Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits.

Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits.

Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.

Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.

What power had I
before I learned to yield?
Shatter me Great Wind!
I shall possess the field!
Richard Wilbur
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What power had I
before I learned to yield?
Shatter me Great Wind!
I shall possess the field!
Richard Wilbur
a stanza from his poem To A Milkweed.

It takes a long time to bring excellence to maturity.

It takes a long time to bring excellence to maturity.

Maturity is often more absurd than youth and very frequently is most unjust to youth.

Maturity is often more absurd than youth and very frequently is most unjust to youth.

I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.

I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.

Maturity is achieved when a person postpones immediate pleasures for long-term values.

Maturity is achieved when a person postpones immediate pleasures for long-term values.

When I grow up I want to be a little boy.

When I grow up I want to be a little boy.

The immature man wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mature man wants to live humanely for one.

The immature man wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mature man wants to live humanely for one.