No matter how old we get, we all have an inner child within us that encompasses our innocence, whimsy, and unmitigated joy. This crucial part of our subconscious also connects us with memories from long ago that continue to hold great meaning even decades later. But it’s all too easy to neglect our inner child, and doing so can make us lose sight of the things that help keep us young at heart.
The good news is our inner child never disappears entirely and can always be revived, even if we’ve gone a long time without nourishing those childlike emotions. It’s never too late to look inward and encourage that youthful spirit to thrive once again. In the process, we may even unearth some long-lost memories that bring a smile to our faces and warmth to our hearts.
Here are 14 particularly thoughtful quotes about the importance of staying young at heart to inspire you to embrace that sense of youthful exuberance.
If wrinkles must be written upon our brows, let them not be written upon the heart. The spirit should never grow old.James A. Garfield
You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.Samuel Ullman
Always jump in the puddles! Always skip alongside the flowers. The only fights worth fighting are the pillow and food varieties.Terri Guillemets
Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional.Unknown
Like a forgotten fire, a childhood can always flare up again within us.Gaston Bachelard
We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.George Bernard Shaw
Today is the oldest you’ve ever been, and the youngest you’ll ever be again.Eleanor Roosevelt
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
Think what a better world it would be if we all — the whole world — had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap … And it is still true, no matter how old you are — when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.Robert Fulghum
A man is getting old when he walks around a puddle instead of through it.R.C. Ferguson
The reluctance to put away childish things may be a requirement of genius.Rebecca Pepper Sinkler
Don’t try to be young. Just open your mind. Stay interested in stuff. There are so many things I won’t live long enough to find out about, but I’m still curious about them.Betty White
Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.C.S. Lewis
Happy is he who still loves something he loved in the nursery: he has not been broken in two by time; he is not two men, but one, and he has saved not only his soul but his life.G.K. Chesterton
Featured image credit: Edward G. Malindine/ Hulton Archive via Getty Images
