Elders Quotes

“In this huge old occidental culture our teaching elders are books. Books are our grandparents!”
― Gary Snyder, The Practice of the Wild

“Without knowing it, the adults in our lives practiced a most productive kind of behavior modification. After our chores and household duties were done we were give "permission" to read. In other words, our elders positioned reading as a privilege - a much sought-after prize, granted only to those goodhardworkers who earned it. How clever of them.”
― Mildred Armstrong Kalish, Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression

“Yes, apocalypse. We've had that over and over. But we always survived. We're still here. And we'll still be here, even if the power and the radios don't come back on and we never see any white people again.”
― Waubgeshig Rice, Moon of the Crusted Snow

“The Elders were closer to the Maker of All Things and should be deferred to whenever they made their will known.”
― Patricia Briggs, Hunting Ground

“تخيلات الشباب عن الشيخوخة ضلال، تخيلات الشيخوخة عن الشباب حسرات.”
― نجيب محفوظ, Sugar Street

“Respect the young and chastise your elders. It's about time the world was set aright.”
― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

“I respect you as my king, and I respect you as my father, but I do not respect you as a man!”
― Rebecca McKinsey, Anterria

“Sina jinsi. Nguzo ya maisha yangu ni historia ya maisha yangu. Historia ya maisha yangu ni urithi wa watu waliojifunza kusema hapana kwa ndiyo nyingi – waliojitolea vitu vingi katika maisha yao kunifikisha hapa nilipo leo – walionifundisha falsafa ya kushindwa si hiari. Siri ya mafanikio yangu ni kujitahidi kwa kadiri ya uwezo wangu wote; au 'pushing the envelope' kwa lugha ya kigeni.”
― Enock Maregesi

“Conscience defined by the elders,
passed on to the next generations.”
― Toba Beta, My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut

“Getting older is not an intellectually demanding process.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

“The South, in general, and Stamps, Arkansas, in particular had had hundreds of years' experience in demoting even large adult blacks to psychological dwarfs. Poor white children had the license to address lauded and older blacks by their first names or by any names they could create.”
― Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter

“. . . if we do not continue to choose kindness together, can you imagine how much worse the world will become? The least we can do in response to and in gratitude for all those kindness giants who have paved the way is to do the same for the generations to come.”
― Bruce Reyes-Chow, In Defense of Kindness: Why It Matters, How It Changes Our Lives, and How It Can Save the World

“I can listen to what my elders have to say and still do the opposite of what they think is right. It is my life to live. I am responsible for it.”
― The Thoughtful Beast

“At old age, one realizes that life is truly a dream.”
― Michael Bassey Johnson, The Oneironaut’s Diary

“I longed with all my soul to be good, but I was young; I had passions and I as alone, completely alone, in my search for goodness. Every time I tried to display my innermost desires - a wish to be morally good - I met with contempt and scorn, and as soon as I gave in to the base desires I was praised and encouraged. Ambition, lust for power, self-interest, lechery, pride, anger, revenge, were all respected qualities. As I yielded to these passions I became like my elders and I felt that they were pleased with me.”
― Leo Tolstoy, A Confession and Other Religious Writings

“The elders are the history and mirror of the living past. Study them to brighten your life and future.”
― Ehsan Sehgal

“Elders pass away, leaving a hollow in our present for the past we'll never ever know.”
― Nitya Prakash

“So the smells I associate with the Elders are freshly cut garden flower arrangements- roses, lilac and endless sweet peas and the fougère hints of random greenery lavishly added to the vases, in the Constance Spry style.
Also, modest shop-bought flowers, particularly daffodils, tulips and freesias, which are such an economical way to brighten a room for that thrifty generation.

My scents for the elders are:
Lavender by Yardley
Blue Grass by Elizabeth Arden
Rose in Wonderland by Atkinsons
Femme by Rochas
Ostara by Penhaligon's
Tweed by Lenthéric (A mention of this elicited a big response at the event; it seemed all the women had worn it at some time and had happy associations with it. I do wish they would re-release it in the original tweed-fabric effect box.)

The men in this age group are the last of the true British gentlemen, so especially for them:

Old Spice
St Johns Bay Rum by St Johns Fragrance Company
Royal Mayfair by Creed”
― Maggie Alderson, The Scent of You

“The next blog was 'The scent of the elders' and there was only one possible perfume choice for that: Mitsouko. Polly hesitated before bringing the blotter to her nose. She knew that perfume- which scent connoisseurs considered 'the greatest chypre'- so well, she wanted to play it through in her mind first, from the sparkling peach top note to the spicy vetiver base, because she didn't have time to let all the stages of it develop.”
― Maggie Alderson, The Scent of You

“Blessings of those who have no desires bring luck and good fortune to those who have desires. That's why we seek blessings from elders and monks.”
― Shunya

“Disrespecting elders is the cancer of folks.”
― Kamaran Ihsan Salih

“The first lesson from our creator is to exercise respect, for all creation comes from the spirit.”
― Shirley Bear, Virgin Bones

“I imagined they had been listening for me, but still had not heard me drive up, which made me realize how old they really were: Grandfather, old beyond his time, and Father, old before his time.”
― Rick Bass, The Sky, The Stars, The Wilderness

“Respect and learn from your elders, have manners, listen and absorb from their decades of wisdom.”
― Henry Joseph-Grant

“We look to young musicians to be sages and treat our elders as old fools, then wonder why our life is a mess.”
― Aegelis, Sophizo

“Amaranthae turned her head to look at the old mage, white to the lips. “Do you elders know everything?”
“Enough to keep ourselves entertained,” the Srinshee said dryly, and Uldreiyn Starym nodded.
“ ‘Tis a common mistake of the young and vigorous,” he calmly told the tabletop, “to believe their elders have forgotten to see, or think, or remember things— when what we’ve really forgotten to do is scare younglings into respecting us, thoroughly and often.”
― Ed Greenwood, Elminster in Myth Drannor

“The successful people are those who respect their parents and elders.”
― Kamaran Ihsan Salih

“A house without elders is like a tree without leaves, hollow and incomplete.”
― Shree Shambav, Death: Light of Life and the Shadow of Death

“Oh for a son
when my head is bowed
and years have lined my face –
A stalwart son
with a gentle heart,
where I still hold
a mother's place.

Oh, for a son
when eyes grow dim
and memories recede –
A spirited son,
a steadfast son,
who sees but does not
fear my need.”
― Susan Noyes Anderson, His Children

“That hit me in a way that all the books and lessons at school never could. I made a silent vow to move a little slower and think before I acted. I would listen to my elders, and I’d protect them too.”
― Anton Treuer, Where Wolves Don't Die