Ageism Quotes

“It’s not loving a man that makes life harder for gay guys, it’s homophobia. It’s not the color of their skin that makes life harder for people of color; it’s racism. It’s not having vaginas that makes life harder for women, it’s sexism. And it’s ageism, far more than the passage of time, that makes growing older harder for all of us.”
― Ashton Applewhite, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism

“When we age we shed many skins: ego, arrognace, dominance, self-opionated, unreliable, pessimism, rudeness, selfish, uncaring ... Wow, it's good to be old!”
― Stephen Richards

“The good thing about being old is not being young.”
― Stephen Richards

“Some people say they have 20 years experience, when in reality, they have 1 year's experience repeated 20 times. (Stephen M R Covey to Richie Norton when Norton asked if he was too young to train older executives for Covey.)”
― Richie Norton

“Being older deceives us into thinking that we are experts at being the ages we used to be.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana, P for Pessimism: A Collection of Funny yet Profound Aphorisms

“Ambition doesn’t end on a particular birthday. Own it and live it.”
― Bonnie Marcus, Not Done Yet!: How Women Over 50 Regain Their Confidence and Claim Workplace Power

“Don’t be stingy with your praise and support of other women. What goes around comes around. It’s great karma.”
― Bonnie Marcus, Not Done Yet!: How Women Over 50 Regain Their Confidence and Claim Workplace Power

“How did I get to be this old and still have to put up with so much crap?”
― T.W. Lawless, Furey's War

“Only those who have been on the receiving end of poverty, unemployment, homelessess, mental illness, domestic violence, racism, sexism or ageism can fully identify with others' reactions to those distressing experiences. Only those who have been members of marginalised minority can fully appreciate how that feels. [p50]”
― Hugh Mackay, The Kindness Revolution: How we can restore hope, rebuild trust and inspire optimism

“The older person is necessarily more experienced at life, but is not necessarily more wise, or even just wise.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

“When did wrinkles become shameful and when did we start buying into all this bullshit?”
― Bonnie Marcus, Not Done Yet!: How Women Over 50 Regain Their Confidence and Claim Workplace Power

“Be proud of how you show up every day, feeling comfortable in your own skin, being your magnificent you.”
― Bonnie Marcus, Not Done Yet!: How Women Over 50 Regain Their Confidence and Claim Workplace Power

“What a waste of time it is to be anxious and worried about aging instead of living.”
― Bonnie Marcus, Not Done Yet!: How Women Over 50 Regain Their Confidence and Claim Workplace Power

“it is for the elder man to rule and for the younger to submit”
― Plato

“It seems to me you’re turning into a regular old fussbudget,” said Miss Marple unkindly.
“And don’t call me names!” said Dr. Haydock. “You’re a very healthy woman for your age; you were pulled down a bit by bronchitis which isn’t good for the elderly. But to stay alone in a house at your age is a risk. Supposing you fall down the stairs one evening or fall out of bed or slip in the bath. There you’d lie and nobody’d know about it.”
“One can imagine anything,” said Miss Marple. “Miss Knight might fall down the stairs and i’d fall over her rushing out to see what had happened.”
― Agatha Christie, The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side

“It is extremely disturbing to live in a society that sees older people as a burden rather than rich experiences to benefit from and build upon. Older people can act as the memory that can help us make sense of what was, what is, and what could and should be. I see that in the U.S. older people are not only made invisible in a culture obsessed with youth and superficial physical appearances, but often their insights, experiences, and perspectives are dismissed as ‘nostalgic’ or as outright ‘ignorant’ using the ‘generational gap’ as a pretext.”
― Louis Yako

“The bottom line is that gendered ageism is a factor in our careers. There’s no denying it.”
― Bonnie Marcus, Not Done Yet!: How Women Over 50 Regain Their Confidence and Claim Workplace Power

“When you're fearful of aging, you don't step into your full power and potential.”
― Bonnie Marcus, Not Done Yet!: How Women Over 50 Regain Their Confidence and Claim Workplace Power

“You can’t sit on your ass and wait for things to miraculously happen for you.”
― Bonnie Marcus, Not Done Yet!: How Women Over 50 Regain Their Confidence and Claim Workplace Power

“Our age works against us, as does our gender, and we can’t take this shit lying down.”
― Bonnie Marcus, Not Done Yet!: How Women Over 50 Regain Their Confidence and Claim Workplace Power

“Loving yourself is badass, about as badass as you can get.”
― Bonnie Marcus, Not Done Yet!: How Women Over 50 Regain Their Confidence and Claim Workplace Power

“It’s your time and you have to claim it.”
― Bonnie Marcus, Not Done Yet!: How Women Over 50 Regain Their Confidence and Claim Workplace Power

“Next time you're feeling a certain way about your age, look at those who are older than you and excelling greatly for a self-esteem boost.”
― Torron-Lee Dewar

“My call to action goes well beyond asking you to pressure your recruiting team to hire a couple of token employees. That's easy and you've been doing that for years.

My call to action is that you dig deeper and place focus on making the work environment sustainable for the minorities you introduce to your team. I'm challenging you to refrain from the habitual practice of listening only to the jaded opinions of people that you are more familiar with.

Consider that, although you may be under the impression that your employees have strong ethics, morals and values, there is a possibility that they mat not be telling you the entire truth when speaking about the performance or demeanor of minorities.

Furthermore, I challenge you to accept that racism, ageism, ableism, classism, sizeism, homophobia, etc., are real and shaping the semblance of your organization.

Accepting that fact does not mean that people you work with and trust are bad people. It simply means that many of them are naïve, fearful, and more comfortable with pointing fingers at the innocent than they are with facing and addressing their own unconscious and damaging biases.”
― Talisa Lavarry, Confessions From Your Token Black Colleague: True Stories & Candid Conversations About Equity & Inclusion In The Workplace

“How old is too old when you've a right knack with the sick?”
― Anne McCaffrey, Nerilka's Story

“To fight against aging, we should first fight ageism. So many thousand more years and we still don't get along.. We just dam!
One day we will value the soul and its essence more than its appearance. Until that day arrives, we still suffer from so much violence.”
― Ana Claudia Antunes, Memoirs of An Amazon

“I played pinochle with my grandmothers. I thought I was the only person under the age of sixty who knew how to play. He also used the Oxford comma. That has to mean something, doesn't it?”
― Amy Bellows, A Handkerchief for Kade

“The Dark Cloud
Is the weaving of words that is ignored but leaves you stunned
Is the attitude of professors that don’t care unless you have a huge trust fund
Is the disgust you feel towards sexism, racism, and ageism
Is the hatred of a country that has fierce nationalism and chauvinism”
― Aida Mandic, The Dark Cloud

“The Dark Cloud
Is the dismissive manner of ageism and how it punishes wrinkles but wants you to be caring
Is the army of truth that always seeks those who are daring
Is the cynicism that ties you up to a chair and leaves you there
Is mourning people who were as good as gold, sweet like sugar, and who had deep emotions that were rare”
― Aida Mandic, The Dark Cloud

“An age is just an indication that there's more to be done.”
― Mitta Xinindlu