[O]ver the years I travelled to another universe. However alert we are, however much we think we know what will happen, antiquity remains an unknown, unanticipated galaxy. It is alien, and old people are a separate form of life. They have green skin, with two heads that sprout antennae. They can be pleasant, they can be annoying--in the supermarket, these old ladies won't get out of my way--but most important they are permanently other. When we turn eighty, we understand that we are extraterrestrial. If we forget for a moment that we are old, we are reminded when we try to stand up, or when we encounter someone young, who appears to observe green skin, extra heads, and protuberances. . Donald Hall
Some Similar Quotes
  1. I finally know the difference between pleasing and loving, obeying and respecting. It has taken me so many years to be okay with being different, and with being this alive, this intense. (xxvi) - Eve Ensler
  2. Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance. Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence. Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance. - Yoko Ono
  3. Birthdays could be such a bummer when you were older than the country you lived in. - Lynsay Sands
  4. It’s very simple. As you grow, you learn more. If you stayed at twenty-two, you’d always be as ignorant as you were at twenty-two. Aging is not just decay, you know. It’s growth. It’s more than the negative that you’re going to die, it’s also... - Mitch Albom
  5. A few years ago it dawned on me that everybody past a certain age ... pretty much constantly dreams of being able to escape from their lives. They don't want to be who they are any more. They want out. This list includes Thurston Howell... - Douglas Coupland
More Quotes By Donald Hall
  1. As Henry Moore carvedor modelled his sculpture every day, he strove to surpass Donatello4. and failed, but woke the next morningelated for another try.
  2. Worship is not love.
  3. [O]ver the years I travelled to another universe. However alert we are, however much we think we know what will happen, antiquity remains an unknown, unanticipated galaxy. It is alien, and old people are a separate form of life. They have green skin, with two...
  4. One day, of course, no one will remember what I remember.
  5. It's almost relaxing to know I'll die fairly soon, as it's a comfort not to obsess about my next orgasm.
Related Topics