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‘Never Too Late’: 14 Quotes About Late-in-Life Success

Although society often places a disproportionate emphasis on attaining certain milestones at a young age, success is possible at any stage of life. Age brings with it unique insights associated with our lived experiences, which can lead to innovative ideas and solutions.

But it’s not just a matter of having more experience — as we age, we may also become more resilient and more committed to our goals. Having overcome challenges and setbacks earlier in our lives, we’re often better equipped to successfully navigate the obstacles that come later.

We all continue to learn, grow, and evolve throughout our lives, and we may find our priorities and aspirations shifting as we grow older. The new skills and interests we develop can help us succeed in our pursuit of long-held ambitions or newfound passion projects. Research shows that success has nothing to do with age; it’s a combination of personality, persistence, intelligence, and luck.

So while achieving success is a personal journey with no one-size-fits-all definition, we hope these quotes act as a reminder that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams.

People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.
Paulo Coelho

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Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee

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No star is ever lost we once have seen, / We always may be what we might have been.
Adelaide Anne Procter

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Seldom does an individual enter upon highly creative effort in any field of endeavor before the age of forty.
Napoleon Hill

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If success comes early, it can mess with you. As rough as my early days were, I wouldn’t change five seconds.
Edie Falco

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The time for action is now. It’s never too late to do something.
Carl Sandburg

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I’m very grateful at my stage of the game to have all this happen. It makes me laugh and laugh; it’s ridiculous, because underneath I’m the same person I’ve always been.
Iris Apfel

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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 truly have defeated age.
Sophia Loren

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It is never too late or too soon. It is when it is supposed to be.
Mitch Albom

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There is nothing better in life than being a late bloomer. I believe that success can happen at any time and at any age.
Salma Hayek

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All I have done before the age of 70 is not worth bothering with. At 75, I’ll have learned something of the pattern of nature, of animals, of plants, of trees, birds, fish, and insects. When I am 80, you will see real progress.
Hokusai

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By being authentically who you are, you might be a little slower in becoming successful, but you’re going to be slowly gathering people who are your tribe, your kinda folks.
Chloé Zhao

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Luckily for me — and anyone who’d have to tolerate my antsy early retirement — our research reveals a deeper paradox that offers true hope: We older folks don’t have to assume we’re has-beens. That’s because creativity itself has no age.
Albert-László Barabási

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Perhaps I would have preferred to start off at 20 or 30, but I don’t think I would have been anywhere near equipped to know what it takes to be in business.
Vera Wang

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Featured image credit: Roy Rochlin/ Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

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About the Author
Kristina Wright
Kristina is a coffee-fueled writer living happily ever after with her family in the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia.
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