I wouldn't be young again even if it were possible, but I am not going to pretend that growing old is all sweetness and light.

I am growing old, and my future, so to speak, is already behind me.

Why did so many grown-ups want to be young, she wondered, when it took so long to grow old? It was like going on a million-mile road trip then wanting to turn around without getting out of the car.

A man growing old becomes a child again.

Old women especially are invisible. I have been to parties where no one knows who I am, so I am ignored until I introduce myself to someone picked at random. Immediately, word gets round, and I am surrounded by people who tell me they are my biggest fans.

Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.