Quote of the Day: Germaine Greer on Aging & Wisdom

The internet rewards speed, hot takes, instant replies, constant comparison. In that noise, it’s easy to confuse being busy with being grown, and being loud with being right. The antidote is often a line that makes us laugh and then makes us look in the mirror: “You're only young once, but you can be immature forever.”

Youth is a season you don’t get back. It comes with training wheels, extra grace for mistakes, room to experiment, permission to not know yet. But immaturity is different: it’s not a birthday problem; it’s a choices problem. It shows up when we dodge responsibility, outsource blame, or treat discomfort as an emergency that must be escaped.

The good news is that maturity isn’t a personality trait you either have or don’t. It’s a practice. It’s pausing before you react. It’s naming what you actually feel instead of performing what you think will win. It’s trading the quick dopamine of being “right” for the long-term peace of being clear, honest, and kind. That’s how you protect your freedom, because the more automatic your reactions, the more other people (and algorithms) can steer your day.

Germaine Greer earned her authority by challenging cultural assumptions with sharp intellect and fearless prose, shaping modern feminist debate through landmark books and public advocacy that demanded real self-examination.

Today, pick one “adult” task you’ve been avoiding, send the email, make the appointment, apologize without qualifiers, and do it before noon. Then reward yourself with something childlike but earned: a walk, music, a playful hour that doesn’t sabotage tomorrow. May you keep your wonder, and retire your excuses.