--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We may be aware of small increments of…" description: "\"We may be aware of small increments of getting older; we may meet an increasing number of people who make us uneasy with their youth; but the fact of b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/442/terri-e-apter-30098_age_we-may-be-aware-of-small-increments-of-g_2414592.jpg" --- # We may be aware of small increments of getting older; we… ![“We may be aware of small increments of getting older; we may meet an increasing number of people who make us uneasy with their youth; but the fact of being old ourselves comes as a surprise, and is often accompanied by the belief that there has been some mistake.” quote by Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/442/terri-e-apter-30098_age_we-may-be-aware-of-small-increments-of-g_2414592.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/442/terri-e-apter-30098_age_we-may-be-aware-of-small-increments-of-g_2414592.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/442/terri-e-apter-30098_age_we-may-be-aware-of-small-increments-of-g_2414592.jpg) > “We may be aware of small increments of getting older; we may meet an increasing number of people who make us uneasy with their youth; but the fact of being old ourselves comes as a surprise, and is often accompanied by the belief that there has been some mistake.” [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 unexpected and unsettling, especially when youth surrounds us, suggesting we may feel we’ve erred in timing. **In simple terms:** Aging feels surprising. Key Takeaway Accept aging’s unpredictability. Themes aging identity generational mistake Mood reflective hopeful Type self‑help philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - intergenerational mentorship - self‑reflection Key Concepts psychology life stages social comparison Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile youthful energy with aging? - What can we learn from younger perspectives? A Different Perspective Some view aging as a natural, rewarding process. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Being old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-old/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Getting old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-old/) [Getting older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-older/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Make Uneasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-uneasy-312348/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Old Comes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-comes-1953552/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Uneasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uneasy/) [Uneasy Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uneasy-youth-6090100/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [Lovers are commonly industrious to make themselves uneasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/lovers-are-commonly-industrious-to-make-themselves-uneasy/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Beauty and fear make uneasy companions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/beauty-and-fear-make-uneasy-companions/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [We do not wish to enter Heaven until our work is done, for it would make us uneasy if there were one single soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/we-do-not-wish-to-enter-heaven-until-our-work-is-done-for-it-would/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Cant handle shy people. They make me uneasy. If you have a question, open your mouth and ask.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cant-handle-shy-people-they-make-me-uneasy-if-you-have-a-question/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The thing is, when you see your old friends, you come face to face with yourself. I run into someone I've known for 40…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-bergen/the-thing-is-when-you-see-your-old-friends-you-come-face-to-face-with/) [Polly Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-bergen/) > [Let me advise thee not to talk of thyself as being old. There is something in Mind Cure, after all, and if thee continually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-whitall-smith/let-me-advise-thee-not-to-talk-of-thyself-as-being-old-there-is/) [Hannah Whitall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-whitall-smith/) > [Being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/being-young-is-beautiful-but-being-old-is-comfortable/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [Being vintage like a fine wine Should make you proud of being old And being mature like a cheese Certainly explains the mould! Fester…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-walter-bratton/being-vintage-like-a-fine-wine-should-make-you-proud-of-being-old-and/) [John Walter Bratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-walter-bratton/) > [Nor bird nor beast Could make me wish for anything this day, Being old, but that the old alone might die, And that would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/nor-bird-nor-beast-could-make-me-wish-for-anything-this-day-being-old/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [I so enjoy being old because for the first time I don't have to do anything-work, teach, study. I feel very good about myself-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bel-kaufman/i-so-enjoy-being-old-because-for-the-first-time-i-don-t-have-to-do/) [Bel Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bel-kaufman/) > [There's nothing like being old to be sure of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/there-s-nothing-like-being-old-to-be-sure-of-everything/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [I think that I probably inevitably fetishize nature, although I try not to, because it's kind of embarrassing, repulsive behavior. I think it's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-elvrum/i-think-that-i-probably-inevitably-fetishize-nature-although-i-try/) [Phil Elvrum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-elvrum/) > [Sometimes being young and confident is better than being old with experience...when I was young I wasn't scared about anything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thierry-henry/sometimes-being-young-and-confident-is-better-than-being-old-with/) [Thierry Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thierry-henry/) > [One cannot help being old, but one can resist being aged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-hall-lord/one-cannot-help-being-old-but-one-can-resist-being-aged/) [Samuel Hall Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-hall-lord/) > [Somehow, throughout much of life, being old seems to be something that happens to other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-scarf/somehow-throughout-much-of-life-being-old-seems-to-be-something-that/) [Maggie Scarf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-scarf/) ## 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. Whatever resentment they had was not towards a mother's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/adolescent-girls-were-fighting-a-mother-s-interference-because-they/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [Adolescents, for all their self-involvement, are emerging from the self-centeredness of childhood. Their perception of other people has more depth. They are better equipped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/adolescents-for-all-their-self-involvement-are-emerging-from-the-self/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [Adolescents do get very angry with their parents, and acknowledging this anger is part of acknowledging them. If the anger is notacknowledged then its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/adolescents-do-get-very-angry-with-their-parents-and-acknowledging/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [This is the hope of many adolescent girls--to capture a parent's heart with love for them as they are, as people. They reject thenotion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/this-is-the-hope-of-many-adolescent-girls-to-capture-a-parent-s-heart/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [The adolescent does not develop her identity and individuality by moving outside her family. She is not triggered by some magic unconscious dynamic whereby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/the-adolescent-does-not-develop-her-identity-and-individuality-by/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [It is not however, adulthood itself, but parenthood that forms the glass shroud of memory. 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/) > [Old age is a strange country, and most of us enter it unwillingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/old-age-is-a-strange-country-and-most-of-us-enter-it-unwillingly/) [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. 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": "We may be aware of small increments of getting older; we may meet an increasing number of people who make us uneasy with their youth; but the fact of being old ourselves comes as a surprise, and is often accompanied by the belief that there has been some mistake.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terri E Apter" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/we-may-be-aware-of-small-increments-of-getting-older-we-may-meet-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/we-may-be-aware-of-small-increments-of-getting-older-we-may-meet-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/442/terri-e-apter-30098_age_we-may-be-aware-of-small-increments-of-g_2414592.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/442/terri-e-apter-30098_age_we-may-be-aware-of-small-increments-of-g_2414592.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/442/terri-e-apter-30098_age_we-may-be-aware-of-small-increments-of-g_2414592.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We may be aware of small increments of getting older; we may meet an increasing number of people who make us…” — 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": "We may be aware of small...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/we-may-be-aware-of-small-increments-of-getting-older-we-may-meet-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/we-may-be-aware-of-small-increments-of-getting-older-we-may-meet-an/#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 } } ] } ```