The Power of Clichés: What We Learn From Growing Older
A friend recently celebrated his 40th birthday and it got us thinking about the power of clichés. As we age, these statements become more meaningful and offer a new perspective on life. Learn more about the wisdom of clichés and what they can teach us.
Julie Zhuo
Building Sundial. Angel investor. Former Design VP @ FB. Author of "The Making of a Manager" https://t.co/6HwJhCW5Hi. Obsessed with systems. Design + data person.
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A friend celebrated his 40th birthday the other day. He said, you know, the older I get, the more the cliches seem deeply true.
— Julie Zhuo (@joulee) April 14, 2023
Cliches like, The days are long but the years are short. Or Having less is having more.
In my teens and 20s I rolled my eyes at statements like these. -
They seemed like a soda can’s empty calories. Everywhere and cheap. No nuance, no inventiveness. The easiest thing to serve up when you don’t want to put in effort.
— Julie Zhuo (@joulee) April 14, 2023 -
But now, when we utter them to each other — swallowing back the lump in the throat at a child’s birthday party or mari-kondo-ing the shit out of January — we glimpse the profundity of these so-called words of wisdom, as clear and essential as water.
— Julie Zhuo (@joulee) April 14, 2023 -
What I failed to realize back then is that the words are merely containers.
— Julie Zhuo (@joulee) April 14, 2023
In my teens, the containers were shallow, filled with black-and-white plotlines and youth’s arrogance. -
But year over year, these containers gathered more memories. Hues of heartbreak. Textures of love. Mistakes and their sharp aftermaths, slowly eroding the edges of hubris.
— Julie Zhuo (@joulee) April 14, 2023 -
The containers became fuller. And speaking their words felt like uttering prayers, like drinking in the past itself. Exquisite and complex. A prized wine growing ever finer.
— Julie Zhuo (@joulee) April 14, 2023
That elixir is wisdom. How I wish we could drink of each others’ collections! -
Oh, but we try. To weave that wisdom into our stories. To convey it in our art. To capture it in our words. Humanity’s best attempts become today’s cliches.
— Julie Zhuo (@joulee) April 14, 2023
But all of these attempts are still containers, containers of all shapes and sizes, bouncing in our minds. -
They have their value; after all, our minds are like houses — more likely to be tidy with a larger collection of containers.
— Julie Zhuo (@joulee) April 14, 2023
But do not mix up the containers themselves with the wisdom inside them. -
To my young-hearted friends: read and learn. Reflect and absorb.
— Julie Zhuo (@joulee) April 14, 2023
But never forget: Wisdom is life itself.
Sometimes, there is no more advice left to give.
Sometimes, you must simply live. -
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— Julie Zhuo (@joulee) April 14, 2023