Article image

Unconventional Aging Advice From 10 Centenarians

Living to 100 is a rare feat. You can follow all the traditional medical advice and best diet recommendations, but the odds of reaching the century mark are still quite slim.

However, when someone is lucky enough to celebrate their 100th birthday, it’s worth listening to the wisdom they have to offer. Centenarians are a special breed of people who have experienced long and fruitful lives, so it’s a good idea to listen and take note of how they achieved such an impressive milestone.

Many centenarians attribute their longevity to daily routines that may seem surprising, such as eating fatty foods and drinking alcohol. Others credit their lengthy lifespans to maintaining an optimistic outlook and enjoying plenty of laughter.

The only thing we can know for sure is that nothing is sure when it comes to living a full 100 years. Every centenarian reaches that mark by different means, and each one is likely to have their own unique advice to impart.

Here are 10 quotes from centenarians that will make you completely rethink typical aging advice. We can let their wise and humorous words guide us on our own personal journeys, as each day may bring us closer to our own 100th birthday.

Be as independent as you can, but don’t be reluctant to ask for help when you think you need it.
Cliff Crozier

Share Quote

To stay healthy, always take the stairs and carry your own stuff.
Shigeaki Hinohara

Share Quote

I still work. Of course it’s not a paid job, it’s volunteer … and that fills my life, because it’s giving me something that I can find pleasure in doing that I know is of value to others.
Margaret Madeline

Share Quote

Do what you have to do — you won’t get into any trouble that way.
Hal Edison

Share Quote

When people ask what I eat and drink to live so long, I say to them that I eat everything, except pork and chicken.
Violet Moss-Brown

Share Quote

A good idea is to behave well to other people, show them respect, and help them as much as you possibly can, and it will be repaid hundredfolds.
Emilia Harper

Share Quote

Don’t get angry, don’t hate, don’t envy. I have always lived by these words.
Shitsui Hakoishi

Share Quote

Remember, plenty of laughter, but no shouting.
Yvonne Old

Share Quote

I lived this long due to focus and hard work. Always resilient, never fearful.
Walter Alfred

Share Quote

Wear Depends. Don’t let it stop you from going out and doing things.
Mildred Kirschenbaum

Share Quote

Featured image credit: SviatlanaLaza/ Shutterstock

Author image
About the Author
Bennett Kleinman
Bennett is a staff writer at Optimism as well as a freelance comedy writer. He's based in New York City.
Play more header background
Play more icon
Daily Question
Fill in the blank: "___ is a very powerful thing, more powerful than intellect." - Steve Jobs

More Inspiration

happiness theme icon

Admire as much as you can, most people don't admire enough.

separator icon
Vincent van Gogh
motivation theme icon

Art is a language which anneals individuals to each other through experiences that are uniquely human.

separator icon
Ann Lauterbach
hope theme icon

You must not try to make love definite. It is the divine accident of life.

separator icon
Sherwood Anderson
love theme icon

There will always be someone who can't see your worth. Don't let it be you.

separator icon
Mel Robbins
wisdom theme icon

Don't surrender all your joy for an idea you used to have about yourself that isn't true anymore.

separator icon
Cheryl Strayed
happiness theme icon

I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.

separator icon
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
motivation theme icon

We cannot be more sensitive to pleasure without being more sensitive to pain.

separator icon
Alan Watts
hope theme icon

The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators.

separator icon
Edward Gibbon
love theme icon

You can't lead the people if you don't love the people. You can't save the people, if you don't serve the people.

separator icon
Cornel West
wisdom theme icon

Success is the process itself.

separator icon
Matt Damon
happiness theme icon

All experience is great providing you live through it.

separator icon
Alice Neel