--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think they want the same things you do…" description: "\"“I think they want the same things you do, only you would... inherit them, so to speak, just by growing up. Things like excitement, and new experiences..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/shirley-jackson-1526_growing-old_i-think-they-want-the-same-things-you-do_1639728.jpg" --- # I think they want the same things you do, only you… ![“I think they want the same things you do, only you would... inherit them, so to speak, just by growing up. Things like excitement, and new experiences, and all kinds of strange and wonderful things happening; you get them anyway, just by the process of growing older, but for them... they've…” quote by Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/shirley-jackson-1526_growing-old_i-think-they-want-the-same-things-you-do_1639728.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/shirley-jackson-1526_growing-old_i-think-they-want-the-same-things-you-do_1639728.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/shirley-jackson-1526_growing-old_i-think-they-want-the-same-things-you-do_1639728.jpg) > ““I think they want the same things you do, only you would... inherit them, so to speak, just by growing up. Things like excitement, and new experiences, and all kinds of strange and wonderful things happening; you get them anyway, just by the process of growing older, but for them... they've already outgrown all they know and they want to try it all over again. Even at my age, you keep thinking you've missed so much, and you get older all the time.”” [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often feel that younger generations have already experienced what they missed, but aging brings fresh perspectives and renewed curiosity. **In simple terms:** Aging offers new chances despite past regrets. Key Takeaway Embrace learning at any age. Themes growth reflection curiosity Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - career transitions - personal development - travel - creative pursuits Key Concepts generational perspective nostalgia renewal Questions to Reflect On - What new experiences can you seek now? - How does age change your view of missed opportunities? A Different Perspective Older generations may resist change, limiting growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-thinking-556509/) [Growing old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-old/) [Growing older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-older/) [New experiences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-experiences/) [Things Inherit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-inherit-556508/) [Think Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-want/) [Want Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-things/) [Wonderful things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful-things/) ## Related quotes > [The scope of material I can work with is not limited to the set of things that we inherit from nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-endy/the-scope-of-material-i-can-work-with-is-not-limited-to-the-set-of/) [Drew Endy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-endy/) > [I was just talking about women, just in terms of understanding them as much as we can ever understand the opposite sex. I'm trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-ward/i-was-just-talking-about-women-just-in-terms-of-understanding-them-as/) [Fred Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-ward/) > [We virtually never feel our age, but thinking that we should can lead to disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/we-virtually-never-feel-our-age-but-thinking-that-we-should-can-lead/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [I call the years when our children are between six and twelve the "golden years," not because everything's perfect . . . but because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-lansky/i-call-the-years-when-our-children-are-between-six-and-twelve-the/) [Vicki Lansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-lansky/) > [I think a lot of the new age thinking, if you want to call it that, analytics, you have to be open to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buster-posey/i-think-a-lot-of-the-new-age-thinking-if-you-want-to-call-it-that/) [Buster Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buster-posey/) > [I can feel the 60S looming. In my profession, I've just moved along with my age. By thinking in decades, rather than whether someone's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-annis/i-can-feel-the-60s-looming-in-my-profession-i-ve-just-moved-along/) [Francesca Annis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-annis/) > [Many people think they want things, but they don't really have the strength, the discipline. They are weak. I believe that you get what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-loren/many-people-think-they-want-things-but-they-don-t-really-have-the/) [Sophia Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-loren/) > [The secret to having everything you want out of life is the realization that you really don't want most of the things you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-secret-to-having-everything-you-want-out-of-life-is-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It does not take much to make us realize what fools we are, but the little it takes is long in coming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/it-does-not-take-much-to-make-us-realize-what-fools-we-are-but-the/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“now? When she looked at herself she saw her outside changing, growing older, while inside she still felt young. Aging was a strange thing—made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-macomber/now-when-she-looked-at-herself-she-saw-her-outside-changing-growing/) [Debbie Macomber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-macomber/) > [“Everyone I meet now is at least ten years younger than me. I feel like Rip van Winkle with a bald spot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaffe-cohen/everyone-i-meet-now-is-at-least-ten-years-younger-than-me-i-feel-like/) [Jaffe Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaffe-cohen/) > [I think, is wonderful about growing older, is appreciation for the miracle of existence, of life. I thank God every day. I also do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbra-streisand/i-think-is-wonderful-about-growing-older-is-appreciation-for-the/) [Barbra Streisand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbra-streisand/) > [“Sometimes seeing the changes in one another had the opposite effect and actually comforted them. Seeing that they weren’t alone in growing older, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-thomas-ford/sometimes-seeing-the-changes-in-one-another-had-the-opposite-effect/) [Michael Thomas Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-thomas-ford/) > [“The freedom of growing older is that one is no longer obliged to dislike someone simply because they dislike you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/the-freedom-of-growing-older-is-that-one-is-no-longer-obliged-to/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [“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/) ## More by Shirley Jackson > [I can't help it when people are frightened," says Merricat. "I always want to frighten them more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-can-t-help-it-when-people-are-frightened-says-merricat-i-always/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“She could not remember ever being truly happy in her adult life; her years with her mother had been built up devotedly around small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/she-could-not-remember-ever-being-truly-happy-in-her-adult-life-her/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Upstairs Margaret said abruptly, 'I suppose it starts to happen first in the suburbs,' and when Brad said, 'What starts to happen?' she said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/upstairs-margaret-said-abruptly-i-suppose-it-starts-to-happen-first/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“The beautiful clarity of all marked outlines occurred to her--there would be a deep satisfaction in strengthening fences, for instance, going along on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/the-beautiful-clarity-of-all-marked-outlines-occurred-to-her-there/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“And we held each other in the dark hall and laughed, with the tears running down our cheeks and echoes of our laughter going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/and-we-held-each-other-in-the-dark-hall-and-laughed-with-the-tears/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Why do people want to talk to each other? I mean, what are the things people always want to find out about other people?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/why-do-people-want-to-talk-to-each-other-i-mean-what-are-the-things/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-met-neatly-floors-were-firm-and/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“It was as though the people needed the ugliness of the village, and fed on it. The houses and the stores seemed to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/it-was-as-though-the-people-needed-the-ugliness-of-the-village-and/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Eleanor—“I plan to stay up and read for a while.” “Are you still reading Pamela?” Eleanor asked the doctor. “Volume two. I have three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/eleanor-i-plan-to-stay-up-and-read-for-a-while-are-you-still-reading/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Is everyone really crazy but me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/is-everyone-really-crazy-but-me/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [February, when the days of winter seem endless and no amount of wistful recollecting can bring back any air of summer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/february-when-the-days-of-winter-seem-endless-and-no-amount-of/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“it’s quite a hazard, quite a hazard indeed, people knocking you down. Still, it’s a genuine pleasure to find one as willing as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/it-s-quite-a-hazard-quite-a-hazard-indeed-people-knocking-you-down/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [On the moon we have everything. Lettuce, and pumpkin pie and Amanita phalloides. We have cat-furred plants and horses dancing with their wings. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/on-the-moon-we-have-everything-lettuce-and-pumpkin-pie-and-amanita/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [She walked quickly around her one-room apartment. After more than four years in this one home she knew all its possibilities, how it could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/she-walked-quickly-around-her-one-room-apartment-after-more-than-four/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [I very much dislike writing about myself or my work, and when pressed for autobiographical material can only give a bare chronological outline which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-very-much-dislike-writing-about-myself-or-my-work-and-when-pressed/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) [Explore all 224 Shirley Jackson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) ## More Growing old quotes > [“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 whole idea of it makes me feel Like I’m coming down with something, Something worse than any stomach ache Or the headaches I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/the-whole-idea-of-it-makes-me-feel-like-i-m-coming-down-with/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [“What is life? Life - that is: continually shedding something that wants to die. Life - that is: being cruel and inexorable against everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-is-life-life-that-is-continually-shedding-something-that-wants/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [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/) > [“They were people whose lives were slow, who did not see themselves growing old, or falling sick, or dying, but who disappeared little by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/they-were-people-whose-lives-were-slow-who-did-not-see-themselves/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [The time to begin most things is ten years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/the-time-to-begin-most-things-is-ten-years-ago/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [“Till now they send him dreams and no more deed; So doth he flame again with might for action, Forgetful of the council of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/till-now-they-send-him-dreams-and-no-more-deed-so-doth-he-flame-again/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [M is for the million things she gave me, O means only that she's growing old, T is for the tears she shed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/m-is-for-the-million-things-she-gave-me-o-means-only-that-she-s/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [The people I've respected most in the industry over the years - Paul Newman, for instance. I just loved the way he handled growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/the-people-i-ve-respected-most-in-the-industry-over-the-years-paul/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [I look forward to growing old and wise and audacious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-jackson/i-look-forward-to-growing-old-and-wise-and-audacious/) [Glenda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenda-jackson/) > [“The freedom of growing older is that one is no longer obliged to dislike someone simply because they dislike you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/the-freedom-of-growing-older-is-that-one-is-no-longer-obliged-to/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [“Sometimes seeing the changes in one another had the opposite effect and actually comforted them. Seeing that they weren’t alone in growing older, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-thomas-ford/sometimes-seeing-the-changes-in-one-another-had-the-opposite-effect/) [Michael Thomas Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-thomas-ford/) > [“But the disastrous walk reminded me that I had reached an age where only careful planning and a steady eye would keep me safe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-darling/but-the-disastrous-walk-reminded-me-that-i-had-reached-an-age-where/) [Lynn Darling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-darling/) > [I think, is wonderful about growing older, is appreciation for the miracle of existence, of life. I thank God every day. I also do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbra-streisand/i-think-is-wonderful-about-growing-older-is-appreciation-for-the/) [Barbra Streisand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbra-streisand/) > [“There was some kind of cultural cause for the decline of the ancient world. It was neither corruption of public spirit nor Christianity. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-f-cantor/there-was-some-kind-of-cultural-cause-for-the-decline-of-the-ancient/) [Norman F. Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-f-cantor/) [Browse all 577 Growing old quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-old/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I think they want the same things you do, only you would... inherit them, so to speak, just by growing up. Things like excitement, and new experiences, and all kinds of strange and wonderful things happening; you get them anyway, just by the process of growing older, but for them... they've already outgrown all they know and they want to try it all over again. 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