Words Of Wisdom From The World's Most Famous Senior Citizens
Andrew Zuckerman, a 30-year-old photographer and film-maker has spent the last year travelling the globe, photographing some of the world's most iconic faces, but with a catch: all of them were born before 1942.
Zuckerman's cites America's obsession with youth as inspiration: "We're doing a disservice to ourselves by not looking to our elders. We should be saying, 'What have you learnt?' and seeing what we can pick up from that."
His subjects include such luminaries as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Willie Nelson, Madeline Albright, Clint Eastwood and Nelson Mandela.
Here are some excerpts from their words of wisdom:
Willie Nelson
"Necessity is still the mother of invention, and if we start really needing energy, we'll get it. We have solar, we've got water, we've got all kinds of things that we can use, and eventually people will start realising that there are alternative energies and you don't have to go around the world starting wars over oil.
If everyone just takes care of their own area then we won't have any problems. Be here. Be present. Wherever you are, be there. And look around you and see what needs to be changed."
Jane Goodall
"We've been very arrogant in assuming that there's this sharp line dividing us from the rest of the animal kingdom, and we need to realise that we are not the only beings on this planet with personalities, minds and, above all, feelings and emotions. We need to be a little more respectful."
Dame Judi Dench
"The key to a good relationship is absolutely, undoubtedly: don't take the person for granted. Don't ever think that they're going to come back to you just because you happen to be married. Always make the effort; and hopefully don't make the effort recognisably."
Clint Eastwood
"Take your profession seriously; don't take yourself seriously. Don't take yourself seriously in the process, because you really only matter to a certain degree in the whole circus out here. If a person is confident enough in the way they feel, whether it's an art form or whether it's just in life, it comes off - you don't have anything to prove; you can just be what you are."
Madeleine Albright
"Being a parent is one of the most difficult and demanding and rewarding things that you can possibly be; you really are responsible for the day-to-day upbringing of your child. With grandkids, you can just reward. It's just a perfect relationship.
It's something new, but exercise is very important to my well-being. And I now leg-press over 400lb."
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First Posted: 09-29-08 12:11 PM | Updated: 10-30-08 05:12 AM