...the routine of life goes on, whatever happens, we do the same things, go through the little performance of eating, sleeping, washing. No crisis can break through the crust of habit.
Daphne Du MaurierRead
I would not be young again, if you offered me the world. But then I'm prejudiced.' 'You talk,' I said, 'as if you were ninety-nine.' 'For a woman I very nearly am,' she said. 'I'm thirty five.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects a contentment with one's current age and experiences, suggesting that youth may not hold the value it is often perceived to have.
In this conversation, the characters express a nuanced understanding of age and experience. The woman asserts that she would not want to relive her youth, indicating a preference for the wisdom and perspective that come with age. It suggests that life experiences, even with their challenges, are more valuable than the fleeting allure of youth. Her remark about feeling nearly ninety-nine at thirty-five highlights the complexity of how people perceive aging, hinting that maturity often brings a deeper appreciation for life.
Themes
AgeWisdomExperienceYouthContentment
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about embracing age, this quote can inspire others to appreciate their life journey.
More from Daphne Du Maurier
All quotes →here was a silence between them for a moment, and she wondered if all women, when in love, were torn between two impulses, a longing to throw modesty and reserve to the winds and confess everything, and an equal determination to conceal the love forever, to be cool, aloof, utterly detached, to die rather than admit a thing so personal, so intimate.
Daphne Du MaurierRead
She had to live in this bright, red gabled house with the nurse until it was time for her to die... I thought how little we know about the feelings of old people. Children we understand, their fears and hopes and make-believe.
Daphne Du MaurierRead
We are all ghosts of yesterday, and the phantom of tomorrow awaits us alike in sunshine or in shadow, dimly perceived at times, never entirely lost.
Daphne Du MaurierRead
How pleasant,' Dona said, peeling her fruit; 'the rest of us can only run away from time to time, and however much we pretend to be free, we know it is only for a little while - our hands and our feet are tied.
Daphne Du MaurierRead
A familiar name on its own, however, does not carry its bearer far unless the talent is there, and the will to work.
Daphne Du MaurierRead
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