---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Christina Stead has a Chinese say, \"Our…"
description: "\"Christina Stead has a Chinese say, \"Our old age is perhaps life's decision about us\" or, worse, the decision we have made about ourselves without ever ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/randall-jarrell-3811_age_christina-stead-has-a-chinese-say-our-ol_1598127.png"
---

#  Christina Stead has a Chinese say, "Our old age is perhaps…

![“Christina Stead has a Chinese say, &quot;Our old age is perhaps life's decision about us&quot; or, worse, the decision we have made about ourselves without ever realizing we were making it.” quote by Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/randall-jarrell-3811_age_christina-stead-has-a-chinese-say-our-ol_1598127.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/randall-jarrell-3811_age_christina-stead-has-a-chinese-say-our-ol_1598127.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/randall-jarrell-3811_age_christina-stead-has-a-chinese-say-our-ol_1598127.png)

> “Christina Stead has a Chinese say, "Our old age is perhaps life's decision about us" or, worse, the decision we have made about ourselves without ever realizing we were making it.”

[Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote reflects on how aging decisions shape our lives, often made unconsciously, influencing our sense of self and destiny.

**In simple terms:** Aging decisions shape us, often unnoticed.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and own your life choices.

Themes

self-awareness aging identity choice destiny

Mood

contemplative thoughtful

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- career planning
- relationship decisions
- health choices
- spiritual growth

Key Concepts

psychology philosophy life narrative

Questions to Reflect On

- What unconscious choices have shaped your life?
- How can you become more aware of them?

A Different Perspective

It may overstate the agency of aging; some factors are involuntary.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Chinese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-decision/) [Old age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-age/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/)

## Related quotes

> [“Our old age is perhaps life’s decision about us—” or, worse, the decision we have made about ourselves without ever realizing we were making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/our-old-age-is-perhaps-life-s-decision-about-us-or-worse-the-decision/)

[Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/)

> ['The Man Who Loved Children,' Christina Stead's masterpiece, remains the most fabulous book that hardly anyone I know has read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/the-man-who-loved-children-christina-stead-s-masterpiece-remains-the/)

[Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/)

> [Old age is perhaps life's decision about us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/old-age-is-perhaps-life-s-decision-about-us/)

[Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/)

> [Christina Aguilera finally announced her pregnancy. Thanks for waiting until your third trimester to get the word out—why not just wait until you’re crowning?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/christina-aguilera-finally-announced-her-pregnancy-thanks-for-waiting/)

[Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/)

> [Going to regular public high school and working and auditioning was really, really tough. I never really fit in and hit the stride that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naya-rivera/going-to-regular-public-high-school-and-working-and-auditioning-was/)

[Naya Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naya-rivera/)

> [“no wonder you left." Yeah," i say, rolling my eyes. " It was just because of the food.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/no-wonder-you-left-yeah-i-say-rolling-my-eyes-it-was-just-because-of/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [“Yeah. Good.” I clear my throat. “So, this plan. It’s kind of stupid, right?” “It’s not ... stupid.” “Oh, come on. Trusting Marcus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/yeah-good-i-clear-my-throat-so-this-plan-it-s-kind-of-stupid-right-it/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [Christina Baker Kline writes exquisitely about two unlikely friends—one, a 91-year-old survivor of the grinding poverty of rural Ireland, immigrant New York and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-marie-buchanan/christina-baker-kline-writes-exquisitely-about-two-unlikely-friends/)

[Cathy Marie Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-marie-buchanan/)

> [I'd send Christina Aguilera to Mars cos she'd scare all the aliens!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ryan/i-d-send-christina-aguilera-to-mars-cos-she-d-scare-all-the-aliens/)

[Lee Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ryan/)

> [I draw strength from spirit, from the divine light. I draw strength from the love my sister and I have for each other, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agapi-stassinopoulos/i-draw-strength-from-spirit-from-the-divine-light-i-draw-strength/)

[Agapi Stassinopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agapi-stassinopoulos/)

> [“I spent the whole morning looking at him. He looked at Mama. Mama looked at me. Then he would look at me. I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/i-spent-the-whole-morning-looking-at-him-he-looked-at-mama-mama/)

[Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/)

> [It is my intention to make no provision herein for my son Christopher or my daughter Christina for reasons which are well known to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-crawford/it-is-my-intention-to-make-no-provision-herein-for-my-son-christopher/)

[Joan Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-crawford/)

> [“You must be a blast on long car rides.” “Oh, I am. You haven't experienced fun until you try to fuck in the front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/you-must-be-a-blast-on-long-car-rides-oh-i-am-you-haven-t-experienced/)

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

> [I don't want to be Christina Aguilera. I want to be Amy Lee, rock queen - not sex queen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-lee/i-don-t-want-to-be-christina-aguilera-i-want-to-be-amy-lee-rock-queen/)

[Amy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-lee/)

> [It's one of the most beautiful memories of my life. Not everyone has a chance to meet Greta Garbo! I was so in awe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovanna-cau/it-s-one-of-the-most-beautiful-memories-of-my-life-not-everyone-has-a/)

[Giovanna Cau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giovanna-cau/)

## More by Randall Jarrell

> [“She helped the hunter with the cooking as a husband helps his wife: when he had gone out to hunt and left something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/she-helped-the-hunter-with-the-cooking-as-a-husband-helps-his-wife/)

[Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/)

> [We read our mail and counted up our missions In bombers named for girls, we burned The cities we had learned about in school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/we-read-our-mail-and-counted-up-our-missions-in-bombers-named-for/)

[Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/)

> [One of the most obvious facts about grown-ups, to a child, is that they have forgotten what it is like to be a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/one-of-the-most-obvious-facts-about-grown-ups-to-a-child-is-that-they/)

[Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/)

> [Goethe said that the worst thing in art is technical facility accompanied by triteness. Many an artist, like God, has never needed to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/goethe-said-that-the-worst-thing-in-art-is-technical-facility/)

[Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/)

> [Age could not wither nor custom stale her infinite monotony: in fact, neither Age nor Custom could do anything (as they said, their voices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/age-could-not-wither-nor-custom-stale-her-infinite-monotony-in-fact/)

[Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/)

> [A poet is a man who manages, in a lifetime of standing out in thunderstorms, to be struck by lightning five or six times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/a-poet-is-a-man-who-manages-in-a-lifetime-of-standing-out-in/)

[Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/)

> [More and more people think of the critic as an indispensable middle man between writer and reader, and would no more read a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/more-and-more-people-think-of-the-critic-as-an-indispensable-middle/)

[Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/)

> [“The tags' chain stirs with the wind; and I sleep Paid, dead, and a soldier. Who fights for his own life Loses, loses: I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/the-tags-chain-stirs-with-the-wind-and-i-sleep-paid-dead-and-a/)

[Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/)

> [First one gets works of art, then criticism of them, then criticism of the criticism, and, finally, a book on The Literary Situation ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/first-one-gets-works-of-art-then-criticism-of-them-then-criticism-of/)

[Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/)

> [ Early in his life Mr. \[Ezra\] Pound met with strong, continued, and unintelligent opposition. If people keep opposing you when you are right, you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/early-in-his-life-mr-ezra-pound-met-with-strong-continued-and/)

[Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/)

> [Some of Mr. Gregory's poems have merely appeared in The New Yorker ; others are New Yorker poems: the inclusive topicality, the informed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/some-of-mr-gregory-s-poems-have-merely-appeared-in-the-new-yorker/)

[Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/)

> [A successful poem says what a poet wants to say, and more, with particular finality. The remarks he makes about his poems are incidental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/a-successful-poem-says-what-a-poet-wants-to-say-and-more-with/)

[Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/)

> [One Whitman is miracle enough, and when he comes again it will be the end of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/one-whitman-is-miracle-enough-and-when-he-comes-again-it-will-be-the/)

[Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/)

> [Robert Frost says in a piece of homely doggerel that he has hoped wisdom could be not only Attic but Laconic, Boeotian even -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/robert-frost-says-in-a-piece-of-homely-doggerel-that-he-has-hoped/)

[Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/)

> [Most people don't listen to classical music at all, but to rock-and-roll or hillbilly songs or some album named Music To Listen To Music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/most-people-don-t-listen-to-classical-music-at-all-but-to-rock-and/)

[Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/)

[Explore all 121 Randall Jarrell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/)

## 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": "Christina Stead has a Chinese say, \"Our old age is perhaps life's decision about us\" or, worse, the decision we have made about ourselves without ever realizing we were making it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Randall Jarrell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/christina-stead-has-a-chinese-say-our-old-age-is-perhaps-life-s/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/christina-stead-has-a-chinese-say-our-old-age-is-perhaps-life-s/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/randall-jarrell-3811_age_christina-stead-has-a-chinese-say-our-ol_1598127.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/randall-jarrell-3811_age_christina-stead-has-a-chinese-say-our-ol_1598127.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/randall-jarrell-3811_age_christina-stead-has-a-chinese-say-our-ol_1598127.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Christina Stead has a Chinese say, \"Our old age is perhaps life's decision about us\" or, worse, the decision…” — Randall Jarrell",
                "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": "Randall Jarrell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Christina Stead has a Chinese say,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/christina-stead-has-a-chinese-say-our-old-age-is-perhaps-life-s/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/christina-stead-has-a-chinese-say-our-old-age-is-perhaps-life-s/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
