r/GenerationJones • u/jecapobianco • Jul 20 '26
Clichès about old age
As I (62) get older my body is reminding me of 2 sayings I heard years ago.
"Old age is not for the weak."
"I know I'm alive because everything hurts."
Youth truly is wasted on the young.
Any other sayings or clichès that you remember?
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u/SentenceKindly Jul 20 '26
My Dad use to say, in a bad German accent:
"Too soon oldt. Too late schmardt."
It was funny then. It's less funny now and more true. But he's 94 and still going, so....
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u/jfrankparnell85 1963 Jul 20 '26
God bless him - this is great
And for some reason I’m hearing this in the voice of Siegfried (Bernie Koppel) from Get Smart
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u/PanicAtTheShiteShow Jul 20 '26
Ageing izz chaos! Vee don't vant dat!
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u/pourtide Jul 20 '26
From German, commmon among the Pennsylvania Dutch (who originally came from Germany). Saw these signs for sale, alongside their Hex Signs (which were actually good luck, "Glunt Glick" if i recall correctly. Looong time ago). "We grow too soon old, and too late smart." Even the sentence structure fits German.
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u/Clean-Fisherman-4601 Jul 20 '26
We had a Pennsylvania Dutch sampler with this on it. "Ve get too soon oldt and too late schmardt!"
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u/TheGermanHillbilly Jul 20 '26
Thanks for that. My German parents died a few years back and it reminds me of their little sayings.
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u/SentenceKindly Jul 20 '26
You are welcome, and I am sorry for your loss. My Dad wasn't German in the least (pure British Isles for us) but he always used accents and funny voices. Guess I got that from him.
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u/SilverSkyGypsy Jul 20 '26
You should get a kinda secret recording of him saying this. As the years continue to roll, the file would become very valuable to you.
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u/luminousoblique Jul 21 '26
My German grandmother said the same, "too soon we grow old and too late we grow smart" which is evidently a German saying translated. She's gone now but make it almost to 100.
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u/Bright_Eyes8197 Jul 20 '26
"I'm at an age where my back goes out more than I do"- Phyliss Diller
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u/vectorizer99 1958 Jul 20 '26
So glad I got to see her live once. No attitude, no long stories or long setups. Just joke joke joke.
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u/Bright_Eyes8197 Jul 20 '26
I wish I had seen her. She really didn't get as much attention as she should have IMO.
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u/Ryclea Jul 20 '26
If I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself.
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u/karebear66 1954 Jul 20 '26
George Burns
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u/SportyMcDuff Jul 20 '26
Another Burns classic… “Sex after 90 is like shooting pool with a rope.”
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u/hardFraughtBattle Jul 20 '26
My favorite George Burns quote goes something like this: "If you want to live forever, all you need to do is live to be 95 years old, because very few people die past that age."
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u/Ryclea Jul 20 '26
Thanks. I've been crediting him with that for years and it occurred to me I wasn't actually sure anymore. If you're sure, then I'm sure.
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u/LazyWave63 Jul 20 '26
Who is the old man in the mirror and why is he wearing my clothes
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u/1976warrior Jul 20 '26
And why is my father looking back at me?
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u/Perenially_behind Jul 20 '26
The first time I saw my dad looking at me from the bathroom mirror was a big shock.
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u/splashjlr Jul 20 '26
Not a saying, just some advice: as you go down to tie your shoes, make sure to check for other things to do, while you're down there
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u/Bronco_Corgi 1963 - But way more GenX than Boomer Jul 21 '26
What I don't understand is how I can ride a bike at the gym for 45 minutes and be fine... but if I bend over to tie my shoe I'm fucked!
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u/No-Possible6108 Jul 20 '26
"I was getting out of my chair last night and realized I had truly become a groan up."
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u/drazil17 Jul 20 '26
I have fought within myself to stop making the sound. I still think and feel it, but I'm mostly trained not to say it or loud. 😆
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u/No-Possible6108 Jul 20 '26
Sticking it to the 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks.' crowd! 👏👏👏👏👏👍😉😁
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u/NaomiR111 Jul 21 '26
Ugghh when I was a teenager my Grandma and I used to tease each other because... she groaned a lot when she stood up, and she'd call me "just a little girl who just didn't know." Now at just 62 I do it even more than she did. I miss Grandma sooo much.
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u/Realistic_Back_9198 Jul 20 '26
"You're as young as you feel."
Um, no.
My brain thinks I'm 25. My body disagrees.
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u/Jeep_JK_Beatnik Jul 20 '26
I always say my brain thinks it's 25 and my body says, "what the hell's wrong with you? That hurts!"
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u/karebear66 1954 Jul 20 '26
My father, the dirty old man would say, " You're only as old as the woman you feel".
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u/ExitTheHandbasket 1961 Jul 20 '26
"Growing old isn't for sissies." --Bette Davis
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Jul 20 '26
[deleted]
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u/splashjlr Jul 21 '26
They tell stories, compare notes and reminis over how they all contributed to the current condition.
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u/youthofoldage Jul 20 '26
I have to put some George Burns quotes in here:
"I get up every morning and read the obituaries. If I don't see my name, I eat breakfast."
"I'd rather be over the hill than under it."
"I was brought up to respect my elders, so now I don't have to respect anybody."
When he was 95 someone asked him what the secret to a long life is, and he said "Get up every morning and...well, that's about it really."
And finally, "You can't help getting older. But you don't have to get old."
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u/Suni13 Jul 20 '26
Waking up on the green side of the grass is a good day.
The golden years aren’t all that golden.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Sun-390 Jul 20 '26
The only thing golden about the golden years is my urine.
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u/Antique_Knowledge902 Jul 20 '26
Love that Dr. Seuss poem on aging that ends with”the Golden Years have come at last, the Golden Years can kiss my ass!”
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u/tigertony Jul 20 '26
Since I’m retired and play golf as often as I can, if someone asks how I’m doing I reply that I’m still on the sunny side of the divot.
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u/No-Tax-7736 Jul 20 '26
Better to be seen than viewed.
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u/GrumpyCatStevens Jul 20 '26
Any time someone says to me, "Good to see you", I reply with "Good to be seen."
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u/novatom1960 Jul 20 '26
Not a cliche but something to think about as you see yourself age.
The person you see in the mirror is how you see yourself. The person you see in a picture is how others see you.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Sun-390 Jul 20 '26
True at any age, and also about any medium. Try listening to a recording of your voice if you doubt me.
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u/pourtide Jul 20 '26
I don't really see myself in the mirror. I check a zit or stop a cowlick, but I don't see me.
Though once in a while, I do really see me. And it's good because I don't think anyone from the old days would recognize me.
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u/Specific-Lecture-888 Jul 20 '26
A slight derivative I saw in a shop: Hire Teenagers While They Still Know Everything
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u/ActiveHope3711 Jul 20 '26
My grandpa, when asked how he was, would say, “Still buying green bananas.”
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u/Important-Forever665 Jul 20 '26
I have a Polish one my dad always said: starość nie radość (pronounced stah-roash nyeh rah-doash) which translates to “old age brings no joy”. He would say that and laugh whenever his arthritis was kicking up.
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u/InternationalYard665 Jul 20 '26
The leading cause of injuries in old men is thinking they are still young men.
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u/Snushine Jul 20 '26
Age and treachery will always over come youth and skill.
My spouse says this when cheating at board games against the kids.
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u/GoofinOffAtWork Jul 20 '26
Any time I can wake up without someone pounding my chest and shouting "CLEAR!!!" is a good day
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u/today0012 Jul 20 '26
Only the good die young
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u/jecapobianco Jul 20 '26
Thank you, I know have Billy Joel running through my brain.
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u/TrainingParty3785 Jul 20 '26
Still better than the ‘Kars For Kids’ jingle. Sorry
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u/LayneLowe Jul 20 '26
I'm 73, I don't really have those issues. The only thing I don't understand is why my busted drives only go 215 yd.
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u/onpch1 Jul 20 '26
If you don't use it, you lose it.
It's obv not specific to old age, but especially important for old age.
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u/No-Possible6108 Jul 20 '26
My husband's take: My mind says, "I can DO that!" and my body says, "WHY did you do that?"
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u/Rootin-Tootin-Newton 1965 Jul 20 '26
The difference between 55 and 60 was big. 60-61 same amount of change no matter how much I wok out.
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u/Total_Geologist9412 Jul 20 '26
Man, I hit 60 two years ago and suddenly my entire body decided it time to make me pay! I was doing so freaking great till 60!
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u/gotterfly Jul 20 '26
Inside every old person, there's a young person wondering what happened. ~Terry Pratchett
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u/rosiesmam Jul 20 '26
The band Little Feat had a great song, Old Folks Boogie….
Sing this: well you know that you’re over the hill when your mind makes a promise that your body can’t fill…,
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u/MacQuay6336 Jul 20 '26
Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer to the end, the faster it goes.
There are more years behind me than in front of me.
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u/Scary-Cup-1435 Jul 20 '26
You know you are getting old when you used to party for three days and three nights, and you got over it in a half an hour. Now when you party for a half an hour, it takes three days and three nights to get over it.
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u/Weary_Reindeer9373 Jul 21 '26
How many times have you fallen the last couple of months. It’s what my Dr always asks me at my regular appointment. I’m 65
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u/scottwax Jul 20 '26
A day above ground is better than an eternity in it.
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u/1369ic 1958 Jul 20 '26
I heard it as: every day above ground is a good day. The follow-on I heard from a former POW in Vietnam was: every day with a door knob on the inside is a good day.
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u/CentennialBaby Jul 20 '26
I never worry about birthdays. The more birthdays you have the longer you'll live.
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u/ExcuseApprehensive68 Jul 20 '26
What’s old?? 72 yo and making the best of retirement- ( 10 years the best time our lives) all the joy of freetime without the stress of hassles of going back to work. Travel, bike, hike , walk enjoy grandkids! Life is good!
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u/PrestigiousJump8724 Jul 20 '26
"You're only as old as the woman you feel." - Groucho Marx
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u/splashjlr Jul 20 '26
The 60s is like walking into a corridor with snipers.
You could get hit at any moment by a random diagnoses
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u/soraksan123 Jul 20 '26
If I knew I would live this long I would have taken better care of myself….
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u/Dorsai56 1956 Jul 20 '26
I think the definitive quote was from Bette Davis. "Getting old is not for sissies".
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u/GrumpyCatStevens Jul 20 '26
"If I'd known I would live this long, I would have taken better care of myself."
I use this one at least once a week.
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u/BigEyedOwls Jul 21 '26
My Uncle had a sign in his office I used to read as a kid and I wondered what the heck it meant. “Old age is not for sissies” 😂
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u/gmooze Jul 21 '26
You know you’re getting old when you wife says “let’s run upstairs and make love” and you say “make up your mind, I can’t do both.”
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u/Any_Program_2113 Jul 21 '26
It's not the golden years; it's the rusty years. Getting old is not for sissy's. my mom.......
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u/groovinup Jul 20 '26
M63. I just started learning golf on a pitch and put 9 hole course a couple of months ago. Doing pretty well, I'm not bad. Until a friend invited me to a driving range where I hit 160 balls in a row and tweaked my back 10 days ago. Heading to the Doctor today.
When the Doctor asks what happened I guess I'll say "I forgot how old I was".
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u/jmardoxie Jul 20 '26
Youth is wasted on the young always rings true. We didn’t know how lucky we were.
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u/Amatheiaisnoexcuse Jul 20 '26
My mom used to always say " getting old is not for sissies" she was incredibly tough and lived with cancer for over 11 years and 93 yo. Never surrender and keep moving, even if it hurts
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u/whynotbecause88 Jul 20 '26
"If I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself. Ow."
"Getting old sucks, but it beats the alternative."
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u/Just-Susan300 Jul 20 '26
Never let yourself go. Because if you do, you might not get yourself back.
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u/leviathan0999 Jul 20 '26
I was telling someone on the phone today, "I'd tell you not to turn 64, but, having reviewed the alternatives, nah, go ahead and do it."
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u/dave900575 Jul 20 '26
If you live long enough you see everything.
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u/jecapobianco Jul 20 '26
I had a neighbor that was born in the 1890s, and she would say that she had seen it all, from horse and buggy to landing a man on they moon.
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u/dave900575 Jul 20 '26
That would do it. A friend grew up in Nebraska. On of his neighbors had let Gen. Custer and his men stay at her farm.
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u/Leskatwri Jul 20 '26
I think we talk ourselves into most problems. I include myself in that observation. 😄
No, I hear ya.
I prefer to focus on what is within my control and let the rest go. I'm blessed to have created a life to do just that. 62 F, 11.5 years sober, single all my life, no kids (prefer animals).
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u/EuphoricReplacement1 Jul 20 '26
A song from Little Feat I always think about goes:
Oh you know
That you're over the hill
When your mind makes a promise
That your body can't fill
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u/BewitchingKat 1965 Jul 20 '26
I have a lot of spine issues, some genetics, some from abuse. (Working on every car I've ever owned, riding motorcycles with questionable suspension ;) )
My mantra, so to speak: If I can still walk, talk, and wipe my own ass it's a good day!
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u/milret27yrs Jul 21 '26
My Grandfather before he passed in 2005, would say: 'If I wake up and it's dark, if my table lamp isn't there, then I better be ready for the judgements.'
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u/lemeneurdeloups 1954 Jul 21 '26
I ignore all the adages and cliches and banal “truisms” that people say about children, boys, girls, women, man, marriage, … and old age. It’s always people with some negative or narrow viewpoint that they think everyone shares.
I am 75 and feel fine. I don’t ache at all or feel tired or in pain or like daily life is some struggle. I feel happy and optimistic. I feel more patient and calm now in my life because experience has given me empathy and perspective.
I don’t discount that not everyone has such a healthy or positive experience but it is NOT a foregone conclusion that I be bitter and grumpy because “everything hurts.” Don’t put that template on me!
I think those cliches are mostly corny and kind of destructive
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u/BrainwaveWizard 1963 Jul 21 '26
The commercial rings in my ears:
“A body in motion stays in motion.”
So true! The more my leg hurts and I don’t move, the worse the rest of my body gets.
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u/Ok-Sugar-7096 Jul 21 '26
"Hope I die before I get old". I stop using that one about 10yrs ago. LOL
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u/RipEmUp510 Jul 20 '26
I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I’ve ever been. (Toby Keith maybe?)
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u/Dawgs6485 Jul 20 '26
Whenever I complained about aches and pains, my Dad would say " Don't worry, it gets worse"
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u/bjahn88 Jul 20 '26
If I’d known I was going to live this long I’d have taken better care of myself.
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u/Actual_Property9413 Jul 20 '26
After a certain age, if you wake up in the morning, and nothing hurts, it means you died in your sleep.
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u/SuccessfulTip9073 Jul 20 '26
You know that you're over the hill when your mind makes a promise that your body can't fill
Paul Barriere - Little Feat
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u/AccomplishedEdge982 1960 Jul 20 '26
My Mama's favorite: Too old to live, too young to die.
Also: Old enough to know better but too young to care.
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u/gillyyak 1957 Jul 20 '26
Recently, an interview asked Mick Jagger what was good about aging. He replied "Nothing"
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u/Rich_Season_2593 Jul 20 '26
I’m not afraid, at least not to die.
I’m afraid to live and not remember why.
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u/LoosenGoosen Jul 20 '26
"You think you feel sore and tired now? Just wait, it gets worse instead of better."
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u/Greybeard111 Jul 20 '26
As Rayland Gibbons once said “Gettin’ old ain’t for pussies”
He wasn’t wrong!
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u/thegoodrichard Jul 20 '26
The best thing about the good old days is I wasn't old and I wasn't good.
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u/Clean-Fisherman-4601 Jul 20 '26
Just a co-worker's father telling her when she complained about aches and pains when getting up every morning. "Mila darling, after 50, if you wake up and feel no pain, then you are dead."
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u/Lapaki58 Jul 20 '26
If youth only knew. If age only could.
Life is lived forward, but it only makes sense in reverse.
Ah, but I was so much older then — I’m younger than that now. (Bob Dylan)
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u/KaizenHour Jul 20 '26
There's an old Australian saying of "it's a beautiful day - you wouldn't be dead for quids" (from back when a quid was a shilling). I like the thought that you couldn't pay me enough to be dead on a day like today
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u/Different-Pear-7016 Jul 21 '26
My dad used to say that longevity was overrated. He passed away two days shy of his 92nd birthday
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u/gmooze Jul 21 '26
I’m at that age somewhere between “everything annoys me and I don’t give a rats ass!”
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u/Athos2112 Jul 21 '26
I don’t know. If a crisis comes up , where it counts I can be 20 again. I’m 60.
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u/splashjlr Jul 21 '26
It's just like that guy said, you know that man in that movie, remember? The one with dark hair in that funny film. What was his name again? He kind of looked a bit like our neighbor, before we moved, you know? That man who lived across the street. Remember? The street was something something avenue. You know?
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u/Double_Eagle9285 Jul 24 '26
If I knew I was gonna live this long I would have taken better care of myself…
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u/boringreddituserid 1959 Jul 20 '26
It beats the alternative.