13 Quotes From Famous Women Over 50

Laura Grande | May 17th, 2017

“Old age ain’t no place for sissies.” So said the inimitable Bette Davis. The actress, who famously rebelled against Hollywood beauty standards throughout her entire career, isn’t the only one to open up publicly about about age and longevity. It always seems to be a hot topic in Tinseltown—the land of the (supposedly) ageless.

We take a look at some inspiring—and hilarious—quotes on aging from some of Hollywood’s biggest names. And they aren’t afraid to embrace getting older.

“I wouldn’t want to be 20 now. I know so much more, and I’m much more comfortable in my skin, saggy as it is.”—Susan Sarandon

“I will never retire unless I have to. As long as I’m able to get up in the morning, get that makeup on and my high heels on, and even if I can’t wear high heels, I’m going to do like Mae West, I’m going to sit in a wheelchair with my high heels on.”—Dolly Parton

“I never think about age. I believe your age is totally how you feel. I’ve seen women of 35 who are old and people of 75 who are young. As long as I look after myself physically, mentally and emotionally, I’ll stay young.”—Joan Collins

“We are who we’re going to be when we’re very old, and when we’re very old we are who we were when we were eight.”—Meryl Streep

“I’m a woman that loves makeup and getting dressed up. As I get older I don’t look as good, but I don’t give a damn.”—Helen Mirren

“People think my life has been tough, but I think it has been a wonderful journey. The older you get, the more you realize it’s not what happens, but how you deal with it.”—Tina Turner

“The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly and lie about your age.”—Lucille Ball

“Listen, the best advice on aging is this: What’s the alternative? The alternative, of course, is death. And that’s a lot of shit to deal with. So I’m happy to deal with menopause. I’ll take it.”—Whoopi Goldberg

“I take comfort that aging happens to everybody. It’s part of life. Aging offers great lessons in dignity, since the indignity wins in the end. Yes, it bothers me when I have lines or puffiness or droops. But it connects me with the human race. Like weather bringing people together, aging brings people together.”—Diane Lane

“I am appalled that the term we use to talk about aging is ‘anti.’ Aging is as natural as a baby’s softness and scent. Aging is human evolution in its pure form. Death, taxes, and aging.”—Jamie Lee Curtis

“The trick is to age honestly and gracefully and make it look great, so that everyone looks forward to it.”—Emma Thompson

“I was putting [my son Louis] to bed and told him that even when I’m old and gray and more wrinkly than I am now, I’ll still love him and want to tuck him in. And he asked me why I have wrinkles, and I said, ‘Well, I hope some of them are from laughing so much.'”—Sandra Bullock

“It’s important to grow old gracefully, and that’s what I plan to do. I am here to stay. I take care of myself, and I have the discipline to stay fit and have good health until I am very old. I’m not planning on retiring, and in many ways, professionally at least, I think my best days are still to come.”—Sigourney Weaver