Quote of the Day: Bob Hope on Aging & Wisdom

Notice how he uses the word “cost” rather than “price.” “Price” is what the bakery charges; “cost” is what time extracts. That small choice turns a birthday gag into a compact philosophy of aging, one that lands with a wink: “You know you're getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.”

The joke works because it flips the hierarchy of celebration. When we’re young, the cake is the main event and the candles are decoration, cheap, easy, almost forgettable. But with each birthday, the symbols multiply. The ritual meant to mark joy becomes logistically absurd: more flames than frosting, more ceremony than sweetness. Hope’s exaggeration exposes a truth we usually avoid naming: time doesn’t just pass; it accumulates, and it makes demands.

Yet the line isn’t cynical. It’s an invitation to trade dread for humor. If aging is unavoidable, then so is the chance to reinterpret it. Candles are a tally, yes, but they’re also a declaration: you’re still here, still worth gathering for, still capable of laughter at your own arithmetic. The “cost” is real, stamina, speed, the illusion of infinite tomorrows, but so is the return: perspective, discernment, a steadier grip on what actually matters.

Bob Hope earned the right to make that argument lightly. As an iconic comedian and actor, and a tireless USO performer and philanthropist, he spent a lifetime proving that laughter can be both entertainment and endurance.

March is the month when winter loosens its hold and people start taking stock of what survived. Apply Hope’s wisdom today: celebrate without denial, count the candles without bitterness, and let resilience look a little like a grin across the table.