--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: \"Honor never grows old, and honor…" description: "\"\"Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ce/william-bennett-13283_honor_honor-never-grows-old-and-honor-rejoices_1257461.png" --- # "Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of… ![“"Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as…” quote by William Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ce/william-bennett-13283_honor_honor-never-grows-old-and-honor-rejoices_1257461.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ce/william-bennett-13283_honor_honor-never-grows-old-and-honor-rejoices_1257461.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ce/william-bennett-13283_honor_honor-never-grows-old-and-honor-rejoices_1257461.png) > “"Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for?” [William Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bennett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Honor endures, rewarding those who defend noble causes despite great costs; we must decide what truly matters. **In simple terms:** Honor lasts when we protect what’s right, even at great sacrifice. Key Takeaway Identify and protect your core values. Themes ethics courage legacy Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - military service - civil rights activism - whistleblowing - personal decision‑making Key Concepts moral philosophy personal integrity Questions to Reflect On - What values are worth defending at any price? - How do you balance personal risk with societal benefit? A Different Perspective High personal cost may deter action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor/) [Worth living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-living/) ## Related quotes > [If you're in a relationship with someone who does not honor or respect you, I want you to know you are worthy of love.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-axtell/if-you-re-in-a-relationship-with-someone-who-does-not-honor-or/) Brooke Axtell > [“Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whoever-does-not-honor-the-son-does-not-honor-the-father-who-sent-him/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Some things are not worth dying for, but without them life is not worth living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-things-are-not-worth-dying-for-but-without-them-life-is-not/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [A vision is something worth living for, and it is something worth dying for. In fact, if it is not worth dying for, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-pringle/a-vision-is-something-worth-living-for-and-it-is-something-worth/) [Phil Pringle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-pringle/) > [Life is not worth living until you have someone to die for. And life is not worth dying once you have someone to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldyna-threesya/life-is-not-worth-living-until-you-have-someone-to-die-for-and-life/) [Aldyna Threesya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldyna-threesya/) > [Some people seek what is worth dying for, others find what is worth living for](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-rossi/some-people-seek-what-is-worth-dying-for-others-find-what-is-worth/) Alexandre Rossi > [If you've got nothing worth dying for, you've got nothing worth living for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-ve-got-nothing-worth-dying-for-you-ve-got-nothing-worth-living/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If our country is worth dying for in time of war let us resolve that it is truly worth living for in time of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamilton-fish/if-our-country-is-worth-dying-for-in-time-of-war-let-us-resolve-that/) Hamilton Fish > [“What they fail to reckon with, however, is the reverse of that slogan: if nothing is worth dying for, is anything worth living for?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/what-they-fail-to-reckon-with-however-is-the-reverse-of-that-slogan/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [“I can truly say my life is worth living now because I’ve found someone worth dying for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-rose/i-can-truly-say-my-life-is-worth-living-now-because-i-ve-found/) [Sierra Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-rose/) > [There are many things worth living for, a few things worth dying for, and nothing worth killing for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-many-things-worth-living-for-a-few-things-worth-dying-for/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [And love … love was worth dying for. Worth living for, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/and-love-love-was-worth-dying-for-worth-living-for-too/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [Self-defense is not just a set of techniques; it’s a state of mind, and it begins with the belief that you are worth defending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rorion-gracie/self-defense-is-not-just-a-set-of-techniques-it-s-a-state-of-mind-and/) Rorion Gracie > [“No system was worth defending if it didn’t bend for its people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-forrest/no-system-was-worth-defending-if-it-didn-t-bend-for-its-people/) [Bella Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-forrest/) > [The memories of those who perished in the Warsaw Uprising cry out across the decades, and few are clearer than the memories of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-memories-of-those-who-perished-in-the-warsaw-uprising-cry-out/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) ## More by William Bennett > [Responsible persons are mature people who have taken charge of themselves and their conduct, who own their actions and own up to them--who answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bennett/responsible-persons-are-mature-people-who-have-taken-charge-of/) [William Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bennett/) > [People of good character are not all going to come down on the same side of difficult political and social issues. Good people-people of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bennett/people-of-good-character-are-not-all-going-to-come-down-on-the-same/) [William Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bennett/) > [The elementary school must assume as its sublime and most solemn responsibility the task of teaching every child in it to read. Any school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bennett/the-elementary-school-must-assume-as-its-sublime-and-most-solemn/) [William Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bennett/) > [Real fatherhood means love and commitment and sacrifice and a willingness to share responsibility and not walking away from one's children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bennett/real-fatherhood-means-love-and-commitment-and-sacrifice-and-a/) [William Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bennett/) > [“Happiness is like a cat. If you try to coax it or call it, it will avoid you. It will never come. But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bennett/happiness-is-like-a-cat-if-you-try-to-coax-it-or-call-it-it-will/) [William Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bennett/) > [Home is a shelter from storms - all sorts of storms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bennett/home-is-a-shelter-from-storms-all-sorts-of-storms/) [William Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bennett/) > [A City University of New York study done in 1991 revealed that nearly 90% of the American people identify themselves religiously as Christians or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bennett/a-city-university-of-new-york-study-done-in-1991-revealed-that-nearly/) [William Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bennett/) > [Loving your homeland is just as natural as loving your father or mother - after all, your country nourishes you, protects you, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bennett/loving-your-homeland-is-just-as-natural-as-loving-your-father-or/) [William Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bennett/) > [Morality becomes hypocrisy if it means accepting mothers suffering or dying in connection with unwanted pregnancies and illegal abortions - and unwanted children living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bennett/morality-becomes-hypocrisy-if-it-means-accepting-mothers-suffering-or-2/) [William Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bennett/) > [America's only respectable form of bigotry is bigotry against religious people. 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They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/) [Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/) > [It is sure that those are most desirous of honour or glory who cry out loudest of its abuse and the vanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/it-is-sure-that-those-are-most-desirous-of-honour-or-glory-who-cry/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [This is what I say about the scorn of the media elite: I wear their scorn as a badge of honor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quayle/this-is-what-i-say-about-the-scorn-of-the-media-elite-i-wear-their/) [Dan Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quayle/) > [Just being in a video game is an honor, and being on the cover, I can't really describe it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-judge/just-being-in-a-video-game-is-an-honor-and-being-on-the-cover-i-can-t/) [Aaron Judge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-judge/) > [Spade! Thou art a tool of honor in my hands. I press thee, through a yielding soil, with pride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/spade-thou-art-a-tool-of-honor-in-my-hands-i-press-thee-through-a/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [Making money doesn't oblige people to forfeit their honor or their conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-rothschild/making-money-doesn-t-oblige-people-to-forfeit-their-honor-or-their/) [Guy de Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-rothschild/) > [The dog is guided by kindly instinct to the man or woman whose heart is open to his advances. The cat often leaves the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/the-dog-is-guided-by-kindly-instinct-to-the-man-or-woman-whose-heart/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [“He put his forehead against hers. “Alannah, my heart is yours.” He said softly. “And yet, I must hand it over to someone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-morin/he-put-his-forehead-against-hers-alannah-my-heart-is-yours-he-said/) [B.C. Morin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-morin/) > [Use every man according to his desert and who should 'scape whipping? 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