Monday, April 28, 2014

Quote of the Week

Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.  - Samuel Ullman

Every so often I get a notification from Facebook about friends' birthdays.  This week there are five, so this quote jumped out at me this morning.

Samuel Ullman was a German born poet, businessman and humanitarian who immigrated the United States at a young age to escape discrimination.  He was best known for his poem entitled "Youth", which was said to be a favorite of General Douglas MacArthur.


Age isn't so much a number as state of mind.  We may gain knowledge, wisdom and experience over the years, but we can maintain a youthful mind by staying true to ourselves. Live life to the fullest and keep your soul wrinkle-free.


6 comments:

  1. A fine reminder. Kind of like handing us an iron. ;)

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  2. I love the idea of a "wrinkle free soul" This a good quote and I really liked your take on it, especially the part about "staying true to ourselves."

    I hope you're getting through the weather. It's been terrible here, but worse in other areas nearby. At least we've missed the twisters...just lots of thunder, which drives Aggie crazy. Be safe, okay?

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  3. Hilary- I like that...ironing out our wrinkles.

    Babs- Yeah, it's all a state of mind.

    Sara- Dood heads to the basement at the first rumble of thunder. He lived outside for his first 7 years and I never thought about him being afraid of thunder. Usually it bothers dogs.

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  4. It's so true. The older I get, the more I value the wisdom I've gained, the wrinkles I wear proudly...but hopefully retaining some youthful spirit to carry me through a few more decades. :)

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  5. I saw this quote recently when I was doing some research for an upcoming post about aging. It is so true that at least in part, how we age is dependent on our attitudes. While there might be genetic, environmental or life experiences that impact us as well, a positive attitude can certainly do wonders in keeping us "young at heart."

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