Nothing seemed quite right — to write about, that is. I was lacking in inspiration. The possibilities are endless, but still…. Searching for ideas, I delved into my overflowing blogging folder where I found a little paperback entitled “And Then She Said….” Quotations by Women for Every Occasion.” I’m sure I’ve had that book for well over 50 years. So I guess it’s about time I used it.

And really, who better to look to for inspiration and advice than a treasure trove of women — authors, sages, politicians, mothers, daughters. Their voices rang true at every turn of the page.

“Women are the real architects of society.” Harriet Beecher Stowe

For inspiration in overcoming obstacles, who better than Helen Keller: “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.” “One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.”

“I praise loudly; I blame softly.” Catherine II of Russia

“If you do not tell the truth about yourself, you cannot tell it about other people.” Virginia Wolf

“I will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashions.” Lillian Hellman in the Letter to the Committee on UnAmerican Activities

“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.” Jo in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women

*Photo by Daria Shevtsova on* *Pexels.com*

Here are two of my all time favorites from one of my favorite women — Eleanor Roosevelt:

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
“We must do the things we think we cannot do.”

I enjoy the wit and wisdom of Mae West:

“Too much of a good thing can be wonderful. ” and “Life is a banquet but most poor suckers are starving to death.”

I chuckled at this one from Clarissa Pinkola Estes: “Remember, if logic were all there really was to the world, then surely all men would ride sidesaddle.”

I wondered if Marvin Gaye found this quote for his song “Heard It on The Grapevine:”

“Believe only half of what you see and nothing that you hear.” Dinah Mulock Craik

“You must learn day by day, year by year, to broaden your horizons. The more things you love, the more you are interested in, the more you enjoy, the more you are indignant about — the more you have left when anything happens.” Ethel Barrymore

“I have a simple philosophy: fill what’s empty, empty what’s full and scratch where it itches.” Alice Roosevelt Longworth

“Don’t compromise yourself. You’re all you’ve got.” Betty Ford

“Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that’s where you renew your springs that never dry up.” Pearl Buck

“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.” Anne Frank

It occurred to me that since this site is all about aging gracefully and actively, why not check in with more great women for some quotes about aging.

“In youth we learn, in age we understand.” Marie Ebner-Eschenbach

“It must become a right of every person to die of old age. And if we secure this right for ourselves we can, coincidentally, assure it for the planet.” Alice Walker, Living by the Word.

“Time and trouble will tame an advanced young woman, but an advanced old woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force.” Dorothy Sayers, Clouds of Witness

“We older women who know we aren’t heroines can offer our younger sisters, at the very least, an honest report of what we have learned and how we have grown.” Elizabeth Janeway, in Ms. 1973

“Don’t try to be young. Just open your mind. Stay interested in stuff. There are so many things I won’t live long enough to find out about, but I’m still curious about them,” said the wonderful Betty White, who also said,

“I may be a senior, but so what! I’m still hot.” (That you were, Betty)

“There is a fountain of youth. It is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will have truly defeated age. “ Sophia Loren

“We turn not older with years, but newer every day. ” Emily Dickinson

“Mostly what I have learned so far about aging, despite the creakiness of ones bones and the cragginess of one’s once-silken skin, is this: Do it. By all means, do it.” Maya Angelou

“I don’t like the word anti-aging. I say successful aging.” Martha Stewart

“Know that you are the perfect age. Each year is special and precious for you shall only live once. Be comfortable with growing older.” Louisa Hay

And finally….

“Aging is inevitable, but getting ‘old’ is entirely optional.” Lisa Levine

*Photo by Jill Wellington on* *Pexels.com*

Thanks to all the wonderful women. I couldn’t have said it better myself.

When in doubt - quote.

Kate’s Long-Lived Life

When in doubt - quote.

A cabin, a lake, a family.

Purging the book case: a process of self-discovery.

Kate’s Long-Lived Life