--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Old age is a strange country, and most of…" description: "\"Old age is a strange country, and most of us enter it unwillingly.\" — Terri E Apter" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/terri-e-apter-30098_age_old-age-is-a-strange-country-and-most-of_2542119.jpg" --- # Old age is a strange country, and most of us enter it… ![“Old age is a strange country, and most of us enter it unwillingly.” quote by Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/terri-e-apter-30098_age_old-age-is-a-strange-country-and-most-of_2542119.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/terri-e-apter-30098_age_old-age-is-a-strange-country-and-most-of_2542119.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/terri-e-apter-30098_age_old-age-is-a-strange-country-and-most-of_2542119.jpg) > “Old age is a strange country, and most of us enter it unwillingly.” [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Aging feels foreign and often unwanted, highlighting discomfort with the inevitable. **In simple terms:** Old age feels strange and unwanted. Key Takeaway Accept aging as a natural transition. Themes mortality acceptance change discomfort Mood reflective somber Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - healthcare planning - family discussions - personal reflection Key Concepts gerontology psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What fears do you associate with aging? - How can you make aging feel more welcoming? A Different Perspective Denial can hinder preparation for later life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Age Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-strange-1031697/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Enter Unwillingly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enter-unwillingly-1442709/) [Old age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-age/) [Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange/) [Strange Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-country-619726/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [“And this happened to be a bizarre age, a strange time when great numbers of people believed every manipulative junk-science claim, dreading armageddons of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/and-this-happened-to-be-a-bizarre-age-a-strange-time-when-great/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“One of the odd things about middle age...was the strange decisions a man discovers he’s made by not really making them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/one-of-the-odd-things-about-middle-age-was-the-strange-decisions-a/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [I was a twenty-two-year-old single white female alone in a strange country where my sister had been killed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/i-was-a-twenty-two-year-old-single-white-female-alone-in-a-strange/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [She even learnt the language of a strange country which Senior Cosetti had been told some people believed still existed, although no-one in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-clarke/she-even-learnt-the-language-of-a-strange-country-which-senior/) [Susanna Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-clarke/) > [“And while they were in the same place, there came a great mist about them and a darkness, so that they could not know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusta-gregory/and-while-they-were-in-the-same-place-there-came-a-great-mist-about/) [Augusta Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusta-gregory/) > [Stranger in a strange country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/stranger-in-a-strange-country/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Two or three hours' walking will carry me to as strange a country as I expect ever to see. A single farmhouse which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/two-or-three-hours-walking-will-carry-me-to-as-strange-a-country-as-i/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [He has existed only, not lived, who lacks wisdom in old age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/he-has-existed-only-not-lived-who-lacks-wisdom-in-old-age/) [Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/) > [In their youth, mortals behave more like nymphs. Adulthood seems impossibly distant, let alone the enfeeblement of old age. 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Experience helps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/old-age-is-not-a-total-misery-experience-helps/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by Terri E Apter > [Adolescents swing from euphoric self-confidence and a kind of narcissistic strength in which they feel invulnerable and even immortal, to despair, self-emptiness, self-deprecation. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/adolescents-swing-from-euphoric-self-confidence-and-a-kind-of/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [Parents are never forgiven for not giving just the right response at the appropriate moment. Or, rather, there are particular times in the adolescent's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/parents-are-never-forgiven-for-not-giving-just-the-right-response-at/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [Preoccupied with her self, the adolescent sees enormous changes, whereas the parent sees the child she knew all along. For the parent, new developments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/preoccupied-with-her-self-the-adolescent-sees-enormous-changes/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [Adolescence has been recognised as a stage of human development since medieval times--long, long before the industrial revolution--and, as it is now, has long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/adolescence-has-been-recognised-as-a-stage-of-human-development-since/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [Adolescent girls were fighting a mother's interference because they wanted her to acknowledge their independence. 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For there is an interesting quirk in the memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/it-is-not-however-adulthood-itself-but-parenthood-that-forms-the/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [Parenting can be established as a time-share job, but mothers are less good "switching off" their parent identity and turning to something else. Many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/parenting-can-be-established-as-a-time-share-job-but-mothers-are-less/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [We may be aware of small increments of getting older; we may meet an increasing number of people who make us uneasy with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/we-may-be-aware-of-small-increments-of-getting-older-we-may-meet-an/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [Sexual activity, for women, has a history of vulnerability, in a way it simply does not have for men. The mother has to teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/sexual-activity-for-women-has-a-history-of-vulnerability-in-a-way-it/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [The family is constantly changing, as each member changes. Some changes we recognize as developments, and the pleasure they bringusually makes us more adaptable.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/the-family-is-constantly-changing-as-each-member-changes-some-changes/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [The myth of independence from the mother is abandoned in mid- life as women learn new routes around the mother--both the mother without and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/the-myth-of-independence-from-the-mother-is-abandoned-in-mid-life-as/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) [Explore all 17 Terri E Apter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) ## 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. 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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": "Old age is a strange country, and most of us enter it unwillingly.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terri E Apter" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/old-age-is-a-strange-country-and-most-of-us-enter-it-unwillingly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/old-age-is-a-strange-country-and-most-of-us-enter-it-unwillingly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/terri-e-apter-30098_age_old-age-is-a-strange-country-and-most-of_2542119.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/terri-e-apter-30098_age_old-age-is-a-strange-country-and-most-of_2542119.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/terri-e-apter-30098_age_old-age-is-a-strange-country-and-most-of_2542119.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Old age is a strange country, and most of us enter it unwillingly.” — Terri E Apter", "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": "Terri E Apter", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Old age is a strange country,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/old-age-is-a-strange-country-and-most-of-us-enter-it-unwillingly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/old-age-is-a-strange-country-and-most-of-us-enter-it-unwillingly/#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 } } ] } ```