National Senior Citizens Day 2020: Inspirational Quotes About Aging

National Senior Citizens Day is observed annually Aug. 21 to appreciate those who have impacted our lives for years and recognize their achievements.

In 1988, the United States Congress and former President Ronald Reagan signed Proclamation 5847 and declared Aug. 21, 1988, to be the first National Senior Citizens Day with an aim to recognize older citizens' wisdom and contributions.

"Throughout our history, older people have achieved much for our families, our communities, and our country. That remains true today, and gives us ample reason this year to reserve a special day in honor of the senior citizens who mean so much to our land. For all they have achieved throughout life and for all they continue to accomplish, we owe older citizens our thanks and a heartfelt salute. We can best demonstrate our gratitude and esteem by making sure that our communities are good places in which to mature and grow older — places in which older people can participate to the fullest and can find the encouragement, acceptance, assistance, and services they need to continue to lead lives of independence and dignity," Reagan proclaimed.

On this day, here are a few quotes about aging to inspire senior citizens, courtesy Amsterdam Printing -

• "Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been." – David Bowie
• "The spirit never ages. It stays forever young." – Lailah Gifty Akita
• "To keep the heart unwrinkled — to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent — that is to triumph over old age." – Thomas Bailey Aldrich
• "Youth is the gift of nature, but age is a work of art." – Stanislaw Jerzy Lec
• "In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years." – Abraham Lincoln
• "Old age … is a good and pleasant thing. It is true you are gently shouldered off the stage, but then you are given such a comfortable front stall as spectator." – Confucius
• "The great thing about getting older is that you get a chance to tell the people in your life who matter what they mean to you." – Mike Love
• "Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you’ve got to start young." – Theodore Roosevelt
• "Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been." – Mark Twain
• "The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes." – Frank Lloyd Wright