--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only people who grow old were born…" description: "\"The only people who grow old were born old to begin with.\" — Robert E. Sherwood" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/robert-e-sherwood-36984_aging_the-only-people-who-grow-old-were-born-o_69741.png" --- # The only people who grow old were born old to begin with. ![“The only people who grow old were born old to begin with.” quote by Robert E. Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/robert-e-sherwood-36984_aging_the-only-people-who-grow-old-were-born-o_69741.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/robert-e-sherwood-36984_aging_the-only-people-who-grow-old-were-born-o_69741.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/robert-e-sherwood-36984_aging_the-only-people-who-grow-old-were-born-o_69741.png) > “The only people who grow old were born old to begin with.” [Robert E. Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-sherwood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Aging is portrayed as an inevitable continuation of an initial state; the quote suggests that growing old is simply the unfolding of an already‑old self. **In simple terms:** Aging is a continuation of being old. Key Takeaway Age is a persistent condition. Themes aging identity life cycle philosophy Mood reflective melancholic Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - reflecting on career stagnation - feeling stuck in personal habits - midlife crisis introspection Key Concepts determinism self‑concept Practical Applications - Reframe aging as growth - Cultivate new experiences regardless of age Questions to Reflect On - Does feeling 'old' limit your actions? - Can one feel youthful despite physical age? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) [Grow Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grow-old/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [Whereever you are in life, however old you are, begin thinking about every day as the first day of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-guillebeau/whereever-you-are-in-life-however-old-you-are-begin-thinking-about/) [Chris Guillebeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-guillebeau/) > [“I never intend to grow old. The soul is born old but grows young. That is the comedy of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-never-intend-to-grow-old-the-soul-is-born-old-but-grows-young-that/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I am 73 years old. I was born in Jerusalem. I'm the first prime minister of Israel to be born here. I am the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yitzhak-rabin/i-am-73-years-old-i-was-born-in-jerusalem-i-m-the-first-prime/) [Yitzhak Rabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yitzhak-rabin/) > [“You asked me how old I am. I was born roughly nine centuries ago. I’ve lived for more than three hundred thousand days. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/you-asked-me-how-old-i-am-i-was-born-roughly-nine-centuries-ago-i-ve/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [The fear of becoming old is born of the recognition that one is not living now the life that one wishes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/the-fear-of-becoming-old-is-born-of-the-recognition-that-one-is-not/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [I asked my mom, 'How old were you when I was born?' My mom replied, '23' Me: 'Wow, that's a lot of time we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/i-asked-my-mom-how-old-were-you-when-i-was-born-my-mom-replied-23-me/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [The young are so old, they are born with their fingers crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/the-young-are-so-old-they-are-born-with-their-fingers-crossed/) [Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/) > [Some people never grow up. They just grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-people-never-grow-up-they-just-grow-old/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most people grow old, but not everybody grows up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/most-people-grow-old-but-not-everybody-grows-up/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“I have no patience with people who grow old at sixty... Sixty should be the time to start something new, not put your feet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wesley/i-have-no-patience-with-people-who-grow-old-at-sixty-sixty-should-be/) [Mary Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wesley/) > [Maturity comes with age. Becoming a mother helps people grow up and realize a lot of things that they didn't before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maturity-comes-with-age-becoming-a-mother-helps-people-grow-up-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [If life were just, we would be born old and achieve youth about the time we'd saved enough to enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-fiebig/if-life-were-just-we-would-be-born-old-and-achieve-youth-about-the/) [Jim Fiebig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-fiebig/) > [Age is not measured by years. Nature does not equally distribute energy. Some people are born old and tired while others are going strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-thompson/age-is-not-measured-by-years-nature-does-not-equally-distribute/) [Dorothy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-thompson/) > [Manhattan cabs are born old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shepherd/manhattan-cabs-are-born-old/) [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) ## More by Robert E. Sherwood > [He must be independent and brave, and sure of himself and of the importance of his work, because if he isn't he will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-sherwood/he-must-be-independent-and-brave-and-sure-of-himself-and-of-the/) [Robert E. Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-sherwood/) > [The happiest miser on earth is the man who saves up every friend he can make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-sherwood/the-happiest-miser-on-earth-is-the-man-who-saves-up-every-friend-he/) [Robert E. Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-sherwood/) > [To be able to write a play a man must be sensitive, imaginative, naive, gullible, passionate; he must be something of an imbecile, something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-sherwood/to-be-able-to-write-a-play-a-man-must-be-sensitive-imaginative-naive/) [Robert E. Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-sherwood/) > [That's the whole story of my life: frustration. It's a chronic disease, and it's incurable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-sherwood/that-s-the-whole-story-of-my-life-frustration-it-s-a-chronic-disease/) [Robert E. Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-sherwood/) > [Tenterhooks are the upholstery of the anxious seat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-sherwood/tenterhooks-are-the-upholstery-of-the-anxious-seat/) [Robert E. Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-sherwood/) > [We all come from our own little planets. That's why we're all different. That's what makes life interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-sherwood/we-all-come-from-our-own-little-planets-that-s-why-we-re-all/) [Robert E. Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-sherwood/) > [And who are the greater criminals-those who sell the instruments of death, or those who buy them and use them?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-sherwood/and-who-are-the-greater-criminals-those-who-sell-the-instruments-of/) [Robert E. Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-sherwood/) > [Poor, dear God. Playing Idiot's Delight. The game that never means anything, and never ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-sherwood/poor-dear-god-playing-idiot-s-delight-the-game-that-never-means/) [Robert E. Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-sherwood/) > [All Coolidge had to do in 1924 was to keep his mean trap shut, to be elected. All Harding had to do in 1920…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-sherwood/all-coolidge-had-to-do-in-1924-was-to-keep-his-mean-trap-shut-to-be/) [Robert E. Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-sherwood/) > [I remember when I was younger, there was a well-known writer who used to dart down the back way whenever saw me coming. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-sherwood/i-remember-when-i-was-younger-there-was-a-well-known-writer-who-used/) [Robert E. Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-sherwood/) > [The trouble with me is, I belong to a vanishing race. I'm one of the intellectuals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-sherwood/the-trouble-with-me-is-i-belong-to-a-vanishing-race-i-m-one-of-the/) [Robert E. Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-sherwood/) [Explore all 12 Robert E. Sherwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-sherwood/) ## More Aging 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/) > [In the past 40 years, the United States lost more than a million farmers and ranchers. Many of our farmers are aging. Today, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/in-the-past-40-years-the-united-states-lost-more-than-a-million/) [Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/) > [We'll never be as young as we are tonight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-ll-never-be-as-young-as-we-are-tonight/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“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/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [So often do you see collegians enter life with high resolve and lofty purpose and then watch them shrink and shrink to sordid, selfish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/so-often-do-you-see-collegians-enter-life-with-high-resolve-and-lofty/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [All the dangers in our world are like a blessed wake up call. They tell us to live life NOW... not tomorrow, not when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/all-the-dangers-in-our-world-are-like-a-blessed-wake-up-call-they/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [“You could see the signs of female aging as diseased, especially if you had a vested interest in making women too see them your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/you-could-see-the-signs-of-female-aging-as-diseased-especially-if-you/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“It takes maturity to be able to laugh like a child again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moffat-machingura/it-takes-maturity-to-be-able-to-laugh-like-a-child-again/) [Moffat Machingura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moffat-machingura/) > [Seek ye counsel of the aged for their eyes have looked on the faces of the years and their ears have hardened to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/seek-ye-counsel-of-the-aged-for-their-eyes-have-looked-on-the-faces/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Growing old-it's not nice, but it's interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/growing-old-it-s-not-nice-but-it-s-interesting/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [Anything is possible in the life of a man if he lives long enough. Even maturity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howell-raines/anything-is-possible-in-the-life-of-a-man-if-he-lives-long-enough/) [Howell Raines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howell-raines/) > [I just want to be Patty McCormack. I want to spend every year aging the way she has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-varney/i-just-want-to-be-patty-mccormack-i-want-to-spend-every-year-aging/) [Janet Varney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-varney/) > [Maturity is reached the day we don't need to be lied to about anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-yerby/maturity-is-reached-the-day-we-don-t-need-to-be-lied-to-about-anything/) [Frank Yerby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-yerby/) [Browse all 2,792 Aging quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only people who grow old were born old to begin with.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert E. Sherwood" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-sherwood/the-only-people-who-grow-old-were-born-old-to-begin-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aging" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-sherwood/the-only-people-who-grow-old-were-born-old-to-begin-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/robert-e-sherwood-36984_aging_the-only-people-who-grow-old-were-born-o_69741.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/robert-e-sherwood-36984_aging_the-only-people-who-grow-old-were-born-o_69741.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/robert-e-sherwood-36984_aging_the-only-people-who-grow-old-were-born-o_69741.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only people who grow old were born old to begin with.” — Robert E. Sherwood", "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": "Robert E. Sherwood", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-sherwood/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only people who grow old...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-sherwood/the-only-people-who-grow-old-were-born-old-to-begin-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-sherwood/the-only-people-who-grow-old-were-born-old-to-begin-with/#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 } } ] } ```