The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly: Life Wisdom from Someone Who Will (Probably) Die Before You

Surrounding yourself with young people is a way to stay in tune with the young person you yourself were at some point.

Sure, as I’ve said before, when you leave earth make sure there is not a bunch of your crap still here for someone

as a nationality, we tend to be quite blunt, clear-eyed, and unsentimental.

Once you have turned eighty, it's important to have the right sort of wrinkles. Even more important, though is to start laughing early enough to spend more time laughing than frowning. If your wrinkles point upward, you will look happy instead of merely old.

It is never too late to do anything, unless it is really too late and you are. dead. The moment you start thinking it is too late, then you begin to die. I will keep going and do all I want to do.

Some people just become part of you. That feels comforting.

The world is always ending, and yet it continues to survive. We must always hope for a sustainable future, but hope is not enough.

It is certainly kärt besvär [dear sorrow] … The older one gets, the more one must find a way to make any routine a beloved routine, even if it is sometimes a pain.

It is never too late to do anything unless it really is too late and you are dead. The moment you start thinking it is too late, then you begin to die. I will keep going and do all I want to do.

As you get older, it is important to listen to the young. It can be a lot more fun and interesting than listening to eighty -- somethings shaking their fists, waving their canes, and saying everything was better in the old days.

Aging is often difficult, but it doesn’t have to be if you approach it in a way that isn’t too filled with drama or with dread. And if you can find a way to make aging itself into an art, where you are creative in how you approach each day, perhaps it can be a little easier.

The older I get, the more I find that I remember clearly all the things I said yes to, just when I was about to say no. I must admit I have not been open-minded all the time. I just wish I had been.

...unless you depend on your looks for your career or your joy, hinging your life on looking young is such a bad idea.

But more than mental games, researchers claim that physical exercise is a must for the aging brain. Physical exercise is important not only for our general well-being but also for coping. better with stress, becoming more creative, and having a better memory. A good friend once told me that you should never sit still for more than twenty minutes at a time. This doesn't work if you like going to the cinema -- unless you are going to a short-film festival.