/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [Agreement is brought about by changing people's minds - other people's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/agreement-is-brought-about-by-changing-people-s-minds-other-people-s/) [S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/) > [“We can never fully understand the hearts and minds of people . . . unless we can speak directly to them in their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rabinowitz/we-can-never-fully-understand-the-hearts-and-minds-of-people-unless/) Alan Rabinowitz > [As human beings, we need to know that we are not alone, that we are not crazy or completely out of our minds, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/as-human-beings-we-need-to-know-that-we-are-not-alone-that-we-are-not/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) ## More by Marian Seldes > [I know I'm funny, because I'm eccentric, I'm odd. I'm not what you expect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/i-know-i-m-funny-because-i-m-eccentric-i-m-odd-i-m-not-what-you-expect/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [How do people who live utterly alone survive? There are so many things that won't open. I've got a few dresses in New York,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/how-do-people-who-live-utterly-alone-survive-there-are-so-many-things/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [I would hate to think of the theatre world without critics. Without them, we'd not have the record of each season.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/i-would-hate-to-think-of-the-theatre-world-without-critics-without/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [Confidence has nothing to do with what you look like. If you obsess over that, you'll end up being disappointed in yourself all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/confidence-has-nothing-to-do-with-what-you-look-like-if-you-obsess/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [If you're unhappy in a relationship, I think you just don't trust yourself for getting into another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/if-you-re-unhappy-in-a-relationship-i-think-you-just-don-t-trust/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [I think of myself as only being an actress when I'm acting, but my friends will say I act all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/i-think-of-myself-as-only-being-an-actress-when-i-m-acting-but-my/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [Own the room. Confidence has nothing to do with what you look like. If you obsess over that, you'll end up being disappointed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/own-the-room-confidence-has-nothing-to-do-with-what-you-look-like-if/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [My grandmother always used to say, "If you know your past and you know where you have to go, why do you rehearse?" I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/my-grandmother-always-used-to-say-if-you-know-your-past-and-you-know/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [I almost never go to the theatre without seeing someone I've taught or known at Juilliard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/i-almost-never-go-to-the-theatre-without-seeing-someone-i-ve-taught/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [If I had a religious belief, I would want it to be as strong as my belief in the theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/if-i-had-a-religious-belief-i-would-want-it-to-be-as-strong-as-my/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [When I began to act, I was about 6 years old. Everything you learned, every period of history you studied, you did a play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/when-i-began-to-act-i-was-about-6-years-old-everything-you-learned/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [I think the first time I was ever really conscious of the difference between people's voices was that my mother's voice was so soft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/i-think-the-first-time-i-was-ever-really-conscious-of-the-difference/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [People say, 'How can you stay in a play for a long time?' I say, 'The audience is never the same.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/people-say-how-can-you-stay-in-a-play-for-a-long-time-i-say-the/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [An actress spends a lifetime observing people. You build up a mental library. No, not a library. Make that a repository.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/an-actress-spends-a-lifetime-observing-people-you-build-up-a-mental/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [In Milly Barranger, Margaret Webster has found the perfect biographer. In Margaret Webster, Milly Barranger has found her perfect subject. She brings to vivid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/in-milly-barranger-margaret-webster-has-found-the-perfect-biographer/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) [Explore all 32 Marian Seldes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Unfortunately, there are mental invalids of every age who exist on other people's terms. It's lazy for older persons to let others make up their minds for them. 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