---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The compensation of growing old ... was…"
description: "\"The compensation of growing old ... was simply this; that the passion remains as strong as ever, but one has gained -- at last! -- the power which adds..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/virginia-woolf-49_add_the-compensation-of-growing-old-was-simp_1777739.jpg"
---

#  The compensation of growing old ... was simply this; that…

![“The compensation of growing old ... was simply this; that the passion remains as strong as ever, but one has gained -- at last! -- the power which adds the supreme flavour to existence -- the power of taking hold of experience, of turning it round, slowly, in the light.” quote by Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/virginia-woolf-49_add_the-compensation-of-growing-old-was-simp_1777739.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/virginia-woolf-49_add_the-compensation-of-growing-old-was-simp_1777739.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/virginia-woolf-49_add_the-compensation-of-growing-old-was-simp_1777739.jpg)

> “The compensation of growing old ... was simply this; that the passion remains as strong as ever, but one has gained -- at last! -- the power which adds the supreme flavour to existence -- the power of taking hold of experience, of turning it round, slowly, in the light.”

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

## 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 a deep, seasoned perspective that enriches life, turning experience into a flavorful, illuminating force.

**In simple terms:** Old age adds wise, enriching perspective.

Key Takeaway

Embrace experience to deepen life.

Themes

aging wisdom experience enrichment

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- creative work
- teaching
- mentoring

Key Concepts

existentialism humanism

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you turn your experiences into wisdom?
- What flavors does your past add to your present?

A Different Perspective

Experience alone does not guarantee insight without reflection.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Compensation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compensation/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Growing old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-old/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Mrs dalloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mrs-dalloway/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Rounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rounds/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/)

## Related quotes

> [“Proust so titillates my own desire for expression that I can hardly set out the sentence. Oh if I could write like that! I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/proust-so-titillates-my-own-desire-for-expression-that-i-can-hardly/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“Virginia Woolf (January 25, 1882 – March 28, 1941) was an English novelist and essayist regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/virginia-woolf-january-25-1882-march-28-1941-was-an-english-novelist/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [The world has raised its whip; where will it descend?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-world-has-raised-its-whip-where-will-it-descend/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“Like the pulse of a perfect heart, life struck straight through the streets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/like-the-pulse-of-a-perfect-heart-life-struck-straight-through-the/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“She would not say of anyone that they were this or that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/she-would-not-say-of-anyone-that-they-were-this-or-that/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [Mrs Dalloway is always giving parties to cover the silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/mrs-dalloway-is-always-giving-parties-to-cover-the-silence/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“She sighed, she snored, not that she was asleep, only drowsy and heavy, drowsy and heavy, like a field of clover in the sunshine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/she-sighed-she-snored-not-that-she-was-asleep-only-drowsy-and-heavy/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“The most satisfactory proof of intellectual strength is to be found in the existence of a power which enables the mind to conquer its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ayrton-paris/the-most-satisfactory-proof-of-intellectual-strength-is-to-be-found/)

John Ayrton Paris

> [ Those with power are frequently least aware of -- or least willing to acknowledge -- its existence \[and\] those with less power are often… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-delpit/those-with-power-are-frequently-least-aware-of-or-least-willing-to/)

[Lisa Delpit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-delpit/)

> [What then do you call your soul? What idea have you of it? You cannot of yourselves, without revelation, admit the existence within you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/what-then-do-you-call-your-soul-what-idea-have-you-of-it-you-cannot/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [Existence is beyond the power of words to define: Terms may be used But are none of them absolute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witter-bynner/existence-is-beyond-the-power-of-words-to-define-terms-may-be-used-2/)

[Witter Bynner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witter-bynner/)

> [“Existence is beyond the power of words To define: Terms may be used But are none of them absolute. In the beginning of heaven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/existence-is-beyond-the-power-of-words-to-define-terms-may-be-used/)

[Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/)

> [Independently of its misdeeds, the mere power, - the bare existence of such a power, - is a thing irreconcilable with the nature and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-trist/independently-of-its-misdeeds-the-mere-power-the-bare-existence-of/)

Nicholas Trist

> [It is not the misuse of power that is evil; the very existence of power is an evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/it-is-not-the-misuse-of-power-that-is-evil-the-very-existence-of/)

[Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/)

> [A whole lifetime was too short to bring out, the full flavour; to extract every ounce of pleasure, every shade of meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-whole-lifetime-was-too-short-to-bring-out-the-full-flavour-to/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

## More by Virginia Woolf

> [Fatigue is the safest sleeping draught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/fatigue-is-the-safest-sleeping-draught/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“The train slows and lengthens, as we approach London, the centre, and my heart draws out too, in fear, in exaltation. I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-train-slows-and-lengthens-as-we-approach-london-the-centre-and-my/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“Across the broad continent of a woman's life falls the shadow of a sword. On one side all is correct, definite, orderly; the paths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/across-the-broad-continent-of-a-woman-s-life-falls-the-shadow-of-a/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“Other worshipful objects were content with worship; men, women, God, all let one kneel prostrate; but this form, were it only the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/other-worshipful-objects-were-content-with-worship-men-women-god-all/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [Why does Samuel Butler say, 'Wise men never say what they think of women'? Wise men never say anything else apparently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/why-does-samuel-butler-say-wise-men-never-say-what-they-think-of/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“Sometimes he woke with a brain like lead; at others it was as if a thousand wax tapers were alight and people were throwing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/sometimes-he-woke-with-a-brain-like-lead-at-others-it-was-as-if-a/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [The extraordinary woman depends on the ordinary woman. It is only when we know what were the conditions of the average woman's life -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-extraordinary-woman-depends-on-the-ordinary-woman-it-is-only-when/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [A veil of insanity everywhere: Oh why I was born in this age? It is a terrible age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-veil-of-insanity-everywhere-oh-why-i-was-born-in-this-age-it-is-a/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [Love ought to stop on both sides, don’t you think, simultaneously?’ He spoke without any stress on the words, so as not to wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/love-ought-to-stop-on-both-sides-don-t-you-think-simultaneously-he/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“It is so vast an alleviation to be able to point for another to look at. And then not to talk. To follow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/it-is-so-vast-an-alleviation-to-be-able-to-point-for-another-to-look/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“What a vast fertility of pleasure books hold for me! (...) I think I could happily live here &amp; read forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-vast-fertility-of-pleasure-books-hold-for-me-i-think-i-could/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“what a luxury to be alone once more,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-luxury-to-be-alone-once-more/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“...a woman writing thinks back through her mothers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-woman-writing-thinks-back-through-her-mothers/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“For one's children so often gave one's own perceptions a little thrust forwards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/for-one-s-children-so-often-gave-one-s-own-perceptions-a-little/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“She would not say of anyone in the world now that they were this or were that. She felt very young; at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/she-would-not-say-of-anyone-in-the-world-now-that-they-were-this-or/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

[Explore all 1,872 Virginia Woolf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

## More Add quotes

> [Most marriages don't add two people together. They subtract one from the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/most-marriages-don-t-add-two-people-together-they-subtract-one-from/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [Friendship, "the wine of life," should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed; and it is consolatory to think, that although we can seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/friendship-the-wine-of-life-should-like-a-well-stocked-cellar-be/)

[James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/)

[Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/)

> [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/)

[Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/)

> [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. The well-adapted drop off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/a-modern-man-has-nothing-to-add-to-modernism-if-only-because-he-has/)

[Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/)

> [Observation and theory get on best when they are mixed together, both helping one another in the pursuit of truth. It is a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-eddington/observation-and-theory-get-on-best-when-they-are-mixed-together-both/)

[Arthur Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-eddington/)

> [I may add that we have more than once stated our willingness to conclude nonaggression pacts with the states neighboring our own!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-may-add-that-we-have-more-than-once-stated-our-willingness-to/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [The American Constitution declares 'All men are born equal.' The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-american-constitution-declares-all-men-are-born-equal-the-british/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Thirty days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit - like watching the news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cutts/thirty-days-is-just-about-the-right-amount-of-time-to-add-a-new-habit/)

[Matt Cutts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cutts/)

> [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/)

[John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/)

> [The Greeks said grandly in their tragic phrase, 'Let no one be called happy till his death;' to which I would add, 'Let no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/the-greeks-said-grandly-in-their-tragic-phrase-let-no-one-be-called/)

[Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/)

> [Mostly we just add to the piles of rainbow glass that's been blown off the exteriors of the cany-colored buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/mostly-we-just-add-to-the-piles-of-rainbow-glass-that-s-been-blown/)

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

> [Global is a unifying bond for people. Once they get outside their own heads and their own communities and see themselves in a broader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-calvin/global-is-a-unifying-bond-for-people-once-they-get-outside-their-own/)

[Kathy Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-calvin/)

Browse all 2,710 Add quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The compensation of growing old ... was simply this; that the passion remains as strong as ever, but one has gained -- at last! -- the power which adds the supreme flavour to existence -- the power of taking hold of experience, of turning it round, slowly, in the light.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Virginia Woolf"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-compensation-of-growing-old-was-simply-this-that-the-passion/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Add"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-compensation-of-growing-old-was-simply-this-that-the-passion/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/virginia-woolf-49_add_the-compensation-of-growing-old-was-simp_1777739.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/virginia-woolf-49_add_the-compensation-of-growing-old-was-simp_1777739.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/virginia-woolf-49_add_the-compensation-of-growing-old-was-simp_1777739.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The compensation of growing old ... was simply this; that the passion remains as strong as ever, but one has…” — Virginia Woolf",
                "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": "Virginia Woolf",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The compensation of growing old ......",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-compensation-of-growing-old-was-simply-this-that-the-passion/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-compensation-of-growing-old-was-simply-this-that-the-passion/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
