---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that the older you get, the more…"
description: "\"I think that the older you get, the more you become your true, essential self. You find the things that make you happy. You whittle away the parts of y..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/tom-ford-1301_essentials_i-think-that-the-older-you-get-the-more_2889550.png"
---

#  I think that the older you get, the more you become your…

![“I think that the older you get, the more you become your true, essential self. You find the things that make you happy. You whittle away the parts of yourself that mean less to you.” quote by Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/tom-ford-1301_essentials_i-think-that-the-older-you-get-the-more_2889550.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/tom-ford-1301_essentials_i-think-that-the-older-you-get-the-more_2889550.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/tom-ford-1301_essentials_i-think-that-the-older-you-get-the-more_2889550.png)

> “I think that the older you get, the more you become your true, essential self. You find the things that make you happy. You whittle away the parts of yourself that mean less to you.”

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Aging reveals authentic self; discarding nonessential aspects uncovers true happiness.

**In simple terms:** Getting older reveals your real self.

Key Takeaway

Embrace and refine your authentic self.

Themes

self‑discovery authenticity growth

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- career transition
- creative work
- life coaching
- personal development

Key Concepts

identity personal evolution

Questions to Reflect On

- What parts of yourself have you let go?
- How does authenticity affect your relationships?

A Different Perspective

Changing self can be painful and socially challenging.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [The older I get, the less true friends I realize I have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-older-i-get-the-less-true-friends-i-realize-i-have/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Trust the comfy clothes you reach for day after day, your plain, regular, essential self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-sellers/trust-the-comfy-clothes-you-reach-for-day-after-day-your-plain/)

[Heather Sellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-sellers/)

> [Getting the pretty back is about getting back in touch with your essential self: the part of you that knows what you really want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ringwald/getting-the-pretty-back-is-about-getting-back-in-touch-with-your/)

[Molly Ringwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ringwald/)

> [“Maybe growing up was really nothing more than growing away: from your old life, from your old self, all those things that kept you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/maybe-growing-up-was-really-nothing-more-than-growing-away-from-your/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [“To lose your memory is not just to lose everything you have. It's to lose everything you are. It's to lose your very self.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-pitts-jr/to-lose-your-memory-is-not-just-to-lose-everything-you-have-it-s-to/)

[Leonard Pitts Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-pitts-jr/)

> [You are not a human being. You are not your body, you are not your mind, and you are not your soul. These are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/you-are-not-a-human-being-you-are-not-your-body-you-are-not-your-mind/)

[Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/)

> [Stop feeling sorry for your self things happen, start living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexx-3/stop-feeling-sorry-for-your-self-things-happen-start-living/)

Alexx &lt;3

> [Still learning alot about my self. Though things aren't exactly how I want it to be, it's all apart of maturing &amp; ultimately becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/still-learning-alot-about-my-self-though-things-aren-t-exactly-how-i/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If a person realises his position and stays in his own self, things that are to happen will happen. Things that are not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/if-a-person-realises-his-position-and-stays-in-his-own-self-things/)

[Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/)

> [One's Sister is a part of one's essential self,an eternal presence of one's heart and soul and memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cabill/one-s-sister-is-a-part-of-one-s-essential-self-an-eternal-presence-of/)

Susan Cabill

> [“Our spouses are essential to our self discovery and growth. They nudge us in ways that go beyond what is comfortable and by doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-versey/our-spouses-are-essential-to-our-self-discovery-and-growth-they-nudge/)

[Jason Versey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-versey/)

> [“a real teacher never wishes to make another individual dependent on him or her -- rather, the intention is always to help an individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-whitehouse/a-real-teacher-never-wishes-to-make-another-individual-dependent-on/)

Bill Whitehouse

> [Be there for others but not at the cost your committed way of living.Be yourself &amp; never allow to define your life by others.Never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/be-there-for-others-but-not-at-the-cost-your-committed-way-of-living/)

[DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/)

> [“But this is at the same time a vivid way of saying that your soul, or rather your essential Self, is the whole cosmos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-wilson-watts/but-this-is-at-the-same-time-a-vivid-way-of-saying-that-your-soul-or/)

[Alan Wilson Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-wilson-watts/)

> [“The essential Not-self could be perceived very clearly in things and in living creatures on the hither side of good and evil. In human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-essential-not-self-could-be-perceived-very-clearly-in-things-and/)

[Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/)

## More by Tom Ford

> [Anyone with a long-term partner, anyone with a long-term lover, if that lover dies, you could easily see yourself in a situation where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/anyone-with-a-long-term-partner-anyone-with-a-long-term-lover-if-that/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [A lot of the things I did - it's not going to sound anything but egotistical - if I'm lucky and I did the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/a-lot-of-the-things-i-did-it-s-not-going-to-sound-anything-but/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [I'm a very serious person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/i-m-a-very-serious-person/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [Fashion is, after all, a form of escapism, and in fact people are buying more special things than ever, nowadays. They deny and deny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/fashion-is-after-all-a-form-of-escapism-and-in-fact-people-are-buying/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [Perfection is almost an illness with me, but sometimes I have moments where everything is absolutely clear and you can feel, rather than think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/perfection-is-almost-an-illness-with-me-but-sometimes-i-have-moments/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [I went through some tough times because if you're used to having a voice in contemporary culture and all of sudden, you don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/i-went-through-some-tough-times-because-if-you-re-used-to-having-a/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [British men are peacocks. You see a lot more style on the streets here than you see anywhere else, on every level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/british-men-are-peacocks-you-see-a-lot-more-style-on-the-streets-here/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [We do objectify women in our culture. We're starting to objectify men a little bit more. And there is nothing wrong with that. Objectify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/we-do-objectify-women-in-our-culture-we-re-starting-to-objectify-men/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [Never, ever, ever wear anything you are uncomfortable in. Because that is what you'll project: 'I look like a fool.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/never-ever-ever-wear-anything-you-are-uncomfortable-in-because-that/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [ I think what's important for myself and anyone else who wants to create a film, or art, is \[to\] make sure that they have… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/i-think-what-s-important-for-myself-and-anyone-else-who-wants-to/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [At home, off-duty, I wear T-shirts from Fruit of the Loom - but I have them tailored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/at-home-off-duty-i-wear-t-shirts-from-fruit-of-the-loom-but-i-have/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [A man should never wear shorts in the city. Flip-flops and shorts in the city are never appropriate. Shorts should only be worn on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/a-man-should-never-wear-shorts-in-the-city-flip-flops-and-shorts-in/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [Want girls to let you put your fingers in certain places? Get a manicure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/want-girls-to-let-you-put-your-fingers-in-certain-places-get-a/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [Banking types should take their cue from Gordon Gekko. Or pick the best-looking banker in their firm and copy him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/banking-types-should-take-their-cue-from-gordon-gekko-or-pick-the/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [Only hire people you want to have dinner with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/only-hire-people-you-want-to-have-dinner-with/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

[Explore all 260 Tom Ford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

## More Essentials quotes

> [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/)

[Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/)

> [History is, in its essentials, the science of change. It knows and it teaches that it is impossible to find two events that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bloch/history-is-in-its-essentials-the-science-of-change-it-knows-and-it/)

[Marc Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bloch/)

> [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/)

[Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/)

> [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/developing-expertise-or-assets-that-are-not-easily-copied-is/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [A child reminds us that playtime is an essential part of our daily routine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-child-reminds-us-that-playtime-is-an-essential-part-of-our-daily/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The rights essential to happiness. . . . We claim them from a higher source - from the King of kings and Lord of all the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickinson/the-rights-essential-to-happiness-we-claim-them-from-a-higher-source/)

[John Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickinson/)

> [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [They are the gateway for our modern esthetic development, the prophets of the new time. They are most of all, the primitives of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/they-are-the-gateway-for-our-modern-esthetic-development-the-prophets/)

[Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/)

> [Intellectual methods-study and reason-are essential to our progress toward eternal life, but they are not sufficient. They can prepare the way. They can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/intellectual-methods-study-and-reason-are-essential-to-our-progress/)

[Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/)

> [It is essential for world peace that the world religions make peace with each other. If they don't, we can hardly expect the nations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/it-is-essential-for-world-peace-that-the-world-religions-make-peace/)

[Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/)

> [ I don't think anybody can be a success who doesn't like what they do. \[But it's\] no job if it has no challenge; there's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/i-don-t-think-anybody-can-be-a-success-who-doesn-t-like-what-they-do/)

[Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/)

> [I believe it is essential for our planetary future to develop tools that can change the consciousness which has created the crisis that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislav-grof/i-believe-it-is-essential-for-our-planetary-future-to-develop-tools/)

[Stanislav Grof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislav-grof/)

> [It's essential that we learn how to defend the Bible and the Christian faith for our sake and our children's. If we don't, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ham/it-s-essential-that-we-learn-how-to-defend-the-bible-and-the/)

[Ken Ham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-ham/)

Browse all 3,407 Essentials quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think that the older you get, the more you become your true, essential self. You find the things that make you happy. You whittle away the parts of yourself that mean less to you.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tom Ford"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/i-think-that-the-older-you-get-the-more-you-become-your-true/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Essentials"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/i-think-that-the-older-you-get-the-more-you-become-your-true/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/tom-ford-1301_essentials_i-think-that-the-older-you-get-the-more_2889550.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/tom-ford-1301_essentials_i-think-that-the-older-you-get-the-more_2889550.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/tom-ford-1301_essentials_i-think-that-the-older-you-get-the-more_2889550.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think that the older you get, the more you become your true, essential self. You find the things that make…” — Tom Ford",
                "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": "Tom Ford",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think that the older you...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/i-think-that-the-older-you-get-the-more-you-become-your-true/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/i-think-that-the-older-you-get-the-more-you-become-your-true/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
