--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know not whether increasing years do…" description: "\"I know not whether increasing years do not cause us to esteem fewer people and to bear with more.\" — William Shenstone" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/william-shenstone-4083_aging_i-know-not-whether-increasing-years-do-n_2323425.jpg" --- # I know not whether increasing years do not cause us to… ![“I know not whether increasing years do not cause us to esteem fewer people and to bear with more.” quote by William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/william-shenstone-4083_aging_i-know-not-whether-increasing-years-do-n_2323425.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/william-shenstone-4083_aging_i-know-not-whether-increasing-years-do-n_2323425.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/william-shenstone-4083_aging_i-know-not-whether-increasing-years-do-n_2323425.jpg) > “I know not whether increasing years do not cause us to esteem fewer people and to bear with more.” [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Aging may make us value fewer people and tolerate more behavior, reflecting shifting social priorities. **In simple terms:** Aging changes how we value and tolerate others. Key Takeaway Recognize and adjust expectations as you age. Themes aging values social perception Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - family gatherings - workplace - community events Key Concepts human psychology social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How have your relationships changed with age? - Do you notice increased tolerance or indifference? A Different Perspective Aging does not uniformly reduce empathy; personal growth can counteract. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) [Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [Esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/esteem/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“So much depends on my actions, so I am seeing fewer people, simplifying my life, organizing it so that I am not always on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fitzgerald-kennedy/so-much-depends-on-my-actions-so-i-am-seeing-fewer-people-simplifying/) [John Fitzgerald Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fitzgerald-kennedy/) > [Truth is not so threadbare as speech, because fewer people can make use of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/truth-is-not-so-threadbare-as-speech-because-fewer-people-can-make/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [Gossip is dying out because fewer and fewer people care to talk about anything besides themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/gossip-is-dying-out-because-fewer-and-fewer-people-care-to-talk-about/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Fewer and fewer people are paying larger and larger percentage of the tax burden, as you know, almost half the people pay no income…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/fewer-and-fewer-people-are-paying-larger-and-larger-percentage-of-the/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [The German birthrate is below replacement levels, meaning the population is shrinking, meaning fewer and fewer people of age to join the labor force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-german-birthrate-is-below-replacement-levels-meaning-the/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [We need fewer people telling it like it is. And more people telling it like it can be...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-need-fewer-people-telling-it-like-it-is-and-more-people-telling-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There may be fewer people in the American house of the nineties, but there are a lot more things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witold-rybczynski/there-may-be-fewer-people-in-the-american-house-of-the-nineties-but/) [Witold Rybczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witold-rybczynski/) > [Fewer people are bent from hard work than are crooked from avoiding it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/fewer-people-are-bent-from-hard-work-than-are-crooked-from-avoiding-it/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [If we get rid of greyhound racing it will mean job losses and fewer people coming to West Virginia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-justice/if-we-get-rid-of-greyhound-racing-it-will-mean-job-losses-and-fewer/) [Jim Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-justice/) > [Fewer people than you might think seem to have truly enjoyed their formative education and, for those who did not, one theme in particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/fewer-people-than-you-might-think-seem-to-have-truly-enjoyed-their/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [Marijuana has killed far fewer people than swimming pools; it’s the war against it that does all the violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-reed/marijuana-has-killed-far-fewer-people-than-swimming-pools-it-s-the/) [Lawrence Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-reed/) > [“The fewer people go to war, the fewer the casualties. It’s not a good sight. Soon enough you’ll see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-farner/the-fewer-people-go-to-war-the-fewer-the-casualties-it-s-not-a-good/) James Farner > [Now, in New Jersey, we have more government workers per square mile than any state in America. But since I've been governor we now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/now-in-new-jersey-we-have-more-government-workers-per-square-mile/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) > [A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/a-low-voter-turnout-is-an-indication-of-fewer-people-going-to-the/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [All our environmental problems become easier to solve with fewer people and harder - and ultimately impossible to solve - with ever more people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/all-our-environmental-problems-become-easier-to-solve-with-fewer/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) ## More by William Shenstone > [When self-interest inclines a man to print, he should consider that the purchaser expects a pennyworth for his penny, and has reason to asperse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/when-self-interest-inclines-a-man-to-print-he-should-consider-that/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [Fashion is a great restraint upon your persons of taste and fancy; who would otherwise in the most trifling instances be able to distinguish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/fashion-is-a-great-restraint-upon-your-persons-of-taste-and-fancy-who/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [Whoe'er has travell'd life's dull round, Where'er his stages may have been, May sigh to think he still has found The warmest welcome at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/whoe-er-has-travell-d-life-s-dull-round-where-er-his-stages-may-have/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [My banks they are furnish'd with bees, Whose murmur invites one to sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/my-banks-they-are-furnish-d-with-bees-whose-murmur-invites-one-to/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [His knowledge of books had in some degree diminished his knowledge of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/his-knowledge-of-books-had-in-some-degree-diminished-his-knowledge-of/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [Patience is the panacea; but where does it grow, or who can swallow it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/patience-is-the-panacea-but-where-does-it-grow-or-who-can-swallow-it/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [A large retinue upon a small income, like a large cascade upon a small stream, tends to discover its tenuity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/a-large-retinue-upon-a-small-income-like-a-large-cascade-upon-a-small/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [Independence may be found in comparative as well as in absolute abundance; I mean where a person contracts his desires within the limits of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/independence-may-be-found-in-comparative-as-well-as-in-absolute/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [Taste is pursued at a less expense than fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/taste-is-pursued-at-a-less-expense-than-fashion/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [Long sentences in a short composition are like large rooms in a little house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/long-sentences-in-a-short-composition-are-like-large-rooms-in-a/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [Anger is a great force. If you control it, it can be transmuted into a power which can move the whole world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/anger-is-a-great-force-if-you-control-it-it-can-be-transmuted-into-a/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [Persons who discover a flatterer, do not always disapprove him, because he imagines them considerable enough to deserve his applications.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/persons-who-discover-a-flatterer-do-not-always-disapprove-him-because/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [A man has generally the good or ill qualities which he attributes to mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/a-man-has-generally-the-good-or-ill-qualities-which-he-attributes-to/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [A fool and his words are soon parted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/a-fool-and-his-words-are-soon-parted/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [It should seem that indolence itself would incline a person to be honest, as it requires infinitely greater pains and contrivance to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/it-should-seem-that-indolence-itself-would-incline-a-person-to-be/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) [Explore all 116 William Shenstone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) ## More Aging quotes > [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/) > [In the past 40 years, the United States lost more than a million farmers and ranchers. Many of our farmers are aging. Today, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/in-the-past-40-years-the-united-states-lost-more-than-a-million/) [Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/) > [We'll never be as young as we are tonight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-ll-never-be-as-young-as-we-are-tonight/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess: Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prayer-of-an-anonymous-abbess-lord-thou-knowest-better-than-myself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [So often do you see collegians enter life with high resolve and lofty purpose and then watch them shrink and shrink to sordid, selfish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/so-often-do-you-see-collegians-enter-life-with-high-resolve-and-lofty/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [All the dangers in our world are like a blessed wake up call. They tell us to live life NOW... not tomorrow, not when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/all-the-dangers-in-our-world-are-like-a-blessed-wake-up-call-they/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [“You could see the signs of female aging as diseased, especially if you had a vested interest in making women too see them your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/you-could-see-the-signs-of-female-aging-as-diseased-especially-if-you/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“It takes maturity to be able to laugh like a child again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moffat-machingura/it-takes-maturity-to-be-able-to-laugh-like-a-child-again/) [Moffat Machingura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moffat-machingura/) > [Seek ye counsel of the aged for their eyes have looked on the faces of the years and their ears have hardened to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/seek-ye-counsel-of-the-aged-for-their-eyes-have-looked-on-the-faces/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Growing old-it's not nice, but it's interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/growing-old-it-s-not-nice-but-it-s-interesting/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [Anything is possible in the life of a man if he lives long enough. Even maturity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howell-raines/anything-is-possible-in-the-life-of-a-man-if-he-lives-long-enough/) [Howell Raines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howell-raines/) > [I just want to be Patty McCormack. I want to spend every year aging the way she has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-varney/i-just-want-to-be-patty-mccormack-i-want-to-spend-every-year-aging/) [Janet Varney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-varney/) > [Maturity is reached the day we don't need to be lied to about anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-yerby/maturity-is-reached-the-day-we-don-t-need-to-be-lied-to-about-anything/) [Frank Yerby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-yerby/) [Browse all 2,792 Aging quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I know not whether increasing years do not cause us to esteem fewer people and to bear with more.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Shenstone" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/i-know-not-whether-increasing-years-do-not-cause-us-to-esteem-fewer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aging" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/i-know-not-whether-increasing-years-do-not-cause-us-to-esteem-fewer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/william-shenstone-4083_aging_i-know-not-whether-increasing-years-do-n_2323425.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/william-shenstone-4083_aging_i-know-not-whether-increasing-years-do-n_2323425.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/william-shenstone-4083_aging_i-know-not-whether-increasing-years-do-n_2323425.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I know not whether increasing years do not cause us to esteem fewer people and to bear with more.” — William Shenstone", "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": "William Shenstone", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I know not whether increasing years...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/i-know-not-whether-increasing-years-do-not-cause-us-to-esteem-fewer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/i-know-not-whether-increasing-years-do-not-cause-us-to-esteem-fewer/#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 } } ] } ```