---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Plastic surgery is a way for people to…"
description: "\"Plastic surgery is a way for people to buy themselves a few years before they have to truly confront what ageing is, which of course is not that your l..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/051/nora-ephron-1217_ageing_plastic-surgery-is-a-way-for-people-to-b_2284596.jpg"
---

#  Plastic surgery is a way for people to buy themselves a…

![“Plastic surgery is a way for people to buy themselves a few years before they have to truly confront what ageing is, which of course is not that your looks are falling apart, but that you are falling apart and some-day you will have fallen apart and ceased to exist.” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/051/nora-ephron-1217_ageing_plastic-surgery-is-a-way-for-people-to-b_2284596.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/051/nora-ephron-1217_ageing_plastic-surgery-is-a-way-for-people-to-b_2284596.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/051/nora-ephron-1217_ageing_plastic-surgery-is-a-way-for-people-to-b_2284596.jpg)

> “Plastic surgery is a way for people to buy themselves a few years before they have to truly confront what ageing is, which of course is not that your looks are falling apart, but that you are falling apart and some-day you will have fallen apart and ceased to exist.”

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

## About This Quote

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

Plastic surgery postpones confronting aging, but ultimately cannot stop the inevitable decline of self.

**In simple terms:** Surgery delays but doesn't prevent aging.

Key Takeaway

Accept aging rather than mask it.

Themes

aging beauty standards mortality

Mood

reflective critical

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career planning
- personal health
- media representation
- elder care

Key Concepts

self-acceptance societal pressure

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we seek to alter our appearance?
- What are healthier ways to age gracefully?

A Different Perspective

Surgery may cause health risks and false expectations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ageing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ageing/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Plastic surgery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plastic-surgery/) [Surgery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surgery/)

## Related quotes

> [You know, I think plastic surgery is the way you keep your skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-wildenstein/you-know-i-think-plastic-surgery-is-the-way-you-keep-your-skin/)

[Jocelyn Wildenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-wildenstein/)

> [If I had had plastic surgery, I would have asked for something better than the face you are seeing! I actually really hate plastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-hart/if-i-had-had-plastic-surgery-i-would-have-asked-for-something-better/)

[Miranda Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-hart/)

> [Instead of plastic surgery, I'd rather have a height enhancement surgery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-joe/instead-of-plastic-surgery-i-d-rather-have-a-height-enhancement/)

[L.Joe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-joe/)

> [Getting plastic surgery in your late 70's, it's kind of like painting your house as the fire approaches. Just die, there's no shame in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/getting-plastic-surgery-in-your-late-70-s-it-s-kind-of-like-painting/)

[Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/)

> [And that might have led to other shows but you know what LA is like. I was in my early 30s and it wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-badler/and-that-might-have-led-to-other-shows-but-you-know-what-la-is-like-i/)

[Jane Badler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-badler/)

> [I won't have plastic surgery. You either take me as I am, or you don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-tevez/i-won-t-have-plastic-surgery-you-either-take-me-as-i-am-or-you-don-t/)

[Carlos Tevez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-tevez/)

> [The plastic surgery issue is really looming because girls in the U.S. are getting it in their teens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/the-plastic-surgery-issue-is-really-looming-because-girls-in-the-u-s/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [I just think that I'll never have plastic surgery if I'm not in front of the camera. If you make your living selling this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-de-mornay/i-just-think-that-i-ll-never-have-plastic-surgery-if-i-m-not-in-front/)

[Rebecca De Mornay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-de-mornay/)

> [I see women in their 30s getting plastic surgery, pulling this up and tucking that back. It's like a slippery slope - once you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halle-berry/i-see-women-in-their-30s-getting-plastic-surgery-pulling-this-up-and/)

[Halle Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halle-berry/)

> [We're all getting plastic surgery. Come on, this is the game here, and HDTV exaggerates all the features. Yeah, I'm proud of it, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-stanger/we-re-all-getting-plastic-surgery-come-on-this-is-the-game-here-and/)

[Patti Stanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-stanger/)

> [The thought of somebody pulling and cutting around my face gives me stomach ache. Plastic surgery would be so painful. What if it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salma-hayek/the-thought-of-somebody-pulling-and-cutting-around-my-face-gives-me/)

[Salma Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salma-hayek/)

> [You have to be desirable. And that's why so many woman of my age or even younger are pushed to Botox and plastic surgery,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cattrall/you-have-to-be-desirable-and-that-s-why-so-many-woman-of-my-age-or/)

[Kim Cattrall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cattrall/)

> [Having plastic surgery is pathetic. You don't look any younger; you look well for a bit until it starts going again, but it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-parfitt/having-plastic-surgery-is-pathetic-you-don-t-look-any-younger-you/)

[Judy Parfitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-parfitt/)

> [I'm not having plastic surgery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-burke/i-m-not-having-plastic-surgery/)

[Doris Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-burke/)

> [No, it has not been hard to grow older, because I believe if you have something you believe in that will keep you alive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veruschka-von-lehndorff/no-it-has-not-been-hard-to-grow-older-because-i-believe-if-you-have/)

[Veruschka von Lehndorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veruschka-von-lehndorff/)

## More by Nora Ephron

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [“That's the catch about betrayal, of course: that it feels good, that there's something immensely pleasurable about moving from a complicated relationship which involves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/that-s-the-catch-about-betrayal-of-course-that-it-feels-good-that/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [“The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/the-whole-purpose-of-places-like-starbucks-is-for-people-with-no/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [Death is a sniper. It strikes people you love, people you like, people you know - it's everywhere. You could be next. But then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/death-is-a-sniper-it-strikes-people-you-love-people-you-like-people/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> ['When you slip on a banana peel, people laugh at you. When you tell people you slipped on a banana peel, it's your laugh.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/when-you-slip-on-a-banana-peel-people-laugh-at-you-when-you-tell/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [“I wish he were better at hailing taxis than I am; on the other hand, I realize that expectation is culturally conditioned, utterly foolish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/i-wish-he-were-better-at-hailing-taxis-than-i-am-on-the-other-hand-i/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [You enter into a certain amount of madness when you marry a person with pets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/you-enter-into-a-certain-amount-of-madness-when-you-marry-a-person/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [I never went near the Wellesley College chapel in my four years there, but I am still amazed at the amount of Christian charity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/i-never-went-near-the-wellesley-college-chapel-in-my-four-years-there/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [You can't call yourself a feminist if you don't believe in the right to abortion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/you-can-t-call-yourself-a-feminist-if-you-don-t-believe-in-the-right/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [“I always read the last page of a book first so that if I die before I finish I'll know how it turned out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/i-always-read-the-last-page-of-a-book-first-so-that-if-i-die-before-i/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [“If I was home alone at night, I cooked myself an entire meal from one of these cookbooks. Then I sat down in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/if-i-was-home-alone-at-night-i-cooked-myself-an-entire-meal-from-one/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [“The next man I was involved with lived in Boston. He taught me to cook mushrooms. He taught me that if you heat the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/the-next-man-i-was-involved-with-lived-in-boston-he-taught-me-to-cook/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [“Whatever you choose, however many roads you travel, I hope that you choose not to be a lady. I hope you will find some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/whatever-you-choose-however-many-roads-you-travel-i-hope-that-you/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [A man who finishes a book is always alone when he finishes it...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/a-man-who-finishes-a-book-is-always-alone-when-he-finishes-it/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [“I hear myself saying these words: What this movement is about is options. I say it to friends who are frustrated, or housebound, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/i-hear-myself-saying-these-words-what-this-movement-is-about-is/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

[Explore all 272 Nora Ephron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

## More Ageing quotes

> [“The whole idea of it makes me feel Like I’m coming down with something, Something worse than any stomach ache Or the headaches I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/the-whole-idea-of-it-makes-me-feel-like-i-m-coming-down-with/)

[Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/)

> [“They were people whose lives were slow, who did not see themselves growing old, or falling sick, or dying, but who disappeared little by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/they-were-people-whose-lives-were-slow-who-did-not-see-themselves/)

[Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [People's opinions don't interfere with me. Ageing gracefully is supposed to mean trying not to hide time passing and just looking a wreck. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-moreau/people-s-opinions-don-t-interfere-with-me-ageing-gracefully-is/)

[Jeanne Moreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-moreau/)

> [“Ageing must be like wearing a heavy, itchy suit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cardamone/ageing-must-be-like-wearing-a-heavy-itchy-suit/)

[Tom Cardamone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cardamone/)

> [Ageing is, simply and clearly, the accumulation of damage in the body. That's all that ageing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/ageing-is-simply-and-clearly-the-accumulation-of-damage-in-the-body/)

[Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/)

> [“She has built her whole life on the foundation of beauty: each chiseled plane, each sloping dimple, each soft curve as crucial as keystones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/she-has-built-her-whole-life-on-the-foundation-of-beauty-each/)

[Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/)

> [“I've been 21 for many years now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/i-ve-been-21-for-many-years-now/)

[Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/)

> [Age doesn't define maturity. Some people will never grow up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/age-doesn-t-define-maturity-some-people-will-never-grow-up/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Ageing is so many different things, and cells being able to self-renew is part of the picture but not all of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/ageing-is-so-many-different-things-and-cells-being-able-to-self-renew/)

[Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/)

> [Dying is a matter of slapstick and pratfalls. The ageing process is not gradual or gentle. It rushes up, pushes you over and runs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mortimer/dying-is-a-matter-of-slapstick-and-pratfalls-the-ageing-process-is/)

[John Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mortimer/)

> [Anyone who stops learning is old — whether this happens at twenty or at eighty. Anyone who keeps on learning not only remains young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/anyone-who-stops-learning-is-old-whether-this-happens-at-twenty-or-at/)

[Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/)

> [All of my friends are my age and we are all ageing at the same time. We talk about it and moan, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-schiffer/all-of-my-friends-are-my-age-and-we-are-all-ageing-at-the-same-time/)

[Claudia Schiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-schiffer/)

> [You've got to get your head right about ageing. Taking care of diet and exercise and facing your fears about growing older will lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-garraway/you-ve-got-to-get-your-head-right-about-ageing-taking-care-of-diet/)

[Kate Garraway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-garraway/)

> [Ageing is very rare. We only see it in humans and laboratory animals and in zoo animals and in our pets. Basically, organisms that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/ageing-is-very-rare-we-only-see-it-in-humans-and-laboratory-animals/)

[S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/)

> [“Growing age can kill the beauty, not the style.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/growing-age-can-kill-the-beauty-not-the-style/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

[Browse all 311 Ageing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ageing/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Plastic surgery is a way for people to buy themselves a few years before they have to truly confront what ageing is, which of course is not that your looks are falling apart, but that you are falling apart and some-day you will have fallen apart and ceased to exist.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nora Ephron"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/plastic-surgery-is-a-way-for-people-to-buy-themselves-a-few-years/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ageing"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/plastic-surgery-is-a-way-for-people-to-buy-themselves-a-few-years/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/051/nora-ephron-1217_ageing_plastic-surgery-is-a-way-for-people-to-b_2284596.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/051/nora-ephron-1217_ageing_plastic-surgery-is-a-way-for-people-to-b_2284596.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/051/nora-ephron-1217_ageing_plastic-surgery-is-a-way-for-people-to-b_2284596.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Plastic surgery is a way for people to buy themselves a few years before they have to truly confront what…” — Nora Ephron",
                "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": "Nora Ephron",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Plastic surgery is a way for...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/plastic-surgery-is-a-way-for-people-to-buy-themselves-a-few-years/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/plastic-surgery-is-a-way-for-people-to-buy-themselves-a-few-years/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
