--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At my age it is unseemly to be pessimistic." description: "\"At my age it is unseemly to be pessimistic.\" — Naguib Mahfouz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac3/naguib-mahfouz-4982_age_at-my-age-it-is-unseemly-to-be-pessimist_626469.jpg" --- # At my age it is unseemly to be pessimistic. ![“At my age it is unseemly to be pessimistic.” quote by Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac3/naguib-mahfouz-4982_age_at-my-age-it-is-unseemly-to-be-pessimist_626469.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac3/naguib-mahfouz-4982_age_at-my-age-it-is-unseemly-to-be-pessimist_626469.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac3/naguib-mahfouz-4982_age_at-my-age-it-is-unseemly-to-be-pessimist_626469.jpg) > “At my age it is unseemly to be pessimistic.” [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that at his age, expressing pessimism is socially inappropriate. **In simple terms:** Being pessimistic is seen as unsuitable for his age. Key Takeaway Accept that age does not dictate emotional honesty. Themes ageism optimism social expectations Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical advisory When to use this quote - workplace - family gatherings - public speaking Key Concepts cultural norms psychology Questions to Reflect On - Should age dictate emotional expression? - How can we challenge age‑based expectations? A Different Perspective Societal pressure may suppress genuine feelings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Birthday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birthday/) [Pessimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism/) [Pessimistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimistic/) ## Related quotes > [What is a gathering without unseemly drunkenness?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-stroud/what-is-a-gathering-without-unseemly-drunkenness/) [Jonathan Stroud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-stroud/) > [You can't go around telling people what a monster your mother was on a day to day basis. It's unseemly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-colin-campbell/you-can-t-go-around-telling-people-what-a-monster-your-mother-was-on/) [Lady Colin Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-colin-campbell/) > [It is unseemly to undress on stage. I won't do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-collins/it-is-unseemly-to-undress-on-stage-i-won-t-do-that/) [Joan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-collins/) > [“Yes, that is unseemly. Leave as soon as you are finished. I have seen enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-ibrahim/yes-that-is-unseemly-leave-as-soon-as-you-are-finished-i-have-seen/) [Laila Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-ibrahim/) > [“Expecting gratitude for a gift is... unseemly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-caldwell/expecting-gratitude-for-a-gift-is-unseemly/) Jack Caldwell > [“Life has too many disappointments to make room for negativity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-willey/life-has-too-many-disappointments-to-make-room-for-negativity/) [Daniel Willey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-willey/) > [It's fashionable in some circles to be pessimistic about America, about conservative solutions, about the Republican Party. I utterly reject that pessimism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/it-s-fashionable-in-some-circles-to-be-pessimistic-about-america/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [I am incrementally a pessimist, but I see the international debate that Edward Snowden has engendered, and I think this is exactly where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-savage/i-am-incrementally-a-pessimist-but-i-see-the-international-debate/) [Adam Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-savage/) > [“If you are rude, cynical, habitually-sarcastic or pessimistic, your life options are going to be very limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/if-you-are-rude-cynical-habitually-sarcastic-or-pessimistic-your-life/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [I'm not as pessimistic as what a number of people seem to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/i-m-not-as-pessimistic-as-what-a-number-of-people-seem-to-believe/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [I hate being around depressing, pessimistic people...Ugh, stop complaining, smile and get over it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-being-around-depressing-pessimistic-people-ugh-stop/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“When you are nothing but pessimistic you are the enabling force of impossibility.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/when-you-are-nothing-but-pessimistic-you-are-the-enabling-force-of/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Pessimism is a very easy way out when you’re considering what life really is, because pessimism is a short view of life. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/pessimism-is-a-very-easy-way-out-when-you-re-considering-what-life/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [I'm not pessimistic about anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/i-m-not-pessimistic-about-anything/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [The pessimistic coach complains about the play. The optimistic coach expects it to change. The realistic coach adjusts what he can control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kessel/the-pessimistic-coach-complains-about-the-play-the-optimistic-coach/) [John Kessel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kessel/) ## More by Naguib Mahfouz > [Writing is for men who can think and feel, not mindless sensation seekers out of nightclubs and bars. But these are bad times. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/writing-is-for-men-who-can-think-and-feel-not-mindless-sensation/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [He seemed to be waiting for a miracle to save him from the depths his life had reached and take him to a land…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/he-seemed-to-be-waiting-for-a-miracle-to-save-him-from-the-depths-his/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [I thought they would never select an Eastern writer for the Nobel. I was surprised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/i-thought-they-would-never-select-an-eastern-writer-for-the-nobel-i/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [Happy is he who can give himself up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/happy-is-he-who-can-give-himself-up/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [We wont develop until we accept that reading is a vital necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/we-wont-develop-until-we-accept-that-reading-is-a-vital-necessity/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [The Arab world also won the Nobel with me. I believe that international doors have opened, and that from now on, literate people will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/the-arab-world-also-won-the-nobel-with-me-i-believe-that/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [I am the son of two civilizations that at a certain age in history have formed a happy marriage. 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I have to meet everyone he sends my way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/i-am-practically-in-the-employ-of-mr-nobel-i-have-to-meet-everyone-he/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [I reject any path which rejects life, but I can't help loving Sufism because it sounds so beautiful. It gives relief in the midst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/i-reject-any-path-which-rejects-life-but-i-can-t-help-loving-sufism/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [“When disasters come at the same time, they compete with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/when-disasters-come-at-the-same-time-they-compete-with-each-other/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) [Explore all 100 Naguib Mahfouz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) ## 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? 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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": "At my age it is unseemly to be pessimistic.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Naguib Mahfouz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/at-my-age-it-is-unseemly-to-be-pessimistic/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/at-my-age-it-is-unseemly-to-be-pessimistic/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac3/naguib-mahfouz-4982_age_at-my-age-it-is-unseemly-to-be-pessimist_626469.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac3/naguib-mahfouz-4982_age_at-my-age-it-is-unseemly-to-be-pessimist_626469.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac3/naguib-mahfouz-4982_age_at-my-age-it-is-unseemly-to-be-pessimist_626469.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At my age it is unseemly to be pessimistic.” — Naguib Mahfouz", "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": "Naguib Mahfouz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "At my age it is unseemly...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/at-my-age-it-is-unseemly-to-be-pessimistic/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/at-my-age-it-is-unseemly-to-be-pessimistic/#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 } } ] } ```