--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A person is always startled when he hears…" description: "\"A person is always startled when he hears himself seriously called an old man for the first time.\" — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bb/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2-358_age_a-person-is-always-startled-when-he-hear_845122.jpg" --- # A person is always startled when he hears himself… ![“A person is always startled when he hears himself seriously called an old man for the first time.” quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bb/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2-358_age_a-person-is-always-startled-when-he-hear_845122.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bb/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2-358_age_a-person-is-always-startled-when-he-hear_845122.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bb/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2-358_age_a-person-is-always-startled-when-he-hear_845122.jpg) > “A person is always startled when he hears himself seriously called an old man for the first time.” [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Age reveals how others perceive us; self‑image shifts when labeled. **In simple terms:** Being called old feels shocking at first. Key Takeaway Embrace aging with humor. Themes aging identity perception Mood lighthearted thoughtful Type literary humorous When to use this quote - personal milestones - intergenerational dialogue - career transitions Key Concepts self‑concept social labeling Questions to Reflect On - What does being called "old" mean to you? - How do labels affect self‑esteem? A Different Perspective Some may find the label empowering rather than shocking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Aging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) [Called Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-old-685409/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old/) [Old man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-man/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Person Startled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-startled-685410/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Startled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/startled/) [Startled Hears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/startled-hears-685408/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [A person is always startled when he hears himself called old for the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes/a-person-is-always-startled-when-he-hears-himself-called-old-for-the/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes/) > [The Ancient Mariner would not have taken so well if it had been called The Old Sailor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/the-ancient-mariner-would-not-have-taken-so-well-if-it-had-been/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [We must be compelled to hold this doctrine to be false, and the old and new law called the Old and New Testament, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/we-must-be-compelled-to-hold-this-doctrine-to-be-false-and-the-old/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [It is so comic to hear oneself called old, even at ninety I suppose!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-james/it-is-so-comic-to-hear-oneself-called-old-even-at-ninety-i-suppose/) [Alice James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-james/) > [We have been called old rockers, rock pensioners, and dinosaurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-gillan/we-have-been-called-old-rockers-rock-pensioners-and-dinosaurs/) [Ian Gillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-gillan/) > [“As a kid, I thought the song Auld Lang Syne was called Old Man's Eye. I like my version better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/as-a-kid-i-thought-the-song-auld-lang-syne-was-called-old-man-s-eye-i/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [“My Lord... what is Death like?" called the old man tremulously. "When I have investigated it fully, I will let you know," came the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/my-lord-what-is-death-like-called-the-old-man-tremulously-when-i-have/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“He is of what is called the old school - a phrase generally meaning any school that seems never to have been young.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/he-is-of-what-is-called-the-old-school-a-phrase-generally-meaning-any/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I would say there's about 10 people who know that, that my car was called 'Old Sock.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-tudyk/i-would-say-there-s-about-10-people-who-know-that-that-my-car-was/) [Alan Tudyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-tudyk/) > [...an old man is twice a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/an-old-man-is-twice-a-child/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [You just don't make decisions about what you're going to be like when you are old. I know that I am making that decision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-powell/you-just-don-t-make-decisions-about-what-you-re-going-to-be-like-when/) [John Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-powell/) > [The truth is, part of me is every age. I’m a three-year-old, I’m a five-year-old, I’m a thirty-seven-year-old, I’m a fifty-year-old. I’ve been through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-truth-is-part-of-me-is-every-age-i-m-a-three-year-old-i-m-a-five/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [The young man taught all he knew and more; The middle-aged man taught all he knew; The old man taught all that his students…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-ross/the-young-man-taught-all-he-knew-and-more-the-middle-aged-man-taught/) [Arnold Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-ross/) > [Be kind to an old man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/be-kind-to-an-old-man/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [What a wonderfully exciting cough,' said the little man, quite startled by it, 'do you mind if I join you?' And with that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-a-wonderfully-exciting-cough-said-the-little-man-quite-startled/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## More by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr > [Controversy equalizes fools and wise men in the same way - and the fools know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/controversy-equalizes-fools-and-wise-men-in-the-same-way-and-the/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/) > [Some people are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/some-people-are-so-heavenly-minded-that-they-are-no-earthly-good/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/) > [Don't flatter yourselves that friendship authorizes you to say disagreeable things to your intimates. On the contrary, the nearer you come into relation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/don-t-flatter-yourselves-that-friendship-authorizes-you-to-say/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/) > [“Old Ironsides" Aye tear her tattered ensign down long has it waved on high, And many an eye has danced to see That banner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/old-ironsides-aye-tear-her-tattered-ensign-down-long-has-it-waved-on/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/) > [The mind of a bigot to the pupil of the eye; the more light you pour on it, the more it contracts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/the-mind-of-a-bigot-to-the-pupil-of-the-eye-the-more-light-you-pour/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/) > [A moment's insight is sometimes worth a life's experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/a-moment-s-insight-is-sometimes-worth-a-life-s-experience/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/) > [Science is a first-rate piece of furniture for a man's upper chamber, if he has common sense on the ground-floor. But if a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/science-is-a-first-rate-piece-of-furniture-for-a-man-s-upper-chamber/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/) > [Love is the master-key that opens the gates of happiness, of hatred, of jealousy, and, most easily of all, the gate of fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/love-is-the-master-key-that-opens-the-gates-of-happiness-of-hatred-of/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/) > [Fame usually comes to those who are thinking about something else - very rarely to those who say to themselves, 'Go to, now, let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/fame-usually-comes-to-those-who-are-thinking-about-something-else-2/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/) > [What a blessed thing it is, that Nature, when she invented, manufactured, and patented her authors, contrived to make critics out of the chips…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/what-a-blessed-thing-it-is-that-nature-when-she-invented-manufactured/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/) > [“The mind of a bigot is like the pupil of an eye. The more light you shine on it, the more it will contract.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/the-mind-of-a-bigot-is-like-the-pupil-of-an-eye-the-more-light-you/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/) > [I like children; I like 'em, and I respect 'em. Pretty much all the honest truth-telling there is in the world is done by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/i-like-children-i-like-em-and-i-respect-em-pretty-much-all-the-honest/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/) [Explore all 13 Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/) ## 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": "A person is always startled when he hears himself seriously called an old man for the first time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/a-person-is-always-startled-when-he-hears-himself-seriously-called-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/a-person-is-always-startled-when-he-hears-himself-seriously-called-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bb/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2-358_age_a-person-is-always-startled-when-he-hear_845122.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bb/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2-358_age_a-person-is-always-startled-when-he-hear_845122.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bb/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2-358_age_a-person-is-always-startled-when-he-hear_845122.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A person is always startled when he hears himself seriously called an old man for the first time.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr", "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": "Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A person is always startled when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/a-person-is-always-startled-when-he-hears-himself-seriously-called-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/a-person-is-always-startled-when-he-hears-himself-seriously-called-an/#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 } } ] } ```