QuoteProject
Old people whimper, and cry, and belch, and make great hollow rumbling sounds at table; old people wake up in the middle of the night screaming, and find out they haven't even been asleep; and when old people are asleep, they try to wake up, and they can't... not for the longest time.
Edward Albee
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote reflects on the struggles and challenges faced by old age.

Edward Albee's quote poignantly captures the physical and emotional turmoil associated with aging. It confronts the reality of old age, where simple acts like eating and sleeping become laden with distress, highlighting the loneliness and suffering that can accompany this stage of life. The vivid imagery serves as a reminder of life's fragility and the inevitable decline that everyone faces.

Themes

AgingOld AgeSufferingLifeDecline

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could be used in a speech about the emotional challenges of aging during a seminar for caregivers.

More from Edward Albee

Do you know what a playwright is? A playwright is someone who lets his guts hang out on the stage.
Edward AlbeeRead
When a critic sets himself up as an arbiter of morality, a judge of the matter and not the manner of a work, he is no longer a critic; he is a censor.
Edward AlbeeRead
I am convinced that no one is fully educated without a full grounding in the arts.
Edward AlbeeRead
Good writers define reality; bad ones merely restate it.
Edward AlbeeRead
Remember one thing about democracy. We can have anything we want and at the same time, we always end up with exactly what we deserve.
Edward AlbeeRead
Your source material is the people you know, not those you don't know, but every character is an extension of the author's own personality.
Edward AlbeeRead

Similar quotes

But one day, when I was still young, I was parted from my family and left my native country. I hunted and searched for music, and destiny turned me into the object of my hunt. The circumstances of life became my 'antlers' and prevented me from returning home.
Georg SoltiRead
Life's a test, mistakes are lessons, but the gift of life is knowing that you have made a difference.
Tupac ShakurRead
I walked in the meadows of green grieving for my life.
Ivan TurgenevRead
your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.
Anthony BourdainRead
As soon as you set foot on a yacht you belong to some man, not to yourself, and you die of boredom.
Coco ChanelRead
There is little peace or comfort in life if we are always anxious as to future events. He that worries himself with the dread of possible contingencies will never be at rest.
Samuel JohnsonRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.