--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Old age can be a deceiver. My knees ache…" description: "\"“Old age can be a deceiver. My knees ache when I walk, but if I sit still, I do not feel so different from the girl I was. I tell myself I am the same...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/125/phyllis-t-smith-18694_old-age_old-age-can-be-a-deceiver-my-knees-ache_2366981.jpg" --- # Old age can be a deceiver. My knees ache when I walk, but… ![“Old age can be a deceiver. My knees ache when I walk, but if I sit still, I do not feel so different from the girl I was. I tell myself I am the same. Then I glance down at my hands resting on the saffron folds of my stola, and I see blue veins under skin that is almost translucent. I cannot evade…” quote by Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/125/phyllis-t-smith-18694_old-age_old-age-can-be-a-deceiver-my-knees-ache_2366981.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/125/phyllis-t-smith-18694_old-age_old-age-can-be-a-deceiver-my-knees-ache_2366981.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/125/phyllis-t-smith-18694_old-age_old-age-can-be-a-deceiver-my-knees-ache_2366981.jpg) > ““Old age can be a deceiver. My knees ache when I walk, but if I sit still, I do not feel so different from the girl I was. I tell myself I am the same. Then I glance down at my hands resting on the saffron folds of my stola, and I see blue veins under skin that is almost translucent. I cannot evade physical reality. And yet I believe I remain, in some essential way, the person I was at fifteen or twenty.”” [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Aging brings physical decline, yet personal identity persists despite bodily changes. **In simple terms:** Body ages, self remains. Key Takeaway Recognize continuity of self beyond physical aging. Themes identity aging self perception Mood melancholic thoughtful Type reflective philosophical When to use this quote - elder care - personal reflection - creative writing - therapy sessions Key Concepts philosophy psychology humanism Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain self‑concept with aging? - What aspects of identity are most resilient? A Different Perspective Physical decline can limit activities, challenging identity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age Deceiver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-deceiver-5816533/) [Blue Veins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue-veins-5816534/) [Feel Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-different-264350/) [Old age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-age/) [Skin Translucent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skin-translucent-1997725/) ## Related quotes > [“Old age can be a deceiver. My knees ache when I walk, but if I sit still, I do not feel so different from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/old-age-can-be-a-deceiver-my-knees-ache-when-i-walk-but-if-i-sit/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“She was asleep. In my car. I stood next to the passenger side for a minute, looking down at her. The sun made her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-gratton/she-was-asleep-in-my-car-i-stood-next-to-the-passenger-side-for-a/) [Tessa Gratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-gratton/) > [“My knees ache when I walk, but if I sit still, I do not feel so different from the girl I was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/my-knees-ache-when-i-walk-but-if-i-sit-still-i-do-not-feel-so/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [When I face the media, maybe I don't feel it now, here with you, because it's a different sort of interview, but when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-mourinho/when-i-face-the-media-maybe-i-don-t-feel-it-now-here-with-you-because/) [Jose Mourinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-mourinho/) > [“Culturally and socially, we are taught to feel sexual attraction for the opposite sex, which causes a great deal of confusion when you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-martin/culturally-and-socially-we-are-taught-to-feel-sexual-attraction-for/) [Ricky Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-martin/) > [I still just sort of live my life the way that I was before. I don't know when I will feel that it's different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-marie-tran/i-still-just-sort-of-live-my-life-the-way-that-i-was-before-i-don-t/) [Kelly Marie Tran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-marie-tran/) > [“In college, twenty-nine had seemed impossibly old. By now, she'd thought, she'd be married and have kids. But as each year went by, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/in-college-twenty-nine-had-seemed-impossibly-old-by-now-she-d-thought/) [Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/) > [I feel different. You know this many times over, because you are a parent, but it transforms you. It's this incredible experience where, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-spektor/i-feel-different-you-know-this-many-times-over-because-you-are-a/) [Regina Spektor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-spektor/) > [I keep my TV writing and my book writing almost wholly separate. The audiences feel so different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/i-keep-my-tv-writing-and-my-book-writing-almost-wholly-separate-the/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [The wonderful thing about age is that your knees don't work as well, you can't run down steps quite as easily and obviously you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-moore/the-wonderful-thing-about-age-is-that-your-knees-don-t-work-as-well/) [Roger Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-moore/) > [When you're young, you don't like to feel different. If you're different, you feel alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-pilatus/when-you-re-young-you-don-t-like-to-feel-different-if-you-re/) [Rob Pilatus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-pilatus/) > [Every day I feel different about music, but what never changes is my love for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-rock/every-day-i-feel-different-about-music-but-what-never-changes-is-my/) [Kid Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-rock/) > [“I feel your body, your sick and scared body. And I feel how it must be different from how it was, and how it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-montross/i-feel-your-body-your-sick-and-scared-body-and-i-feel-how-it-must-be/) [Christine Montross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-montross/) > [People get excited around me and behave differently than they would normally. I don't feel different from anyone else, except that I drive a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schumacher/people-get-excited-around-me-and-behave-differently-than-they-would/) [Michael Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schumacher/) > [I always use the analogy that when you go to a jeans store and put on a new pair of jeans, it's a pair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/i-always-use-the-analogy-that-when-you-go-to-a-jeans-store-and-put-on/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) ## More by Phyllis T. Smith > [“Any woman who says she does not want to guide the actions of the man she loves is, in my opinion, lying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/any-woman-who-says-she-does-not-want-to-guide-the-actions-of-the-man/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“Somewhere here there’s important information I absolutely need,” Tavius said. “But it’s hard for anyone else to sort out what I should know about.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/somewhere-here-there-s-important-information-i-absolutely-need-tavius/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“In his arrogance, Caesar had even renamed one of the months of the year—the most beautiful summer month—Julius, after himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/in-his-arrogance-caesar-had-even-renamed-one-of-the-months-of-the/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“A day is a day whether you are a washerwoman or a baker or the ruler of Rome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/a-day-is-a-day-whether-you-are-a-washerwoman-or-a-baker-or-the-ruler/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“Some would say it hardly mattered what women thought of Tavius, that even senators' wives, like Mucia, had no power to shape events. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/some-would-say-it-hardly-mattered-what-women-thought-of-tavius-that/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“managed to ride it out. Tavius ordered”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/managed-to-ride-it-out-tavius-ordered/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“promised myself I would never cry again for this cause. I would not attend anymore to my guilt, or my regrets about the past.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/promised-myself-i-would-never-cry-again-for-this-cause-i-would-not/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“The defeated gladiator fought reasonably well, and at the end, with a sword to his throat, raised his hand to appeal for mercy. Tavius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/the-defeated-gladiator-fought-reasonably-well-and-at-the-end-with-a/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“The past lives in us, and blood is blood. We cannot escape, though we may wish to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/the-past-lives-in-us-and-blood-is-blood-we-cannot-escape-though-we/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“Sometimes the most direct road is not the best one. Often men do not know this, but it is something girls learn young.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/sometimes-the-most-direct-road-is-not-the-best-one-often-men-do-not/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“I have often thought,” she said, “that women are the only true adults in the world, and men are a species of children. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/i-have-often-thought-she-said-that-women-are-the-only-true-adults-in/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“I have often thought,” she said, “that women are the only true adults in the world, and men are a species of children. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/i-have-often-thought-she-said-that-women-are-the-only-true-adults-in-2/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“I wonder how many women from time immemorial have thought that if only women could rule the world it would be better than it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/i-wonder-how-many-women-from-time-immemorial-have-thought-that-if/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“Old age can be a deceiver. My knees ache when I walk, but if I sit still, I do not feel so different from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/old-age-can-be-a-deceiver-my-knees-ache-when-i-walk-but-if-i-sit/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) > [“Livia has gotten bad press. Rumor has a way even now of attaching to women who break the conventional mold, and it certainly did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-t-smith/livia-has-gotten-bad-press-rumor-has-a-way-even-now-of-attaching-to/) [Phyllis T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) [Explore all 34 Phyllis T. Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-t-smith/) ## More Old age quotes > [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/) > [“So Mack got kind of a late start in the startup world—he founded TakeOff at the ripe old age of twenty-five”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/so-mack-got-kind-of-a-late-start-in-the-startup-world-he-founded/) [Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) > [“Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive. Fear of falling asleep at night. Fear of not falling asleep. Fear of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/fear-of-seeing-a-police-car-pull-into-the-drive-fear-of-falling/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [“Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess: Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prayer-of-an-anonymous-abbess-lord-thou-knowest-better-than-myself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/cast-me-not-off-in-the-time-of-old-age-forsake-me-not-when-my/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [“Give someone more time and they'll appear to have done more with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/give-someone-more-time-and-they-ll-appear-to-have-done-more-with-it/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [Relish love in your old age! Aged love is like aged wine; it becomes more satisfying, more refreshing, more valuable, more appreciated and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/relish-love-in-your-old-age-aged-love-is-like-aged-wine-it-becomes/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [In old age our bodies are worn-out instruments, on which the soul tries in vain to play the melodies of youth. But because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/in-old-age-our-bodies-are-worn-out-instruments-on-which-the-soul/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [“I’m determined to be a big spender in my old age. I want to empty my savings account before I no longer know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/i-m-determined-to-be-a-big-spender-in-my-old-age-i-want-to-empty-my/) [Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/) > [People do not realize that Alzheimer's is not old age. It is a progressive and fatal disease, and staggering amounts of people develop Alzheimer's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-kanakaredes/people-do-not-realize-that-alzheimer-s-is-not-old-age-it-is-a/) [Melina Kanakaredes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-kanakaredes/) > [“ Wisdom comes through suffering or old age. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-pearse/wisdom-comes-through-suffering-or-old-age/) [Lesley Pearse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-pearse/) > [I’m 59 and people call me middle aged. How many 118 year old men do you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-cryer/i-m-59-and-people-call-me-middle-aged-how-many-118-year-old-men-do/) [Barry Cryer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-cryer/) > [“What creature goes on four feet in the morning, on two at noonday, on three in the evening? Man. In childhood he creeps on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oedipus/what-creature-goes-on-four-feet-in-the-morning-on-two-at-noonday-on/) [Oedipus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oedipus/) > [Old age is not a total misery. Experience helps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/old-age-is-not-a-total-misery-experience-helps/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) [Browse all 2,109 Old age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Old age can be a deceiver. My knees ache when I walk, but if I sit still, I do not feel so different from the girl I was. 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