---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In sharp contrast to the idea that this…"
description: "\"In sharp contrast to the idea that this stage of life is enviable, we hear high levels of anxiety about getting old, anxieties about health, mobility, ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/rowan-williams-8580_access_in-sharp-contrast-to-the-idea-that-this_154211.jpg"
---

#  In sharp contrast to the idea that this stage of life is…

![“In sharp contrast to the idea that this stage of life is enviable, we hear high levels of anxiety about getting old, anxieties about health, mobility, access to facilities, simple routine care and attention.” quote by Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/rowan-williams-8580_access_in-sharp-contrast-to-the-idea-that-this_154211.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/rowan-williams-8580_access_in-sharp-contrast-to-the-idea-that-this_154211.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/rowan-williams-8580_access_in-sharp-contrast-to-the-idea-that-this_154211.jpg)

> “In sharp contrast to the idea that this stage of life is enviable, we hear high levels of anxiety about getting old, anxieties about health, mobility, access to facilities, simple routine care and attention.”

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

## 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 anxiety about health, mobility, and routine care, contradicting the notion of an enviable life stage.

**In simple terms:** Aging causes health and mobility anxieties.

Key Takeaway

Plan for aging challenges early.

Themes

aging anxiety health mobility care access

Mood

concerned hopeful reflective

Type

social health

When to use this quote

- healthcare planning
- housing design
- community programs

Key Concepts

gerontology mental health social support

Questions to Reflect On

- How to reduce aging anxiety?
- What support systems help seniors?

A Different Perspective

May overlook resilience in aging.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Access](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/access/) [Anxieties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxieties/) [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Getting old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-old/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Routine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/routine/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/)

## Related quotes

> [My adrenalin was so heightened, and my neuromuscular system was so finely tuned that I struggled to come down between games, which resulted in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-labbe/my-adrenalin-was-so-heightened-and-my-neuromuscular-system-was-so/)

[Stephanie Labbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-labbe/)

> [“Left unaddressed, chronic anxiety can disrupt many aspects of development, including a child's capacity to learn and ability to connect socially as well as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-kambolis/left-unaddressed-chronic-anxiety-can-disrupt-many-aspects-of/)

Michele Kambolis

> [“part of their brainpower goes toward managing the anxiety, which interferes with their ability to answer questions that they otherwise might have answered correctly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-l-davis/part-of-their-brainpower-goes-toward-managing-the-anxiety-which/)

[Suzanne L. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-l-davis/)

> [It shouldn't be normal to be anxious all the time about your children, so women should seek mental health help if they're having excessive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/it-shouldn-t-be-normal-to-be-anxious-all-the-time-about-your-children/)

[Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/)

> [Don't even feel like drinking, or even gettin high Cause all that's gonna do really, is accelerate The anxieties that I wish I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby/don-t-even-feel-like-drinking-or-even-gettin-high-cause-all-that-s/)

Bobby

> [In the daytime, we can be busy and fine, and then suddenly, the moment you're asleep, things come back - whether it's your ex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/griff/in-the-daytime-we-can-be-busy-and-fine-and-then-suddenly-the-moment/)

[Griff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/griff/)

> [Everyone has the same anxieties about dating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleen-nolan/everyone-has-the-same-anxieties-about-dating/)

[Coleen Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coleen-nolan/)

> [“She believed that people revealed themselves most when they were vaguely anxious, and few things brought out nonspecific anxieties like being in the presence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/she-believed-that-people-revealed-themselves-most-when-they-were/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [In nearly everything I write, I am like a ventriloquist, throwing my voice into my characters, animating them by the slightest twitch as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/in-nearly-everything-i-write-i-am-like-a-ventriloquist-throwing-my/)

[Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/)

> [Drugs pull you down and shut the lid on life. Pot opens everything up. All the anxieties, the creepy crawly blues,it all just drifts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/drugs-pull-you-down-and-shut-the-lid-on-life-pot-opens-everything-up/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [I think people respond to dystopian stories because they're ways of acting out anxieties that we have and fears that we have about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-think-people-respond-to-dystopian-stories-because-they-re-ways-of/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [I don't really have a lot of anxieties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-walker/i-don-t-really-have-a-lot-of-anxieties/)

[Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/)

> [“... We have to constantly confront our deepest anxieties, our emptiness, our despair, our doubts; and there is nowhere for us to escape and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/we-have-to-constantly-confront-our-deepest-anxieties-our-emptiness/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

> [“\[4It is hard to be carefree when you have many anxieties. But the more you have, the more necessary it is to feel carefree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-ueland/4it-is-hard-to-be-carefree-when-you-have-many-anxieties-but-the-more/)

[Brenda Ueland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-ueland/)

> [That's one of the reasons I wanted to be an actor, to be like them. And there they were at my table, all talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-macleod/that-s-one-of-the-reasons-i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-to-be-like-them-and/)

[Gavin MacLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-macleod/)

## More by Rowan Williams

> [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [Religion has always been a matter of community building; a matter of building precisely those relations of compassion, fellow feeling and - I dare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/religion-has-always-been-a-matter-of-community-building-a-matter-of/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [“By affirming that all 'meaning,' every assertion about the significance of life and reality, must be judged by reference to a brief succession of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/by-affirming-that-all-meaning-every-assertion-about-the-significance/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [I have, by God’s grace, learned as a member of the Christian community what is the nature of God’s mercy, which does not leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/i-have-by-god-s-grace-learned-as-a-member-of-the-christian-community/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [We can at least see that the question is asked, and asked on the basis of a clear recognition that there is no way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/we-can-at-least-see-that-the-question-is-asked-and-asked-on-the-basis/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [Loneliness has little to do with what we do or where we do it, whether we're married or unmarried, optimists or pessimists, heterosexual or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/loneliness-has-little-to-do-with-what-we-do-or-where-we-do-it-whether/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [At the end of the Middle Ages, nobody would ever have expected the monasteries to vanish from the scene within a generation - yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/at-the-end-of-the-middle-ages-nobody-would-ever-have-expected-the/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [We discover too late that we have turned a blind eye to the extinction of a species that is essential to the balance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/we-discover-too-late-that-we-have-turned-a-blind-eye-to-the/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [Serving democracy and nourishing the common good is, for the media, something that requires not only attacking corrupt secrecies in a society, but also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/serving-democracy-and-nourishing-the-common-good-is-for-the-media/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [I do feel that federation, loose parallel processes, are less than we've got, less than we could have and, in the very long run,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/i-do-feel-that-federation-loose-parallel-processes-are-less-than-we/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [Quite a lot of our contemporary culture is actually shot through with a resentment of limits and the passage of time, anger at what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/quite-a-lot-of-our-contemporary-culture-is-actually-shot-through-with/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [Whether something is old-fashioned or not doesn't resolve the question of whether it's true or not. I can see the temptation of simply thinking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/whether-something-is-old-fashioned-or-not-doesn-t-resolve-the/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [“Two hermits lived together for many years without a quarrel. One said to the other, “Let’s have a quarrel with each other, as other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/two-hermits-lived-together-for-many-years-without-a-quarrel-one-said/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [“Christians will be found in the neighbourhood of Jesus – but Jesus is found in the neighbourhood of human confusion and suffering, defencelessly alongside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/christians-will-be-found-in-the-neighbourhood-of-jesus-but-jesus-is/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [We must support government coercion over enforcing international protocols and speed limits on motorways if we want the global economy not to collapse and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/we-must-support-government-coercion-over-enforcing-international/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

[Explore all 79 Rowan Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

## More Access quotes

> [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [You can disseminate your art, and it's all such easy access now. The upside to it is that more people are creating than ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-clarke/you-can-disseminate-your-art-and-it-s-all-such-easy-access-now-the/)

[Stanley Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-clarke/)

> [It's the same with this idea of a literate public, and also of a democracy in which people have access to and really read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/it-s-the-same-with-this-idea-of-a-literate-public-and-also-of-a/)

[Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/)

> [My hope is that if people have the knowledge, and if they actually see where their food comes from and have access to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/my-hope-is-that-if-people-have-the-knowledge-and-if-they-actually-see/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/)

[Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/)

> [Leslie Stein's comics give readers privileged access to a complete and wholly original world of gently skewed wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-woodring/leslie-stein-s-comics-give-readers-privileged-access-to-a-complete/)

[Jim Woodring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-woodring/)

> [The best way to fight poverty is to empower people through access to quality education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/the-best-way-to-fight-poverty-is-to-empower-people-through-access-to/)

[John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/)

> [Because the Internet's there, I have access to a lot of the legends, like Fela Kuti. I used to watch a lot of Fela…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-krule/because-the-internet-s-there-i-have-access-to-a-lot-of-the-legends/)

[King Krule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-krule/)

> [There needs to be some regime that is overseeing access to broadband to make sure we have openess; otherwise, there is a risk it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/there-needs-to-be-some-regime-that-is-overseeing-access-to-broadband/)

[Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/)

> [While it's wonderful that investors have access to all the data now available to them, it has become a full-time job to sift through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bartiromo/while-it-s-wonderful-that-investors-have-access-to-all-the-data-now/)

[Maria Bartiromo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bartiromo/)

> [It is truly vital for the United States to assure that it is not attacked with weapons of mass destruction; to prevent wars in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/it-is-truly-vital-for-the-united-states-to-assure-that-it-is-not/)

[Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/)

> [Now that I'm more middle class, I have access to consumer goods. I do enjoy feminine frippery, feminine doo-da, stuff like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/now-that-i-m-more-middle-class-i-have-access-to-consumer-goods-i-do/)

[Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/)

> [Schools have never been about getting access to information. That's the job of libraries. Schools and universities have nobler missions as gentle gatekeepers. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-nikiforuk/schools-have-never-been-about-getting-access-to-information-that-s/)

Andrew Nikiforuk

> [To pray is to open the door unto Jesus and admit Him into your distress. Your helplessness is the very thing which opens wide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ole-hallesby/to-pray-is-to-open-the-door-unto-jesus-and-admit-him-into-your/)

[Ole Hallesby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ole-hallesby/)

> [Broadband Internet access shouldn't depend on who you are or where you're from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajit-pai/broadband-internet-access-shouldn-t-depend-on-who-you-are-or-where/)

[Ajit Pai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajit-pai/)

[Browse all 2,178 Access quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/access/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In sharp contrast to the idea that this stage of life is enviable, we hear high levels of anxiety about getting old, anxieties about health, mobility, access to facilities, simple routine care and attention.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rowan Williams"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/in-sharp-contrast-to-the-idea-that-this-stage-of-life-is-enviable-we/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Access"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/in-sharp-contrast-to-the-idea-that-this-stage-of-life-is-enviable-we/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/rowan-williams-8580_access_in-sharp-contrast-to-the-idea-that-this_154211.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/rowan-williams-8580_access_in-sharp-contrast-to-the-idea-that-this_154211.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/rowan-williams-8580_access_in-sharp-contrast-to-the-idea-that-this_154211.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In sharp contrast to the idea that this stage of life is enviable, we hear high levels of anxiety about…” — Rowan Williams",
                "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": "Rowan Williams",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In sharp contrast to the idea...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/in-sharp-contrast-to-the-idea-that-this-stage-of-life-is-enviable-we/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/in-sharp-contrast-to-the-idea-that-this-stage-of-life-is-enviable-we/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
