--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I thought that if I were going into old…" description: "\"I thought that if I were going into old age I would want to do what [Giuseppe] Verdi did, which is to write extraordinary things, and to really find my..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/maurice-sendak-1273_age_i-thought-that-if-i-were-going-into-old_866054.jpg" --- # I thought that if I were going into old age I would want… ![“I thought that if I were going into old age I would want to do what [Giuseppe] Verdi did, which is to write extraordinary things, and to really find myself.” quote by Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/maurice-sendak-1273_age_i-thought-that-if-i-were-going-into-old_866054.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/maurice-sendak-1273_age_i-thought-that-if-i-were-going-into-old_866054.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/maurice-sendak-1273_age_i-thought-that-if-i-were-going-into-old_866054.jpg) > “I thought that if I were going into old age I would want to do what \[Giuseppe\] Verdi did, which is to write extraordinary things, and to really find myself.” [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Expresses desire to create lasting, extraordinary work in later life, seeking personal authenticity. **In simple terms:** Create meaningful work that reflects self. Key Takeaway Pursue timeless, authentic creation. Themes creativity legacy self‑discovery age art Mood reflective inspirational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing projects - late‑career pivots - personal memoirs - artistic mentorship Key Concepts authentic expression artistic ambition Questions to Reflect On - What does “extraordinary” mean to you? - How can you balance ambition with realistic expectations? A Different Perspective Age can limit physical stamina, affecting output. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Extraordinary things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary-things/) [Old age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-age/) [Verdi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verdi/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [ I had been reading a fabulous book \[The Man Verdi, by Frank Walker\] about \[Giuseppe\] Verdi, whom I adore. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-had-been-reading-a-fabulous-book-the-man-verdi-by-frank-walker/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [ A whole new world of Italian music was springing up, and \[Giuseppe\] Verdi was seen as old. Boito got Verdi all excited about the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/a-whole-new-world-of-italian-music-was-springing-up-and-giuseppe/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I always had a feeling, for example, that there should be something from Verdi's "Requiem" in the film. You hear it when you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-always-had-a-feeling-for-example-that-there-should-be-something/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [“Leaping and looping with his little striped friends, verdi laughed and said "I may be big and very green, but I'm still me!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janell-cannon/leaping-and-looping-with-his-little-striped-friends-verdi-laughed-and/) Janell Cannon > [Composers are influenced by all the important music in their lives - and I suppose that since radio started playing popular music, that's as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-greenwood/composers-are-influenced-by-all-the-important-music-in-their-lives/) [Jonny Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-greenwood/) > [Perhaps dirt is the necessary condition of beauty… Perhaps hygiene and art can never be bedfellows. No Verdi, after all, without spitting into trumpets.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/perhaps-dirt-is-the-necessary-condition-of-beauty-perhaps-hygiene-and/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [ Tom \[Courtenay\] and Albert Finney met Ron Harwood on the dresser, so that's how it started. It's a wonderful documentary. It's called Tosca's Kiss… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-hoffman/tom-courtenay-and-albert-finney-met-ron-harwood-on-the-dresser-so/) [Dustin Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-hoffman/) > [I like to sing to Verdi, I like singing to Sibelius, and Mahler maybe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-like-to-sing-to-verdi-i-like-singing-to-sibelius-and-mahler-maybe/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [ When I was young, my mother \[folk singer Kate McGarrigle\] brought home this recording of Verdi's Requiem and we listened to it from top… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/when-i-was-young-my-mother-folk-singer-kate-mcgarrigle-brought-home/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [If it really was Queen Elizabeth who demanded to see Falstaff in a comedy, then she showed herself a very perceptive critic. But even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-it-really-was-queen-elizabeth-who-demanded-to-see-falstaff-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My greatest experiences in the theatre and the most religious experiences in my life - of which going to the opera is one for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/my-greatest-experiences-in-the-theatre-and-the-most-religious/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [It heartens me to think of Verdi who composed thundering operas in his eighties; Michelangelo who did fine work in his ninetieth year, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/it-heartens-me-to-think-of-verdi-who-composed-thundering-operas-in/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [Every spring I hear the thrush singing in the glowing woods he is only passing through. His voice is deep, then he lifts it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/every-spring-i-hear-the-thrush-singing-in-the-glowing-woods-he-is/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [I want you to know how I feel about my Italian heritage, so I'd like to say a few words in Italian: Verdi, Pavarotti,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-lucci/i-want-you-to-know-how-i-feel-about-my-italian-heritage-so-i-d-like/) [Susan Lucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-lucci/) > [Opera once was an important social instrument - especially in Italy. With Rossini and Verdi, people were listening to opera together and having the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-berio/opera-once-was-an-important-social-instrument-especially-in-italy/) Luciano Berio ## More by Maurice Sendak > [I never thought of Bumble-Ardy in that way. But I still have that same deep feeling for children who are in dire trouble. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-never-thought-of-bumble-ardy-in-that-way-but-i-still-have-that-same/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I was a very sickly child. My parents were immigrants. They were not decorous. They were not discreet. They always thought I was gonna…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-was-a-very-sickly-child-my-parents-were-immigrants-they-were-not/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [The distinctions of fine art bore me to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/the-distinctions-of-fine-art-bore-me-to-death/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [The fan mail I get from kids are asking me questions which they do not ask their mothers and fathers. Because if they had,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/the-fan-mail-i-get-from-kids-are-asking-me-questions-which-they-do/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [“May I ask what you have in your black leather bag with gold buckles?" "Everything." They were climbing a narrow staircase. Rhoda stopped to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/may-i-ask-what-you-have-in-your-black-leather-bag-with-gold-buckles/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I grew up in a house that was in a constant state of mourning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-grew-up-in-a-house-that-was-in-a-constant-state-of-mourning/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [Illustrations have as much to say as the text. The trick is to say the same thing, but in a different way. It's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/illustrations-have-as-much-to-say-as-the-text-the-trick-is-to-say-the/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I'm a lucky buck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-m-a-lucky-buck/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I've convinced myself - I hope I'm right - that children despair of you if you don't tell them the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-ve-convinced-myself-i-hope-i-m-right-that-children-despair-of-you/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [It's no fun being lonely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/it-s-no-fun-being-lonely/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [It dawned on me that art was the way I could survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/it-dawned-on-me-that-art-was-the-way-i-could-survive/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I cry a lot because I miss people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-cry-a-lot-because-i-miss-people/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [You cannot write for children They're much too complicated. You can only write books that are of interest to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/you-cannot-write-for-children-they-re-much-too-complicated-you-can/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [All I liked to do when I was a kid was draw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/all-i-liked-to-do-when-i-was-a-kid-was-draw/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I'm still as enamored and turned on by work as I was when I was young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-m-still-as-enamored-and-turned-on-by-work-as-i-was-when-i-was-young/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) [Explore all 262 Maurice Sendak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) ## 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": "I thought that if I were going into old age I would want to do what [Giuseppe] Verdi did, which is to write extraordinary things, and to really find myself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Maurice Sendak" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-thought-that-if-i-were-going-into-old-age-i-would-want-to-do-what/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-thought-that-if-i-were-going-into-old-age-i-would-want-to-do-what/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/maurice-sendak-1273_age_i-thought-that-if-i-were-going-into-old_866054.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/maurice-sendak-1273_age_i-thought-that-if-i-were-going-into-old_866054.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/maurice-sendak-1273_age_i-thought-that-if-i-were-going-into-old_866054.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I thought that if I were going into old age I would want to do what [Giuseppe] Verdi did, which is to write…” — Maurice Sendak", "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": "Maurice Sendak", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I thought that if I were...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-thought-that-if-i-were-going-into-old-age-i-would-want-to-do-what/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-thought-that-if-i-were-going-into-old-age-i-would-want-to-do-what/#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 } } ] } ```