If you have the guts to be yourself, other people'll pay your price.
John UpdikeRead
I like old men. They can be wonderful bastards because they have nothing to lose. The only people who can be themselves are babies and old bastards.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Old age brings freedom to express true selves without societal constraints.
This quote by John Updike reflects on the liberation that comes with age, suggesting that older individuals, similar to babies, possess the ability to be authentically themselves without the fear of judgment or the repercussions that often come with societal norms. As people grow older, they often care less about societal expectations and are more willing to express their true thoughts and feelings, leading to a unique candidness in their character.
Themes
Old AgeAuthenticityFreedomSelf-ExpressionWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a speech on the beauty and wisdom of aging.
More from John Updike
All quotes βDost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of. _x000D_ _x000D_ Suspect each moment, for it is a thief, tiptoeing away with more than it brings.
John UpdikeRead
Museums and bookstores should feel, I think, like vacant lots - places where the demands on us are our own demands, where the spirit can find exercise in unsupervised play.
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But it is just two lovers, holding hands and in a hurry to reach their car, their locked hands a starfish leaping through the dark.
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The reader knows the writer better than he knows himself; but the writer's physical presence is light from a star that has moved on.
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To guarantee the individual maximum freedom within a social frame of minimal laws ensures - if not happiness - its hopeful pursuit.
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