What he wrote about old age Andre Maurois Bashny.Net

We know Andre Maurois as a master of the genre of romanticized biography and a short ironic-psychological story. Many read his works “Letters to a Stranger” and “Violets on Wednesdays”, but few knew about “The Art of Living”, because this book was not published in Russian.

It is no less valuable than his artistic creations. In it, the writer reflects on love, friendship, marriage, happiness, old age - the most important things in life. We offer you to appreciate an excerpt from this work translated by Irina Kurdakova, dedicated to the perception of aging.



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Ageing is a strange process. So strange that it is often hard to believe it. It is only when we see the impact of time on our peers that we look in the mirror at what it has done to us. In our own eyes we are still young.

“We have the same hopes and fears as when we were young. Our mind is still alive, and our powers do not seem to be exhausted. We're doing an experiment: Can I climb this hill as fast as I did when I was young? Yes, I was choking a little when I got to the top, but I spent the same amount of time and I was probably choking a little before.

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DepositPhotos Autumn Equinox "Old age is much more than gray hair, wrinkles and the thought that the game is played, that the scene belongs to the young."

“The real evil in old age is not the weakness of the body, but the indifference of the soul. Behind the shadow line, we see people and the world as they are, without illusions. The old man asks himself, “Why?” This is perhaps the most dangerous phrase. One day an old man will say to himself, Why fight? Why leave the house? Why get out of bed?

“With the exception of the simplest organisms, which manage to avoid aging by dividing into two new organisms, every living thing becomes old. Why is it that a May butterfly has only two hours to play for love, while a turtle and a parrot can live for two centuries? Why are pike and carp allowed to live 300 years, and Byron and Mozart only 30? The average life expectancy 150 years ago was 40 years, today in the most civilized countries it is about 70 years. If wars and revolutions do not degrade the environment, 100 years will be a normal life expectancy in the next century. But it will not affect the problem of ageing.”



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The coconut tree of life: The closer living beings are to nature, the tougher they are to their old people. An aging wolf is respected by his pack only as long as he can overtake the victim and kill her. Kipling, in his The Jungle Book, described the rage of young wolves, who were led to hunt by an old wolf, losing his powers. The day Akela missed the loot was the end of his career. The toothless old wolf was driven out of the pack by his young comrades.”

“In this respect primitive people are like animals. One traveler who visited Africa told of an old chief begging him for hair dye. “If the people of my tribe notice that I am graying, they will kill me.”

“The inhabitants of one of the islands of the South Sea made old men climb coconut trees and then shook them. If the old man did not fall, he received the right to live; if he fell from a tree, he was sentenced to death. It seems cruel, but we also have our own coconut trees. ?

Of statesmen, actors, lecturers, one day one may say, ‘It is over.’ In many cases, this means a death sentence, because poverty comes with retirement or because despair leads to weakness. The common coconut tree for all is war.”

“Among peasants, where life is closer to nature, physical force still governs intergenerational relationships. In cities, the triumph of youth is more pronounced during revolutions and rapid changes in society, as youth adapts more quickly to change than old age.”

“Conversely, in civilized countries, where there are many wealthy people, there is a tendency to care for and pay respect to the elderly. Old people are not abandoned because in a world where there has been no change for a long time, experience is of particular value.”

“However, an old leader who made a career in his youth struggles to look young. Like an old wolf, he tries to hide his helplessness. Thus, youth and old age are interchangeable, alternating in a natural rhythm.”

“It is useless to wish that it was otherwise. Perhaps the best scheme of two generations would be the following: the young command, and the wise old take the positions of state advisers.”





The tyranny of the past: Old age brings endless difficulties. However, if you want to fight them, you must calmly acknowledge them. When a doctor visits a seriously ill patient, he says, “This is what happens if you don’t take care of yourself.” He then lists the symptoms, each more severe than the previous one, and says, “None of these symptoms will develop if you take preventive measures.”

“That’s what I want to tell you about the troubles you can face in old age and how to avoid them if you warn them.”

“Aging body is how long an engine has worked. With a careful attitude, care and timely prevention, it can still serve well. Of course, it will not be the same as before, and you can not ask too much of it. But with a reasonable attitude to your body, you can remain active in old age.”

“Old people develop an amazing selfishness that prevents them from being friends with young people. If it were not for him, the warmth associated with experience would, on the contrary, attract the young.”

“One of the signs of old age is stinginess. The old man knows that it is not so easy for him to make money, and therefore he takes care of what he already has. Another reason for stinginess is that every living being must have a passion, and a passion for money may well replace the absence of other passions. In old men, avarice becomes a game, and those who play it find extraordinary pleasure in accumulating money. This game does not require strength, youth or health”.

“Old people usually have weaker brains and find it difficult to develop new ideas, so they stick to ideas they had when they were young. Objections infuriate them, as they regard it as disrespect for themselves. It is difficult for them to keep up with the times and they continue to remember their past time and time again.”

“Loneliness is the greatest evil in old age; one after another old friends and relatives leave, and these losses cannot be replaced. Old age takes away strength and pleasure.”

“Old age is a tyrant,” said La Rochefoucauld, “who forbids the pleasures of youth and threatens death.” First of all, violent love, characteristic of young people, is forbidden. Older people sometimes worry that their physical desires do not coincide with their abilities. In many cases, not only the body but also the soul ages.”

In ancient Greek history there is a case when one of the patricians all his life loved a woman who for his sake abandoned her husband, children, friends, lost the respect of people in his circle. He could not marry her because he was already married. She devoted herself to his pleasures, his career, his work. Subsequently, their love affair turned into a tender and long friendship. He was 80 years old and she was 70 years old and I saw them every day. When the woman died, everyone who knew the patrician felt sorry for him. Everyone said, "He can't take it." However, he quickly recovered from the shock. Not only was he too old to love, but he was too old to suffer.”



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Wear wigs and necklaces! “The art of aging is to deal with trouble. But is it possible if they attack the body? Isn’t old age a natural biological change that must be accepted? ?

“Civilization and experience have taught people to struggle, if not with old age, then with its outward manifestations. Elegant clothing and well-chosen jewelry attract the eye and distract attention from physical flaws. The use of jewelry plays a special role. The soft iridescence of a pearl necklace makes you forget about the shortcomings of the neck. The sheen of rings and bracelets hides the age of the hands and wrists. Beautiful hairpins and earrings, like the tattoo of primitive tribes, so affect the imagination that wrinkles on the face can be overlooked.”

To do everything to smooth the distinction between youth and old age is the work of civilized men.

“Parks were invented to hide thinned hair or baldness. Skillful use of cosmetics helps to mask the signs of skin withering. The art of dressing, especially after a certain age, consists in the ability to hide one’s shortcomings.”

“It is often said that the age of a man is not determined by his years, but by the condition of his vessels and bones. People in their 50s may look older than they do in their 70s. A well-trained body retains flexibility for a long time, and then aging is not accompanied by numerous diseases. Wisdom is about exercising every day, not occasionally. It is impossible to stop the onset of old age, but it is desirable to deny it.”

The famous philosopher Montaigne said, “I prefer to be old for a long time, not to become old prematurely.”

“The soul, like the body, also needs exercise. Therefore, you should not reject love in old age just because it does not seem ridiculous. It's not funny that two old people love each other. Respect, affection and admiration have no age.”

“It often happens that when youth and passions are gone, love acquires a certain asceticism, which is not without its charm. Thus, the co-existence of the pair resembles a river, which at the beginning of the current rushes, jumping over boulders, but the clear waters flow more calmly, approaching the sea, and stars are reflected on its wide surface.

“Love in old age can be as sincere and touching as in youth. Victor Hugo told how moved he was when he saw Madame Recamier and Chateaubriand together. She was blind and he was paralyzed. Every day at 3 o’clock Chateaubriand was brought to Madame Recamier. The woman, who saw nothing else, sought the company of a man who felt nothing more; their hands met, they were close to death, but they still loved each other.



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Emotional life does not consist in mere love impulses. Older people’s attachment to grandchildren often fills their lives. We rejoice in their joys, suffer when they suffer, love when they love, and participate in their struggles. How can we feel like we’re out of the game if they’re playing it for us? How can we be unhappy if they are happy? It’s nice to see them enjoying the books we recommended to them.”

“Grandparents often find common ground with grandchildren faster than with children. They are physically closer to their grandchildren. They can't run with their son, but they can run with their grandson. Our first and last steps have the same rhythm.”

“In addition, people age more slowly if they have valid reasons to live. It is believed that a person exhausts himself if he is very active in old age. Quite the opposite. Aging is nothing more than a bad habit that a busy person does not have time to follow.”

“In many cases, old people are better leaders than young people. Old diplomats and doctors are experienced and wise, as they are not distracted by young passions and can reason calmly.”

Cicero said, “Great things are done not by physical force, but by the mature wisdom of old age.”





DepositPhotos: There are two sensible ways to age. One is not getting old. It is for those who manage to avoid old age by leading an active lifestyle. The second is to accept old age with calmness and detachment. The fight time is over. There are old people who not only envy the young, but feel sorry for them, because the stormy sea of life still lies at their feet. Deprived of some of the pleasures of youth, these people feel with particular keenness the pleasures they have left.”

“There are several ways to age unpleasantly. The worst of them all is trying to hold on to what cannot be returned. Unfortunately, there are people whose lives are poisoned until the last days by constant dissatisfaction.

“The art of growing old is the art of behaving in such a way as to be for future generations a support, not a stumbling block; a confidant, not a rival.”

“Retirement should also be discussed. Some people get over it. Meanwhile, for a person who retains the ability to wonder, retirement can be a pleasant moment in his life. At home, in his garden, he can finally do his favorite things.”

“It will be even more interesting to live for those who have always cared about poetry, books and the beauty of nature. The works of great writers are our immortal friends.

“Music is also an extremely devoted friend. For those of us who are disillusioned with people, music is a departure to another, beautiful world.

Pascal said, “A man’s life is happy if he begins with love and ends with ambition.” If ambition is satisfied, life in old age is calmer.”

So 10 or 20 years after a person has crossed the shadow line, they can cross the light line. He's calm and happy. His openness and friendliness speak of the state of his soul. No, old age is not hell, over the entrance of which is written: “Abandon all hope who enter here.” If old people are worthy of friendship, they are surrounded by friends in old age. Finally, the fear of dying in old age can be overcome by faith and philosophy.”



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Will science ever be able to make sure that old age does not destroy our body? Is it possible to create a fountain of youth in whose waters we could swim to become young again? Biologists managed to achieve this in experiments on the simplest organisms. But does a person have to live that long?

“At the age of 80, a person has experienced everything: love and its end, ambition and subsequent devastation; a few naive illusions and the sobering up that comes after their collapse.”

The fear of death is not very great in old age; all attachments and interests are in the past and concern those who have already died.

When H.G. Wells was celebrated on his 70th birthday, he gave a speech in which he noted that the event had revived his childhood experiences. The nanny used to tell him, "Henry, it's time for you to sleep." He used to protest, but deep down he knew that sleep would bring him rest.”

“Death is a kind and strict nanny, and when the time comes, she says, ‘Henry, it’s time for you to sleep.’” We protest a little, but we know it’s time to rest, and deep down we wait for it.”

Don't scare you. old-ageTreat them philosophically and prepare for them young. And old-age Feel an unrelenting love of life.

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